Thursday, June 12, 2008

Frankophones and Anglophones

I hadn't even heard of those two terms before I came to Canada. Canada to me was Canada. Oh but no! There's a difference between Quebecois and the rest of Canada, Frankophones and Anglophones...

The story of Sri Lanka's civil war came up while dining with one of the retired professors on our experiment. At one point he asked "so do you think the government can end this war?" and I said "oh yes!". He rolled his eyes and pursed his lips and you know... the stuff you do when you are not too pleased with what you just heard... He either thought I was advocating violence (which I quickly brushed by some smart ass comment about Ghandi and ML King, though I don't think it penetrated his skull, really) or he had being brain washed by some Sri Lankan government or LTTE propoganda! Either way it matters not much to me...

I also told them then, the story of the first Sri Lankan I met here in Montreal and the Frankophone-Anglophone difference Canadians so talk about. He was clearly proud of that difference - so I had dug my grave. Later he said he was born in Quebec City... ah the proud Quebecois! What can I say?

Do I ever learn a lesson and stay out of political discussion or tame my words? Oh no... I will always express my honest to goodness thoughts about politics!! Well I really don't think politics is such an unpleasant topic to discuss, but it can be for some. But I see it this way, if someone dives deep into that with me I feel like they must enjoy the sometimes contradictory opinions as much as I do...

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