language
I went to a demonstration for a bit before work yesterday, it was organized by a coalition of First Nations in Canada which are all having their language funding slashed by more than 2/3. They were also bemoaning that as always their living conditions are ridiculously poor. I just think it's pitiful that our government is always cutting some paltry amount that they have dedicated to improving the lots of First Nations people. For example the amount necessary to run their language programs across Canada was a few million. Or the fact that native people living already without running water are forced with austerity measures for their electricity use because the system is too shoddy to deal with anything more than some small pitiful amount. Yet in the next white down are people told to keep their lights off or it will overwhelm the grid? It's pitiful. It's all political, sadly every government Liberal or Conservative has pretty much the same programme of slow destruction by poor conditions. Because an active and healthy native population is an "embarassment", preventing Canada (the colony) from becoming a "normal" country?
Oh well I'm not very good at explaining it..
Anyways in related linguistic-news I was reading this dictionary of censorship in Quebec and heard of this National Film Board documentary from the 70s called "L'Acadie, l'Acadie?!" About French-speaking students not being able to get education in their language in New Brunswick in the 1960s even though they made up 40% of the population. Has anyone seen it? It's about the confrontation of a group of students with the unilingual english heads of their university and local authorities, and finally giving up and "crissing le camp" to quebec.
NB. though that situations have changed since then with French-language acceptance and funding in Canada since then, but they barely have for native people. I disagree with the notion of pitting one against the other or making them compete as some people try to do*, but it shows how unwanted white minorities can be "made over" into acceptable ones, while non-white ones are forever seen as a danger?
*The one sign I disagreed with at yesterday's demonstration was one that had a simple scale, with "First Nations" on one side and "French" on the other side, with French being ridiculously heavier and weighing down. Then they were both balancing on another box and I looked to see if it said "English" but it said "Justice".
Oh well I'm not very good at explaining it..
Anyways in related linguistic-news I was reading this dictionary of censorship in Quebec and heard of this National Film Board documentary from the 70s called "L'Acadie, l'Acadie?!" About French-speaking students not being able to get education in their language in New Brunswick in the 1960s even though they made up 40% of the population. Has anyone seen it? It's about the confrontation of a group of students with the unilingual english heads of their university and local authorities, and finally giving up and "crissing le camp" to quebec.
NB. though that situations have changed since then with French-language acceptance and funding in Canada since then, but they barely have for native people. I disagree with the notion of pitting one against the other or making them compete as some people try to do*, but it shows how unwanted white minorities can be "made over" into acceptable ones, while non-white ones are forever seen as a danger?
*The one sign I disagreed with at yesterday's demonstration was one that had a simple scale, with "First Nations" on one side and "French" on the other side, with French being ridiculously heavier and weighing down. Then they were both balancing on another box and I looked to see if it said "English" but it said "Justice".