As St. Jean Baptiste approaches, Patrick Lagacé asks us to say why we love Quebec.
Here's a few of my reasons:
- Julie Couillard.
- Because politics here is never boring.
- Because we have a government that's progressive yet democratic.
- Because we have a population that is actually bilingual, and doesn't just pretend to be for show.
- Because we had a massively controversial independence vote that was decided almost within the margin of error, but it wasn't followed by a civil war.
- Because the single biggest and most violent political crisis in our history produced a single fatality.
- Because of Les Francs-Tireurs and Patrick Lagacé's hair.
- Because Québécois French is so funny-sounding.
- Because the Canadiens are not so much a hockey team as a shared religion.
- Because of all the pretty girls I'm going to see today on the way to work.
UPDATE: I see this has officially reached meme status. Which would make it my first meme. And hopefully my last.
UPDATE (June 24): Lagacé's column compiles his readers' responses.
[...] 20, 2008 by DAVE ID Fagstein the anti-blogger does a meme. So I’m definitely following up on the original idea by Patrick [...]
Re: #6. Really? Then I guess it's a good thing the Patriote Rebellions doesn't count, I'm supposing... To leave out the progenitor of all future political crises, and other political crises and atrocities that we Québécois tend to affiliate with our history.
"Because the single biggest and most violent political crisis in our history produced a single fatality."
Which was one too many. This should not be on a list like this.
OK then, recent history. It still shows that while we take politics seriously, we stop ourselves from going too far.
"OK then, recent history. It still shows that while we take politics seriously, we stop ourselves from going too far."
Strangling an innocent man with his own crucifix is going too far.
Because Québécois French is so funny-sounding.
-0-
Whoa, Fagstein! You are cruising for a bruising.
You'd better hope that Richard Martineau, Benoit Aubin, Josee Legault and half a thousand other Francophone commentators don't see that comment.
Better yet, stay home on June 24!
I second Fagstein on his « one casualty » comment. It is not being insensitive to point out that the October crisis, a volatile moment in Quebec's history if there was ever one, ended up with « only » one death. Especially when everyone in his right mind, in Quebec, condemned the perpetrators. Quand on se compare, on se console : Bosnia, Zimbabwe, Tiananmen, anyone ? Calling the blogger to task on this point really is an exercise in political correctness purity. So, yes, Faguy, good point.
" Especially when everyone in his right mind, in Quebec, condemned the perpetrators."
Sorry, but that is just plain wrong...they were heroes to many.
And also, it's not just one death, but there were bombings, killing innocent people before the October Crisis.
This is nothing Quebec should be proud about.
The "calling the blogger to task on this point really is an exercise in political correctness purity", is not that, but pointing out the blogger's lack of historical knowledge in this area.