OP ED by Rhonda Massad
Seriously though. Let’s all speak French instead of what comes naturally to us, said no one ever.
When was the last time any human being ever liked doing something forced upon them?
When was the last time forcing something on someone was sustainable?
Let’s face it. Nobody gave a rats poop about language during the whole pandemic apocalypse. We were busy waiting for the end of days in every language.
Suddenly, the pandemic is on the back burner to make room for the real star - language debate. Just in time for a provincial election.
I’m exhausted. I don’t know about you, but I need a moment. Enough with the constant crisis.
Hey elected officials! Read the room. Your constituency is on burnout.
We need to collect our CNESST and be left alone to binge watch the Brady Bunch and Lance et Compte.
Think of it this way. While politicians were all guaranteed their paycheques the past two years, the rest of us have been lying on our stomach trying to make it to shore on a frozen lake in April after hearing the ice crack.
Not exactly the same journey, can we agree?
They say don’t complain without offering a solution. Here goes:
Make. French. Sexy.
It’s like when you want you’re brother to pick one toy over another and you deek him and fake “like” the toy you want him to choose. Manipulating our siblings to get our way is our first foray into marketing. Are politicians born at 30? How disconnected can ya get ?
Point is. Have you ever felt like the Italian culture and language are at risk? No.
Have you ever dreamed of owning an Italian car. Italian clothes. Italian leather goods. Italian designer bags. Italian cuisine. And yes. The language. We want it all. Why? Because it’s sexy. It’s delicious and it’s luxurious. And "by George" well marketed.
Instead of ramming the French language down our throats, try another approach. We live in an unprecedented time where marketing is at its highest levels of influence.
If Quebec wants to ensure French culture. Sell it better. It's beautiful, historical, fashionable and delicious. How hard can it be?
You can’t tell me there isn’t another way other than dividing the heck out of a population that was united over the past two years. We had it. We were there.
We have spent the past few years understanding how backwards we truly are with the Black Lives Matter campaign and Me Too. Most of us are still ashamed at the notion that we could be hurting our neighbours and not realized it. We were making an effort to understand that like it or not racism is in fact threaded through our society and we better fix it. Fast.
You feel now it’s time to prioritize more division?
We were learning the lesson that it is time to accept and love those that have unconventional sexual orientation. We are memorizing the acronyms. Trying to make sense of new pronouns all the while terrified to use them incorrectly in fear of hurting our neighbours.
We are learning to be kind as gun violence rises. Promote love. Live in the present. That’s where I thought the pandemic would bring us. we almost had it.
Here we are finding old/new ways to hate each other.
I blame the leaders.
How could you? How could you put the language issue at the forefront after all we have been through. It was behind us. At least beside us. If the French language cannot withstand a generation before becoming extinct does it stand a chance anyway? How long can you keep the boot to neck of your taxpayers?
Not as long as you may think.
Now we are afraid. Again. Afraid of our childrens future. Afraid we will retire in a poor economy. Worried we won’t have healthcare in the language of our choice. Afraid to lose our jobs if we can’t get past the French programs. Afraid to die in a hospital bed because we can’t communicate effectively.
English and French alike are questioning how far is too far when it comes to rights and freedoms.
I think it’s too far.
What’s wrong with Louisiana anyway? It’s sexy. Their culture is unique, fun and everyone wants a piece.
Raise your hand if you want some of that!!
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