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SWING-21 β Happy Birthday Quebec
Published: 2008-06-24 04:24:45 +0000 UTC; Views: 858; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 7
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We have no idea who we are as a nation. We have no idea where we're headed. We have no clue if we want to be a country or keep inside mother Canada. We speak a language that will probably die in less than a hundred years, bringing our culture with it. Canada sees us as annoying, USA sees us as Frenchies, Frenchies see us as their little bastard cousin, and the rest of the world don't know a thing about us.We need to protect our language with strong laws, and our values by court. We don't want to die, and that's why, on every June 24th, Quebec sings, dances and yells (drunkenly, I'll admit).
I don't know who we are, but I know I love the place that saw me grow up and that I'm watching grow up. I love a nation that allows me to be who I am, think what I want, date whom I love and express myself in every possible way. That's why I'll be singing and dancing and yelling tomorrow night, clad in white and blue.
Also, because I love partying and I won't miss the biggest celebration of the year, over here.
Bonne St-Jean, my friends, bonne fΓͺte my QuΓ©bec :3
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Comments: 10
I'm a year late, but I'd like to comment on this picture for two reasons:
1. I've been reading up on the Quebec issues, and you're one of the few who seems to be able to have an objective take on the issue judging from the description.
2. It's a damn fine pic!
Going with the first point is that I've probably been soured on too many reports here and there, most likely sensationalist, on Anglo-and-Allophones facing discrimination in the province. It saddens me to hear that, because I feel that people can be better than that, and because it makes me nervous that the zealots on Quebecois nationalism would be no better than their accusations on Britons/English-Canadians being 'imperialists' and making Francophone Quebecois second-class citizens. One of my best friends from Massachusetts visited and admitted he felt like a 'black in Mississippi in the 1940s', which really depressed me, since I would fear the same upon any visit.
That gets to ME, because I also feel that the Quebecois are a nation-albeit the French-descended/Francophone Quebecois (I'll get to that in a bit)-in the sociological sense, deserve to be recognized as such, and objectively, the language does deserve sincere and very real protection. I'm a major history/anthropology fan and with the province being one of the, if not the only, major non-Anglophone area in northern America I find it endlessly fascinating to study.
The flip side is that I also admit I find 'Quebec is a nation' claims ludicrous when it tries to lump every single person in the geographical province as 'the Quebecois nation' or also claims that the entire geographical province is the same as the 'sociological' nation I just described, since a great many minorities seem to feel more as part of Canada. To see many politicians say that and then promptly try to assimilate minorities into a 'nation' they do not want to be a whole part of seems wrong, or hoping to keep some aspect of their own former culture, or trying to learn better English to get around the rest of the country if they feel like it. I also admit, crazy as it is, that if Quebec would legalize English if not as an official co-language, then I would hope they would not be cracking down on Anglophones so much. It seems ludicrous again to try to stamp it out as much as possible when it is surrounded by English Canada and the USA, and across the Atlantic, Britain as well as France.
I suppose at heart if I were magically in charge, if Quebec would be a bit more accomodating on English and federalism, I'd gladly recognize the Quebecois as a nation and make sure French got as much damn protection and use as possible. I want to speak French in Quebec because it'd be *common sense*/'hey, they speak French there, it'll be awesome to learn a new language and see a new place to use it', not because a feeling of being *forced to* and still get ugly looks for it.
But I also admit I've very likely not been able to research as much as I ought to on the subject, and as an American, I also admit I feel rude for expressing thoughts on a nation outside my own-for that, I must offer a sincere apology if I offended you in any way. I hope for the best that the issue is quieted down peacefully in our lifetimes. Heck, I even wished to say this in Quebecois French, but felt my own French classes were not only up to snuff, but also in the Parisian dialect-so I also apologize for having to type this out in English.
That does not change what I also said of point two. The girl is damned sexy, and I admit, I always enjoy a back-view of a lovely lady. The coloring and shading are extremely magnificent, and the fleur-de-lis makes for a rather stunning tattoo and focal point-I admit if this girl were in real life and I went past her, I'd have to give a bit of a gaze. Be proud of the art, you deserve to be.
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Lol accurate. I've been to Quebec. It's the only place I've ever seen to be French and English. Everywhere else is Spanish and English. Or just French. (France does not like Americans, and the rest of Europe is multi-lingual, I guess)
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<3 I'm from ontario, and have gone on many trips to quebec. love it to death <3 Old quebec city is beautiful, all the country side as well. Nicest people too (my mom gets lost while driving ALOT XD) who always help our family out when we need it. ^_^
I really love the way you've draw her hair, hands and back of her head, so pretty.
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I don't think you're Frenchie 
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See, it's not even "Canadians", lol. People from Quebec don't like to be called that, because they've been trying to be independent for more than 30 years 
And there's also the big immigration question: do we accept them as quebecers only if they speak the language, know the culture and contribute to society? And what of those who don't bother of doing any of that? Can we change our laws and our values just to accommodate a minority? Are we racists and close-minded if we chose not to do so?
So it's not "French", "Canadian", "French-Canadian", but "Quebecers", and even that has a tarnished image because of all the separatist extremists, and there's the gap between the ones that have been living here for centuries and the ones that just came in here...
When I said we have no idea who we are, lol
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Wow
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and don't get me started on which part of the montreal island is actually part of montreal city, lol, that's even more confusing XD
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Aw.. I love things like this! I really do! This makes me all happy just to read your Author's Comment..! ^^ LONG LIVE YOU FRENCHIES! (lol, xD I kid, I kid.) It's really cool to have pride in your culture, really it is. <3
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Lol, also, I LOVE the image. XD That's why I favourited it. The arm/hands made me really kinda dizzy though like with motion blur. I love this. xD
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