I am SOOO angry..... - vent about Quebec..... arg.
Hillbilly Housewife wrote: So I'm from Ottawa. Or, I have been for the last 12 years or so... anyways, I moved just outside Montreal for a new job etc etc.... and there is SOOOOO much "dumbness" here it is UNREAL.
I mean... you live somewhere, at least you know 2 cities - yours, and the capital. Right? Usually?
Well..... Quebec (or some people in it) has this fascination with being different - they, as a province (equivalent of a state) have their own "holiday".
Canada has a "canadian" holiday, July 1st. It is the "equivalent" to the US' Independance day, on July 4th.
Quebecers DO NOT celebrate this nation's birthday...they have their own, Jean-Baptiste day, on June 24th. No biggie.... except I have this very small tatoo on my shoulder, of a canadian flag. It's like the size of a nickel. Anyways, I was wearing a sleeveless shirt today, and the whole class attacked me about it - that here, it is the QUEBECE flag. So SORRY. I' am CANADIAN, and I am in CANADA, as much as the Quebecers would like Quebec to be independant from Canada....
it just bugs me to no end.
The other day, I asked if the course was valid nationwide, or only in Quebec - the TEACHER told me that of course it is nationwide - what did I expect? I answered that I thought that maybe there were some criteria that, say, for instance, Alberta would need that Quebec doesn't have - she anserewd that the course was valid acorss the nation - or did I mean in all of Canada?
DUH!! THe Nation IS Canada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't STAND this. These people (not all of them, but most around HERE) are so deep inside their box...... I just can't take it!! And NOBODY speaks ENGLISH, just french!!!!!!!!
gr33n3y3z replied: Sorry
mom21kid2dogs replied: I'm an American but I TOTALLY agree with you! We spent a week in Quebec several years ago with our French exchange student and it was very apparent that they seemed to have this big rift with the rest of Canada. As an outsider, it seemed strange.
ammommy replied: It's the French blood 
(sorry if anyone here is French)
3_call_me_mama replied: I know what you mean:) I live right on the other side of the border, in the US. About 50 minutes from montreal. And it is true, they are their own little world, guess they want to live in their past. But it is a little frustrating that EVERYWHERE you go they only speak french to you and some (Not all but some) pretend that they don't speak OR understand any english. WHne you know they can and do cause they come across right near my house to shop and get gas. ANd you know that no one here in little VT is speaking french to them, well not many anyways. What's even funnier is here in our school if you take french you learn Perisian (I think that's what it's called) French NOT Quebecois French. And there is a difference,a BIG difference! So we can't even speak the right french up there cause i guess not enough people use it to make it worth teach ing in schools here.
Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I AM french..... I grew up french, went to a french school and all that.... but I've worked primarily in an english environment....it doesn't mean I'm all high and mighty about it.....
For example - the people from Quebec FOUGHT to have words like "Parking" and "week-end" put into the French dictionnary. Pretty innocuous, right? You all know what Parking and Week-end are?
The french words for them are, in order "stationnement" and "fin de semaine". They anglicise everything and anything... massacre english names with their pronounciation....and then have the cohones to tell the rest of us to leave their french alone....
Come ON!!!!!
What bothers me is the superiority complex. Fine, they're proud that they're from Quebec... get OVER it.
Do people in Alberta get all high and mighty and "disown" the rest of Canada?
(Shelley? others? ) Or is it just Qc?
Like for crying out loud.... I can expect not everyone in the US knowing Canada's capital city, it's not THEIR country.... or the people in England knowing their capital...but they at lesat know their OWN capital.... can you imagine not knowing YOUR OWN COUNTRY's capital?
Hillbilly Housewife replied:
French is french. The difference between Parisian French and French as "I" know it is like the difference between Engilsh as we know it and english from England.
Not much difference.... mainly accent and expressions....
Quebecois French is a language on it's own. It's FULL of slang... like "Full Cool" but think of it said like " Foolle Culle" It's just massacred. Both words are English. Sheesh.
I really am having a hard time here. I'm used to proper french, with the proper verbs and all.... for instance the verb "resolve", in this sentence....
please resolve the problem
The french version of resove in these sentences is "resoudre"
S.V.P., résoudez ce probleme
Résoudez, but they say "résolvez" and I actually ARGUED that word with my teacher. Maybe I'm just MEAN, but I brought a verb book (don't remember the correct name) and SHOWED her that that verb was an english verb, not a french one. She wasn't impressed.
I swear, if the french spoken is ANY indication of the french taught in school, my kids wil be HOMESCHOOLED.
GavinsMommy replied: wow, that would really get me too! guess they are trying their hardest to not be canadian, lol. i hope you feel better!!!
redchief replied: This is a tourist area and I've had to deal with French Canadians (Quebecians?) professionally. One of the things I noticed last year when I had an approx. 40 year old French Canadian woman with diabietic symptoms from a restaurant.
The husband made it seem as if he hardly understood a word of what the restaurant manager was trying to tell them about emergency care coming and all. When they got in the ambulance however, their english, while accented, was perfectly understandable and fully fluent (using words like hypoglycemic and diabetic). Is this common or was the husband being rude to the restaurant management (who were very gracious IMHO) for another reason?
kimberley replied: sorry you are dealing with this crap. i spent some time in montreal and hated it! a lot of the people ARE totally snotty and refuse to speak english. you are a tourist city for crying out loud, give me a break!! we get a lot of them here in Toronto, but they quickly get put in their place here  . i wish Quebec would separtate so i don't have to hear anymore of their whining.
btw, i also think there is a noticeable difference between quebecois french and parisian french. go to france and speak the way they do in quebec... you will be burned at the stake because it is all slang! lol 
Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Yep... totally normal.... I go into a store and ask a qestion, they'll ignore me until I speak french. It's just STUPID. Canada is officially BILINGUAL - as in, English and French..... they WHINE so much if they don't get served in French...but the second anyone wants English service.... OMG, the world has ended.
maestra replied: It's funny that you would say that, because people here in Az speak what's known as "Frontera Spanish". (frontera meaning this part of the border) When they want to say to push "empujar" they say "empushar" (putting that English push in there). Or tocar, to touch is called "tochar". They also say lonche for lunch (almuerzo or comida, depending where you're from) . Here, those who speak proper Spanish look down on those who speak the frontera slang.
Miranda Patches replied: Hi I am new here.
I have been reading a few posts, and came upon this one. I was born and have lived in Montreal for over 30 years. I am really to hear that people do not feel welcome here, but being an anglo living in Quebec I cannot say I do not understand. I love living here but I hate the tension between the "anglos" and the "francophones". If you can get past that Montreal has a lot to offer.
Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Oh I completely and TOTALLY AGREE!!! MOntreal is a GREAT city!
But I live in Joliette... about 1/2 hour away from Montreal.... much smaller, much poorer...totally not as nice looking.... and the people have this...naivety..... to them.....
I LOVE Montreal. I just don't like it HERE..... lol I can do without the crap....kwim?
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