(Untitled)

[frandroid]

I always find infuriating the way in which the English Canadian media depict separatists (when not depicting Québécois in general) as racists. What I hate is the implication that the separatists are racists and that the rest of people in Québec and Canada aren't. Today the noon news bulletin on the CBC was highlighting André Boisclair's "slanted

Comments

[compasspoints]

boisclair's intent might not have been racist, but his remark certainly was, regardless of if it was in a 'complimentary' context. i was listening to a political panel made up of adq, liberal and pq campaign party members yesterday, and ALL of them refused to acknowledge in ANY way that the remarks were racist

[frandroid]

I'm fine about the reporting on the news itself without looking at the context, but it's the context I'm complaining about. It's like white people using MLK's "content of their character" quote to oppose affirmative action. They're appropriating anti-racist language in order to perpetuate racism. In this case, English Canadians appropriate anti-racist language to portrait the separatists in a negative light, but not because they give much of a damn about racism.

I think the press, at least columnists in La Presse, have been slogging at Dumont a fair bit about reasonable accomodations, and it's been discussed on TLMEP a lot too, with Guy A. Lepage having a clue or two. But the English-Canadian media hasn't done that.

[shmeen]

I don't find the coverage singling him out. He said a fucked up thing. I am not sure how else the coverage could be - but doesn't really matter what his intent was - he singled out a group of people based on racialized characteristics. A lot of pasty folk seem to do that

[frandroid]

Like I said in my other comment above, the coverage itself is fine. But it's part of a history of separatist leaders' racism being covered very closely and made a big deal of, and brought back again for years and years, unlike other people's racism, federalist politicians in particular, which is kept under covers.

Even though the separatist movement has its roots in being at the short end of discrimination by anglophones, politically, economically and socially, I'm not trying to make apologies for the movement's own shortcomings in that regard. I mean I'm not a separatist myself. I think the separatist movement has had a hard time separating race and culture, embracing multiculturalism (which many saw as a ploy by Trudeau to undermine Québec culture) and I'm quite averse about the idea of the nation anyway. But when the CBC, or more frequently the National Post or the Globe and Mail cover separatist racism, they do it with the intent of tarring the separatists rather than any kind of anti-racist principles. I mean, you know how

[unemployia]

I never wished you Happy 30! I'm gonna be 41; and a published author! yep
. Shall we be lj friends now? even though my lj is all venty and personal and all my friends are moms, published writers, and crazy people?

[frandroid]

Sure, I've already friended you. I rarely posted personal stuff there but I post a lot about Canadian politics. If your LJ is too much for me I'll tell you ;]

OK

[unemployia]

I wouldn't mind learning more about canadian politics. I deffinately feel more clued in to different issues geographically speaking through lj friends. Esp. new orleans.

Re: OK

[frandroid]

Bah, just stick to Fox News ;]