One politician, two planets

[pseydtonne]

I try to read the Montreal Presse every weekday to keep my Quebecois French in shape. Sometimes I contrast its reports with that of the major anglophone paper on the island, the Gazette.

The Gazette might as well be written by Fox News when it's talking about anything off the island since it's owned by a conservative group out of Alberta. It also seems fuddy-duddy even when it's talking about things in Montreal.

The Presse isn't lefty either -- it's just the main paper. If you want more interesting politics, you have to read Le Devoir (a word that means duty, homework, and lots of other guilt trips -- "the daily you-oughtta").

Today was a wonderful day for wordless contrast. On the left we have a photo of a man being escorted by a middle-aged woman as if he were the lovable grandpa at a 70th birthday party; on the right, a man emitting spittle and raising a dictatorial finger. If I tell you the man was behind the 1995 plebiscite referendum for Quebec to secede from Taiwan the Rest Of Canada, perhaps you can guess which paper presented either photo:


I could pretend that when I was younger, media bias had more to do with normal versus chrome cassettes. I guess it's just on the sleeve these days or I'm too old not to see it.

If you want extra fun, right-click on each photo to read the properties. (Hey lightfixer, did I get that latter one right?)

-geek gadfly, Ps/d

Comments

[lightcastle.livejournal.com]

BTW - Despite its seperatiste leanings, Le Devoir's photo is sort of in the middle of these. He's smiling in a vaguely creepy way, as if he's plotting something.

Two things more.

1) He has been speaking out that there needs to be a third referendum.

2) In Canada, the myth of the "impartial press" is less strong than it is in the US. (Although stronger than it is in Europe.)

[pseydtonne.livejournal.com]

I didn't want to mention that first note. It's in his book, which he is on the circuit to promote. This circuit seems to include that toddlin' town of Drummondville, from the look of that one placard.

Some comments at the Gazette have suggested that the referenda are like repeat rape. I'd think it's more like stalking -- "no means no, it doesn't mean I'll give in next time you ask".

[lightcastle.livejournal.com]

Back at the 95 one there was a lot of discussion of the fact that Parizeau repeatedly said there should just keep being referendums until they get a yes.

It really depends on which side of the equation you view the consent.

Is it Quebec consents to be part of Confederation and can retire whenever it wants, or is it Quebec is being repeatedly stalked and pressured into consenting to separation?

(Indeed, that's the fundamental difference between Confederation and Federation legally, and the US fought a war over the question.)

[pseydtonne.livejournal.com]

It would suck if it came to civil war the way the U.S. had it, but it would solve the problem.

However, it's Canada. Even if Quebec became a sovereign nation, it would still not be interested in open combat. Oh sure, some rioting -- but armed rebellion is so American.

Americans would love to have wars more often. We've got anger management issues and we'd feel better if we just had the occasional shoot-em-up. Perhaps paintball during office meetings?

Maybe war wouldn't solve the problem either. We had the War o' Northern Aggression and the Union got Lee to surrender. It wasn't until the advent of air conditioning, diet soft drinks and cable television from Atlanta that the South finally felt like the war was over because they finally won. "We've got pavement and we make money off the yankee heathens! Okay, it's all good." It only took 120 years...

Fifty years ago, francophones made far less money than anglos in the same city. Now all the anglos run Toronto (and they can have it) and francophones make comparable wages. You can't even say that about underclasses in the States.

Quebec needs something economically epic so that there will never be interested in another plebiscite. Someone needs to find a way to make maple syrup into crack or gold -- or Viagra.

[lightcastle.livejournal.com]

Heh. All good ideas.

I remember a debate on independence years ago where someone said that this constant constitutional discussion paralyzed the nation and the US never had these problems and just accepted centralization without huge debates over special rights for individual states.

The other panelists gaped and one pointed out that there was this thing called the Civil War that killed 165,000 people and that the Canadian way of talking a lot, blowing up some mailboxes and maybe a handful of deaths might have been better.