People in Quebec are super excited about the possibility of welcoming Syrian refugees. The media and the social networks are filled with touching stories of the Quebecois who are pledging to give their life savings to the refugees. People are creating databases of their houses and apartments where they are willing to welcome the refugees for free.
But wait, money and lodgings are nothing. The Quebecois’ kindness to the refugees has forced them to do something really unthinkable. They are willing – I’m not even sure I can pronounce the words, I’m overcome with emotion – to suspend their draconian language laws and allow the refugees into English – language schools!
What I find really curious is that these very same compassionate and kind Quebecois have been extremely hostile and shitty to the teachers of Quebec who were striking against the cuts to secondary education that are destroying Quebec’s public schools. If there is a case of people fighting for the public good it’s that of these teachers, yet they kept receiving threats and insults.
This whole phenomenon reminded me of the 19th – early 20th-century practice of getting kids to donate toys and coins to send to “savages” in Africa and Asia while teaching those same kids to despise the poor they saw in the streets.
Clarissa's Blog 
\ getting kids to donate toys and coins to send to “savages” in Africa and Asia while teaching those same kids to despise the poor they saw in the streets.
Loved this unexpected way to look at the issue, but I see two large differences whose significance is worth exploring:
The “savages” then always stayed far away, never becoming “the poor in the streets”.
Donating toys and a few coins sometimes, only when one wished, was easy. When Syrians come, they will need quite a lot of money, constantly and for a long time.
What do you see happening a few years down the road, when Syrians are not so new and interesting anymore, but still need funds? Will they still be treated better than the teachers? If yes, why?
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“The “savages” then always stayed far away, never becoming “the poor in the streets”.”
“When Syrians come, they will need quite a lot of money, constantly and for a long time.”
“What do you see happening a few years down the road, when Syrians are not so new and interesting anymore, but still need funds? Will they still be treated better than the teachers? If yes, why?”
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Strange impression you have of us Anglos… 🙂 🙂 We in our very Anglo department founded a scholarship for a refugee (if some wants to come study our subject). I mean – funded by the donations of the faculty members…
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I cannot believe that you just renounced the proud name of a Quebecois Allophone to brand yourself as an Anglo. 🙂
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Oh, well… I am not technically an Allophone, as my French is very bad. So I am not deserving of that proud name. 🙂 Besides, one more time PQ comes to power and I will become a British Imperialist, I swear. It runs in the family, so it is excusable. My grandfather was once arrested by the Germans due to suspected pro-British sympathies (eventually released).
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I thought all immigrants who were not native speakers of English were considered Allophones.
“Besides, one more time PQ comes to power and I will become a British Imperialist, I swear.”
🙂 🙂
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I love the analogy you made in your last paragraph. And I feel that you miss Quebec (and your family) dearly these days. Right?
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True! I won’t be able to travel there this winter, you know why. But it’s for a good cause. 🙂
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We should help Syrians to assimilate in French.
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Of course.
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