The Devil and Ms. Barbara Kay
Barbara Kay likes it both ways. One year ago in an infamous column in the National Post called The Rise of Quebecistan, she linked a Montreal march for peace in the Middle-East and “cultural and historical sympathy for Arab countries from the francophonie — Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon” as proof of rampant Quebec anti-semitism.
She now does a full 180 and in her October 31st column now accuses the Sovereignists and Pauline Marois of trying to stir up hate against the people that she herself, no just last year, was calling : “Hezbollah-supporting residents of southern Lebanon cash(ing) in on their Canadian citizenship and flee(ing) to the safety of Quebec”.
Ms.Kay prides herself on having predicted last summer that “the Bouchard-Taylor Commission would likely stir up dormant sovereigntist mud at the bottom of what has been a relatively clear pond since the provincial Liberals took office in 2003″.
The proposed Quebec Identity Act was a ploy by Marois to stir up the dormant racism that Ms. Kay is convinced lies at the root of Quebec Separatism. “(…)she’s planting seeds in the muck at the bottom of Quebec’s political pond(…)”
While Barbara Kay was digging in the mud and muck at the bottom of Quebec pond looking for proof of Quebec racisim and bigotry, seven Chinese–Canadian fishermen were victims of violent racist attacks while fishing in southeastern Ontario. Andy Zhang, president of the Chinese Anglers Sports Club of Canada, said last week that many Asian fishermen have had rocks thrown at them, have been pushed off bridges and have had their gear thrown in the water.” The RCMP is investigating the attacks.
So far no Quebec separatists seem to be involved. That’s probably why Barbara Kay is not writting about this story.
“The devil is always on the lookout for the moral relativism that signals a latter-day Faust, and it seems he has found some eager recruits amongst Quebec’s most prominent spokespeople,” wrote Ms. Kay in The Rise of Quebecistan. I’m guessing she includes herself as one of these spokespeople…
Written by angryfrenchguy
October 31, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Posted in AngryFrenchGuy Speaks!, What Canadians don't know about Canada
Tagged with barbara kay, bouchard-taylor, canada, discrimination, fascist, islam, jew, jewish, language laws, Montreal, nationalism, quebec, quebec-bashing, separatist
11 Responses
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AngryFrenchGuy 
I am not sure what you mean by my wanting to have it both ways. The march last summer was not for peace, it was in support of Hezbollah. The preceding manifesto excluded Jewish groups who wished to sign on for a “peace” march, there were many supportive Hezbollah signs, there were acts of anti-Semitic vandalism and the Montreal march was the only such march in Canada attended and led by Quebec party leaders.
One can find many acts of racism all over Canada, but it is only in Quebec that you find racist remarks coming from the mouths of so-called political leadership, and routinely hear politicians musing on ways to cut Quebecers who are not ethnically pure out of the political process, as witness Marois Bill 195 and Pierre Curzi’s wistful musings about taking away anglo votes inthe west island, or a RDI radio announcer calling only ethnically pure Quebecois “real” Quebecers. This yu do not find elsewhere in Canada. Moreover I could cite you many statistics and poll numbers that attest to anti-Semitic attitudes way n excess of those expressed in the rest of Canada.
I suppose I should be grateful that pure laine québécois are not tipping me into the river, but somehow I am not comforted by that fact. If you cruise the francophone blogs concerning the Bouchard Taylor reasonable accommodation fiasco, you will find racist and anti-Semitism to suit the most jaded palate.
There is a very long tradition of anti-Semitism in the discourse of French intellectuals from France over 2 centuries and it filtered into Quebec. Sympathy for the Arab countries and indeed for all the “oppressed” of the earth has made of Quebec intellectuals and cultural elites what Lenin called “useful idiots” in support of rogue regimes and the most malevolent revolutionary strains of the world.
I think I have been quite consistent in my views. Most educated Québécois are wonderful people to live amongst, and yes certainly Quebec is a peaceful culture. That said, the strains of racism that invariably accompany hardline separatists is a blot on the Quebec landscape, and until it is “cured”, the best and the brightest will continue to leave in droves. It is a great shame that the attitudes of 20% of this province taint the reputations of so many open and truly tolerant people. Barbara Kay
Barbara
November 1, 2007 at 4:55 pm
prej•u•dice
“Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion”
The American Heritage Dictionary
I quite enjoy robust opinion debates. That’s why this Québec indépendantiste chooses to discuss his opinions in English, where I know I will encounter more resistance to my ideas.
I respect that different perspectives lead to different points of view.
I don’t respect people who dismiss an entire group of people based on their ethnicity.
In response to my latest post, Barbara Kay wrote:
“Sympathy for the Arab countries and indeed for all the “oppressed” of the earth has made of Quebec intellectuals and cultural elites what Lenin called “useful idiots” in support of rogue regimes and the most malevolent revolutionary strains of the world.”
Madame Kay, you can continue this discussion by yourself.
AngryFrenchGuy
November 1, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Pourquoi désirer rompre la discussion avec Barbara Kay, si elle prend le temps d’expliquer son point de vue auquel elle a le droit comme n’importe qui.
J’ai lu les deux articles auquel on fait référence sur ce blog et je ne vois aucune contradiction. Dans Quebecistan elle dénoncait les politiciens d’avoir donné leur appui à Hezbollah. Ils ont d’ailleurs par la suite, un après l’autre, dit qu’ils ne s’attendaient pas à de telles manifestations et qu’ils se sont fait prendre et qu’ils n’auraient pas du y être. Barbara Kay l’avait dit depuis des semaines avant eux.
Dans l’article du National Post de cette semaine, elle dénonce le projet de loi de Marois comme l’ont fait d’ailleurs de nombreux journalistes québécois: Vincent Maressal dans La Presse a clairement expliqué que ce projet est anti-constitutionnel; lire aussi les chroniques de Lysianne Gagnon, et André Pratte, pour n’en nommer que quelques uns.
Je ne vois aucune contradiction dans les écrits de Barbara Kay. Au contraire, ses propos se tiennent et se complètent.
Monique David
November 1, 2007 at 8:21 pm
AngryFrenchGuy has a rather low threshhold for open debate. In English debate blogs what I said would not be considered in any way unusual or even highly provocative. How wimpy to withdraw from debate because your feelings are hurt. This is not the debate tradition.
To state that Quebec is in general very sympathetic to the Arab countries is to state a fact. When I wrote my column about “Quebecistan” I was appalled at the ignorance of the people who wrote to me in French. They had no idea of what Hezbollah was about, nor any concept of their raison d’être, namely to wipe not only Israel but all Jews off the face of the earth, nor were they aware that Hezbollah is a proxy militia for Iran, nor did they know that Hezbollah has been responsible for horrible bombings all over the world, including Argentina of all places, simply becuase there are Jews there.
Rather than respond to my initial post which poses truths and arguments you cannot counter, you simply take one statement, decide it is racist and go home. Boo hoo.
Thanks very much to Monique David who eloquently validates the fact that I have not been contradictory in my columns.
Here is a word of advice to AngryFrenchGuy: If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. You are clearly not the type to have a blog. You apparently want it to blow your own horn but not to engage in real debate. Either you should grow a thicker skin, or get out of the blogging business. Barbara
Barbara
November 1, 2007 at 9:19 pm
You write:
”One can find many acts of racism all over Canada, but it is only in Quebec that you find racist remarks coming from the mouths of so-called political leadership, and routinely hear politicians musing on ways to cut Quebecers who are not ethnically pure out of the political process, as witness Marois Bill 195 and Pierre Curzi’s wistful musings about taking away anglo votes inthe west island, or a RDI radio announcer calling only ethnically pure Quebecois “real” Quebecers. ”
Only in Quebec, of course. Only in Quebec do most people speak and write in French, which makes it possible to misquote and misrepresent people’s opinions and get away with it before the public of another nation speaking another language.
Please quote the “racist remarks coming from the mouths of so-called political leadership” and I will gladly translate them to you and explain to you why you misunderstand them and how you misrepresent them.
Please quote the sentences which you consider proof of “politicians musing on ways to cut Quebecers who are not ethnically pure”. I will be glad to debunk yet another media fabricated myth.
You write:
“This yu do not find elsewhere in Canada. Moreover I could cite you many statistics and poll numbers that attest to anti-Semitic attitudes way n excess of those expressed in the rest of Canada.”
Please, oh please, do cite those many statistics that attest to anti-Semitic attitudes. Please don’t cite polls prepared for the medias of Corporate Canada.
“There is a very long tradition of anti-Semitism in the discourse of French intellectuals from France over 2 centuries and it filtered into Quebec.”
It is funny how this sentence very much fits the pattern of racist prejudice. And how did it filter into French Quebecer’s minds? Through their genes maybe? Ah, their language, you say. Are you so ignorant that you do not know of the equivalent tradition of anti-Semitism in the discourse of British intellectuals from Britain over 2 centuries?
How can you then write:
“Sympathy for the Arab countries and indeed for all the “oppressed” of the earth has made of Quebec intellectuals and cultural elites what Lenin called “useful idiots” in support of rogue regimes and the most malevolent revolutionary strains of the world.”
Wouldn’t that intellectual tradition be exactly the opposite of the other tradition which, you say, makes Quebec a place where anti-Semitism is stronger than in the other Provinces of the Dominion? Is it possible that both traditions were strong, at different moments in history, in different segments of Quebec society? Wouldn’t that be absolutely normal and common to most Western cultures? And why would sympathy for the Wretched of the Earth imply a support of rogue regimes? Isn’t it more likely to be the opposite, and somehow connected with the long tradition of denouncing British Imperialism world wide, and British American Imperialism over Quebec?
You write:
“Most educated Québécois are wonderful people to live amongst, and yes certainly Quebec is a peaceful culture. That said, the strains of racism that invariably accompany hardline separatists is a blot on the Quebec landscape, and until it is “cured”, the best and the brightest will continue to leave in droves. It is a great shame that the attitudes of 20% of this province taint the reputations of so many open and truly tolerant people.”
Barbara, the Quebecers who are educate, pro-peace, separatists, open and truly tolerant, sympathisers of the oppressed, the people who fight against British North American imperialism over Quebec, the democrats, the defenders of human rights are the same individuals. They in the majority voted Yes in 1995. If they are militants, they are to be found in the Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire. There may accidentally be a few lost ones inside the PLQ and one or two really confused individuals in the ADQ.
When the KKK members of your country manifest in Quebec, they don’t target the minorities, they target the majority with French sounding names and Catholic heritage.
Mathieu Gauthier-Pilote
January 5, 2008 at 6:12 pm
[…] Fighting off Barbara Kay on one side and now these clowns on the other. I must be doing something […]
The AngryFrenchGuy has been declared a Traitor to the Nation! « AngryFrenchGuy
February 26, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Barbara Kay écrit: « Here is a word of advice to AngryFrenchGuy: If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. You are clearly not the type to have a blog. You apparently want it to blow your own horn but not to engage in real debate. Either you should grow a thicker skin, or get out of the blogging business. »
– Ô-Ho! Dans les dents, comme on dit. Je n’aurais pas pu dire mieux.
Louis
February 26, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Comment peut-on croire qu’on puisse expliquer quelque chose à une raciste comme Barbara Kay?
Kossé ça donne?
Davidg
February 27, 2008 at 7:54 pm
And you waht ? Most anglos which are as racist as Barbara Kay, share the same opinion as her. The truth about the english speaking world is that they are almost conditioned to hate what is french. It goes far beyond Québec. You just have to look what the average American WASP thinks about spanish speaking immigrants. Imagine if Barbara Kay would say the same thing about black people or jews ?
Marc Authier
April 11, 2008 at 5:44 am
And if Québec was Tibet Barbara ? You anglo hypocrits. Who created the mess in Afghanistan with the Talibans ? The fuckers from the CIA in Washington. Bastards from English Canada that never see themselves for what they are; liars, hypocrits, racists, dishonests. Québeckistan ? Toronto bitch from the National Post. Just try to say that to a jew or a black american. We are so used to this type of insult, that we never react. Thanks again. It’s a wonderful reminder to me why I need to have my own country.
Marc Authier
April 11, 2008 at 8:14 am
Marc,
You are really good for a laugh. Thanks, u make my day! Really, u do! Just look at your uneducated, rude, boorish, typical ” on aime pas les hostie d’anglais” comments ! Finally a true representation of “un bon Québecois”
You don’t have to go much farther than your backyard to find the exact same type of dishonest,racist etc etc ( whatever your diatribe was about) ! You forgot one thing u guys are good at…..You forgot to blame Ottawa !!!!! You see , it’s always someone else’s fault for your type ! Always has been always will be ! Plus ca change…….
13 Sept 1759……….;)
Guy Gadbois
April 11, 2008 at 12:00 pm