Thought police on Canadian Campus

[broneck]

From the Globe and Mail

"Your friend's new fuchsia fedora might be hideous. But don't call it gay, or you might get a language lesson from the conversation cops.

Students at Queen's University who sprinkle their dialogue with an assortment of "homo" or "retarded" could find out the hard way that not everyone finds their remarks acceptable.

The Kingston university has hired student facilitators to step in when they overhear homophobic slurs, remarks bashing women or racially tinged insults, along with an array of other language that could be deemed offensive.

That means tête-à-têtes in the residence hallways may no longer be just between friends."

Read more here.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081119.wlanguage19/BNStory/National/home

And more here.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/11/24/damage-control-on-thought-

I can't really think of a time I've been more embarassed by this country's obsession with being PC. Everyone please write an angry letter to [email protected], to tell the administration how gay and retarded you think this whole thing is.

[blm14]

You've had language police (Office québécois de la langue française) for years. Are we really surprised?

[broneck]

Not in English Canada

[AcrobaticTenement]

I don't think they even did this when i went to high school

[gramps]

Once a year Queens basically riots and sets cars on fire on the main drag and this is considered the most pressing area of reform.

[sounddumber]

You've had language police (Office québécois de la langue française) for years. Are we really surprised?

what the fuck are you talking about? its not a lang. police.

[broneck]

Once a year Queens basically riots and sets cars on fire on the main drag and this is considered the most pressing area of reform.

you haven't been paying attention, they cancelled homecoming this year too.

[anthonyhong]

I can't really think of a time I've been more embarassed by this country's obsession with being PC. Everyone please write an angry letter to [email protected], to tell the administration how gay and retarded you think this whole thing is.

We heard that.

[blm14]

what the fuck are you talking about? its not a lang. police.

it's a group of people who are hired by the government to fine business who have dual-language signs where the english text is bigger than the french. They can even shut business down for that! What part of this disqualifies them as being called "language police" ?

[sounddumber]

it's a group of people who are hired by the government to fine business who have dual-language signs where the english text is bigger than the french. They can even shut business down for that! What part of this disqualifies them as being called "language police" ?

i live in montreal, and i have not seen one single business being shut down because of this

as far as i can remember, only one business got fined ie second cup coffee shops who had to change their signs to ''les cafés second cup'', woohoo big difference

[broneck]

wow, you are stupid and ignorant. so what if it's unconstitutional ?! its a minor inconvenience, lets all just throw our entrenched rights out the window! it's not even a reasonable restriction (such as anti-hate literature legislation), but who cares? not me!

[sounddumber]

wow, you are stupid and ignorant. so what if it's unconstitutional ?! its a minor inconvenience, lets all just throw our entrenched rights out the window! it's not even a reasonable restriction (such as anti-hate literature legislation), but who cares? not me!

wow you really are ontarian.

[mr fluffernutter]

is ontarian a word

[broneck]

wow you really are ontarian.

I'll take that as a complement, thanks.

[16steps]

amirite????

[blm14]

Ok, but you still haven't contradicted me. That is, it's still the language police.

[sounddumber]

police or not, dont make it seem like theyre on some gestapo steez

[broneck]

Well, considering that among the businesses affected by the French-Canadian language police were dozens of stores in predominately Jewish areas of town who were told that they could not post signs in Hebrew. . . they kind of are a bit like the Gestapo!

(Interestingly enough, many of these store owners opted to have no sign rather than a French sign).

[Kasper]

Well, considering that among the businesses affected by the French-Canadian language police were dozens of stores in predominately Jewish areas of town who were told that they could not post signs in Hebrew. . . they kind of are a bit like the Gestapo!

(Interestingly enough, many of these store owners opted to have no sign rather than a French sign).

this is complete bullshit,

everyone is allowed to have signs in whatever languages they like (including english), as long as it is as prominently displayed as the french signs. and just so you know, i have never heard of any ethnic stores getting any problems from the OLF and believe me, almost all of them are in violation of current laws.

for the record, i do disprove of the office de la langue francaise, but it really pisses me off that some of you are moron enough to take every opportunity you have to write such uninformed, stupid comments about quebec...

[broneck]

Ignorant? It took me about 5 seconds to find a comprehensive history of Quebec's attempts to become mono-lingual, and their continued harassment of private businesses whose signs are in any language but French.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/bill101/

I rip on the province's ridiculous policies because, quite frankly, its easy and quite reasonable to do so.

Nothing personal - but just because it's damaging to Quebec doesn't mean it's not true.

(Why did this thread become about quebec?!)

[blm14]

this is complete bullshit,

everyone is allowed to have signs in whatever languages they like (including english), as long as it is as prominently displayed as the french signs. and just so you know, i have never heard of any ethnic stores getting any problems from the OLF and believe me, almost all of them are in violation of current laws.

for the record, i do disprove of the office de la langue francaise, but it really pisses me off that some of you are moron enough to take every opportunity you have to write such uninformed, stupid comments about quebec...

Don't get me wrong. I love quebec, its medieval-french-speaking inhabitants, its lovely city of montreal with $10 lap dances and super hot bilingual ladies, and its wonderful nightlife, especially in summer; I make the trip from NYC at least once a year.

But the OLF is retarded. I'm sorry, it just is.

[Kasper]

it's funny that you are saying that as the only ppl who ever tried to make quebec mono-lingual were actually, well english...

[blm14]

a) I am not english, I am not canadian, c) I don't care what language Quebec decides to speak.

Despite all of that, it is still absurd that Quebec finds it necessary to hire men to go around and measure the size of signs at stores to ensure that the english language sign is not bigger than the french one.

[Kasper]

a) I am not english, I am not canadian, c) I don't care what language Quebec decides to speak.

Despite all of that, it is still absurd that Quebec finds it necessary to hire men to go around and measure the size of signs at stores to ensure that the english language sign is not bigger than the french one.

again, i don't disagree with you, my comment was in response to what clopek posted. i think you have to put canada's history in perspective if you want to understand the reason for the OLF existence. i find it extremely ironic when anglos get all high and rightheous and always tries to portray quebec as bigoted and intolerant knowing their own history of intolerance and bigotry toward french-canadian and when they would have told you to "speak white" if addressed in french up to 30 years ago...

[broneck]

I find it extremely ironic that English speaking Canada has gone to great lengths to rectify these issues, whereas French Canada seems to be regressing in its linguistic tolerance. I don't know many restaurants in Ontario that would refuse to serve francophones - but I've definitely been denied service in Montreal.

Don't try and justify Quebec's current bigotry by suggesting that Ontario was once just as bad (and if you want to argue about context, lets not forget about the political situation 30 years ago, this time when someone might have been less than inclined to be tolerant of French - remember the FLQ?)

edit again - regarding my ignorance

"In March, the community was in an uproar as Quebec’s language watchdog, l’Office de la langue française, urged some stores to remove imported Kosher for Passover products from their shelves because they did not have labels in French. Despite the fact that l’Office eventually reached a deal exempting the limited Kosher for Passover products from labeling requirements, many Jews felt that their community was being unfairly targeted. This feeling was reinforced by the decision of l’Office shortly thereafter to pursue Schwartz’ delicatessen for minor sign law violations."

http://www.bnaibrith.ca/publications/audit1996/audit1996-06.html

[playdisonlyatnight]

im from kingston

Kingston

[Kasper]

I find it extremely ironic that English speaking Canada has gone to great lengths to rectify these issues, whereas French Canada seems to be regressing in its linguistic tolerance. I don't know many restaurants in Ontario that would refuse to serve francophones - but I've definitely been denied service in Montreal.

Don't try and justify Quebec's current bigotry by suggesting that Ontario was once just as bad (and if you want to argue about context, lets not forget about the political situation 30 years ago, this time when someone might have been less than inclined to be tolerant of French - remember the FLQ?)

edit again - regarding my ignorance

"In March, the community was in an uproar as Quebec’s language watchdog, l’Office de la langue française, urged some stores to remove imported Kosher for Passover products from their shelves because they did not have labels in French. Despite the fact that l’Office eventually reached a deal exempting the limited Kosher for Passover products from labeling requirements, many Jews felt that their community was being unfairly targeted. This feeling was reinforced by the decision of l’Office shortly thereafter to pursue Schwartz’ delicatessen for minor sign law violations."

http://www.bnaibrith.ca/publications/audit1996/audit1996-06.html

whatever dude, i just can't be bothered. continue to live in your small world...

[broneck]

k

so anyway, fuck queens.

[Kasper]

k

so anyway, fuck queens.

on this, i will completely agree with you, i don't understand the need to be so PC. plus who is gonna want to be one of those "student facilitators". i mean, what are they gonna do, give you detention...

and i completely don't understand why they canceled homecoming, so what if people party, it's only a day every year and let's face it, Kinston wouldn't be much if it wasn't for queens. i know there has been abuse in the past, but still...

[larssss]

police or not, dont make it seem like theyre on some gestapo steez

I remember years ago there was some "gestapo steez" people running around (on their own I believe) reporting business to the Language Police. It was national news for awhile however there hasn't been anything in the media for a long time.

(some of you may be too young to remember this, and i don't mean that as an insult)

I'm glad to hear is calmed down since then.