You slay me so, in so many ways but the real topper?
HABS fans. They’re fucking nuts!
I used to live adjacent to downtown and I was really, really close to the bell center. So close that when this riot broke out I could hear it from my apartment. It was total chaos. I’m all about standing up for causes that you believe in and protesting things that you feel are wrong with this world but Montreal would seem to top that. At least in Canada.
I pay scant attention to politics, I respect the fact that French IS Quebec’s official language and I also respect their right to hold onto their culture. It would be no different if I was to move somewhere else. Like Egypt, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and so on. I’m not ignorant like that. Although the ignorance that runs rampant in this province in regards to separatism and the language laws ? Blows. My. Mind. Clearly, we all can’t just ‘get along’. In any case, I love this city, I love living here and I love the life that I have here as well. However, when Jason Rockman posted this on facebook I was floored:
“OK, I love the French language, I am a die hard Montrealer and am engaged to a francophone…but this??? Seriously?? These protesters can blow me…”
The Rockman of course is referring to this article and the Gazette did a lengthier article on this as well which was also posted on facebook with the caption:’ Is language important, or should the Canadiens win at any cost? What do you think?‘
My thoughts on this? I could care less about hockey period. I don’t care, I don’t follow games and I refuse to jump on the Habs fan bandwagon just because I live here. It’s a game kids, or as my friend Ali said: ‘It may only be a game to some, but to the rest of us it’s like a religion on the weekends’. Fair enough, I have my share of things that I’m passionate about too. Not so passionate that I start riots and set things on fire, but still…
Here’s the thing, after doing a quickie bit of research, left wing player Erik Cole of the Montreal Canadiens, is AMERICAN! Well, well… I’m willing to bank on it that there’s countless others who are either not from Canada, let alone from this province. Yet you give a shit if their coach is English? You have got to be kidding me! Hands down, Montreal has a good team. Even I, the non hockey follower knows that. It’s pretty hard to ignore when you live here. However I’m willing to bet that if Montreal takes home the cup this year or anytime soon, you’re not going to give a flying fuck if the coach is English, French or Swedish for that matter now are you?
I’m thinking likely not…
Here’s what a few people on facebook had to say about this:
Ken: Who gives a shit if the coach ONLY speaks English instead of joual? As long as they win, it doesn’t matter, t’se?
Theresa: wtf! What a bunch of crap. Who cares if he can’t speak frnech, have you been to Montreal? EVERYONE can speak English there anyway. (OK I’m going to interject and say almost everyone. Although most people can from my experience, even if it’s just a little)
William: I think that the future of French in North America would not be questioned if we paid as much attention to school drop out rates or functional illiteracy as we do to this kind of symbolic nonsense.
Jennifer: right – we should keep turning away the BEST Doctors, Nurses, Teachers, etc…. because they can’t speak french…. It boggles me why people accept it!
Derek: I read the Gazette and La Presse regularly. The blatant favortism of Francophones from La Presse, RDS, and the Quebec media in general is disgusting. I want a winning product that shows up to practice in Brossard and the Bell Centre for games. I don’t care if the coach is a bilingual Francophone or a unilingual Anglophone. I care about winning. Perhaps this is why the Habs have not been relevant since Patrick Roy was our goalie. I can’t speak for other Habs fans, but I do not ever want to see the faces of Mario Tremblay or Rejean Houle again.
Sandra: What ever happened to hiring the best person for the job? I am from Quebec, born and raised a francophone, and I don’t agree with the crap about the Mighty French attitude…I wish after all these years they would finally join the rest of us and give up on a francophone only-is-the-only-way attitude…
Billy: England’s national soccer team is coached by an Italian who speaks poor english… Do you see the English protesting at having their coach not speak English ? No.. only retards like Mario Beaulieu does….If i’m the habs I tell all thse losers who are still mad at this to F#$@ off
Cheyenne: I don’t hear them yelling ‘go habs go’ in french.
Franca: WTH. the sweet taste of victory is universal amd surely understood by all. Since when did jumping for joy from a well-deserved win say, “oui, on gagne en francais qu’en anglais?!” What if the guy were anything other than Anglophone, then what? Leave language issues out of hockey, svp.
Brian: The man was put in the position to coach the team (in a championship, winning fashion – not for his speech or linguistic skills!) … if he was from a winning Russian, Swedish, or Czech team, and couldn’t speak a word of English or French, but led the team to the Stanley Cup, would the ‘critics’ care?? No, of course not! Their complaints are purely anti-English, not about any abilities of the person. Disgusting, to say the least…
Matt: The political situation in Quebec is what has destroyed the Canadiens. You want a competitive team-not a political circus. Why is it when we have good English players they can’t get out of town fast enough. I’ve been a fan here in Wisconsin since the 1967 expansion but I don’t think I will live to see that 25th Stanley Cup.
Lucette: There are more important issues in Quebec to take care of.Ils y’a des choses au Québec à s’occuper qui sont plus importantes.
Dafne: In the meantime in Qc… food depots can’t be filled, unemployment rises, people with mental health issues has no treatment, there are no family doctors, the bridges are falling appart…should I continue??
And the list of comments goes on and on… I personally think the whole nation could benefit from being bilingual in some fashion or another. I understand the frustration, it’s no different for me being someone who’s first language is English and trying to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak it all and vice versa. It DOES go both ways. I get that. But it’s been a political circus for far too long and dragging sports into this long debacle of non sense is really too much.
Even for me.
In other news, I happened to stumble upon this. Thought I would share.