Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I might call all of that "shrewd" as opposed to "fickle".

I never understood why being 'fickle' was a bad thing for politics.

Religious-like devotion to a political party always struck me as worse.

This guy sucks. Boot him out. Try somebody new. Sure beats: This guy sucks. Let's vote for him again, because we always have. Then complain he sucks.

Same with political parties. Ossified political parties that can't change or evolve with the times should die. Rebirth and all that.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

What's funny is the format is sooooo American. Except for the language, it could be some US news station. You would never see such a format in France, journalist being displayed next to 2 other journalists located in other places. Also they love those live reports with journalists 'on the scene' to give it a more realistic (or sensationalist?) touch. We don't do that here. Also the flashy colors, so typically Americans on news channels.

I don't see something like this as that significantly different:

https://twitter.com/BFMTV/status/1752763525263482935

But maybe I watch too much news, to the point where I don't pick up on the subtle differences.

[P'tit Renard]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I don't see something like this as that significantly different:

https://twitter.com/BFMTV/status/1752763525263482935

But maybe I watch too much news, to the point where I don't pick up on the subtle differences.

That's my impression as well. We were in France around the time Queen Elizabeth passed away, and the wall-to-wall nonstop French TV coverage of her funeral and life was so intense. You'd think she was la Reine du France given her TV exposure.

The coverage in Quebec and Anglo-Canada in comparison was more subdued.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I don't see something like this as that significantly different:

https://twitter.com/BFMTV/status/1752763525263482935

But maybe I watch too much news, to the point where I don't pick up on the subtle differences.

See my previous post above. Not the same context and not the same genre.

Also, you never see in France (or in Europe for that matter) an anchor left, with a 2nd journalist (middle) in another location, and a 3rd journalist (right) in yet another location. It's very American, a way to say "look, we are a TV station with lots of money, we can do spectacular things".

News in North America is like entrainement. In Europe it's more serious and conservative, to the point of being a bit stale perhaps.

[Acajack]

Just wanted to comment that Quebec media most definitely cover strikes a whole lot. That was basically all they were talking about in December.

Interesting observation from New Brisavoine that US media rarely talk about strikes or even labour disputes in general. That's quite true.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by P'tit Renard

That's my impression as well. We were in France around the time Queen Elizabeth passed away, and the wall-to-wall nonstop French TV coverage of her funeral and life was so intense. You'd think she was la Reine du France given her TV exposure.

The coverage in Quebec and Anglo-Canada in comparison was more subdued.

There are 2 things that define French identity:
a- Revolutionaries forever reenacting 1789,

but b- die-hard monarchists in their subconscious. Macron said it in his verbose and hyper-intellectual way:

Il y a dans le processus démocratique et dans son fonctionnement un absent. Dans la politique française, cet absent est la figure du roi, dont je pense fondamentalement que le peuple français n'a pas voulu la mort. La Terreur a creusé un vide émotionnel, imaginaire, collectif : le roi n’est plus là ! On a essayé ensuite de réinvestir ce vide, d’y placer d’autres figures : ce sont les moments napoléonien et gaulliste, notamment. Le reste du temps, la démocratie française ne remplit pas l’espace. On le voit bien avec l’interrogation permanente sur la figure présidentielle, qui vaut depuis le départ du général de Gaulle. Après lui, la normalisation de la figure présidentielle a réinstallé un siège vide au cœur de la vie politique. Pourtant, ce qu’on attend du président de la République, c’est qu’il occupe cette fonction. Tout s’est construit sur ce malentendu.

The ironic thing about that whole monarchy thing, is the fact it's the English really who are republicans (in their mentality, the way they scrutinize their public figures, etc), and the French who are monarchists at heart.

So since there is no French royal family anymore, the French media use the English royal monarchy as some sort of silly substitute (sometimes the princes of Monaco also).

[Acajack]

Macron can be smart sometimes.

[P'tit Renard]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

News in North America is like entrainement. In Europe it's more serious and conservative, to the point of being a bit stale perhaps.

Actually we've been watching more French news in the last few years because it's so entertaining, and the commentators have bark and bite.

RDI and TVA Nouvelles can be a bit stale at times, and the commentators can be too chummy with each other that's distinctively Quebec. Channels in Quebec's regions like CIMT-CHAU can lull you to sleep.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by thewave46

I never understood why being 'fickle' was a bad thing for politics.

Religious-like devotion to a political party always struck me as worse.

This guy sucks. Boot him out. Try somebody new. Sure beats: This guy sucks. Let's vote for him again, because we always have. Then complain he sucks.

Same with political parties. Ossified political parties that can't change or evolve with the times should die. Rebirth and all that.

Well, there are certainly positive aspects of such fickleness. It is better than always voting for the same party, come what may.

But it is nevertheless interesting, how Quebec, en masse, parks its collective votes with different parties, seemingly each election cycle, at both the federal and provincial levels. And, back in my Montreal days, at the municipal level as well. Much more so than what I have seen in other provinces, with the notable exception of British Columbia (ahhh, the left coast).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by P'tit Renard

Actually we've been watching more French news in the last few years because it's so entertaining, and the commentators have bark and bite.

RDI and TVA Nouvelles can be a bit stale at times, and the commentators can be too chummy with each other that's distinctively Quebec. Channels in Quebec's regions like CIMT-CHAU can lull you to sleep.

French political debate and analysis shows on their news channels are way better than those in Quebec.

[Acajack]

Québec solidaire doing their best to imitate La France Insoumise today. (Not a single word about the hostages.)

https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-10657/index.html

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

French political debate and analysis shows on their news channels are way better than those in Quebec.

I can't stand them anymore. French news and French political debates are better avoided. Most people agree with that. Quality has declined tremendously, it's just soundbites these days, all furor and noise. Or on the other end of the spectrum you've got those ridiculously far-left intellectual debates that pretend to be pluralistic. And we pay taxes for that!

You should follow Medias Citoyens on Twitter. They watch and listen to the all TV stations and radios. They describe week after week all the issues with French journalism, the low quality of reporting, the biases, the militant news programs (especially on the public channel France 2 and on the public radio France Inter, which are like hard-left media sponsored by French taxpayers). It's pretty crazy what they describe: https://twitter.com/medias_citoyens

For example, two of the main anchors presenting the evening news on France 2 happen to be leaders of some far-left unions in that TV station. They always report tremendously all protests against the government, and always silence the president and his ministers, and never report good news.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by P'tit Renard

Channels in Quebec's regions like CIMT-CHAU can lull you to sleep.

This makes me think, this is the way the French see US television (this is from 30 years ago, but it hasn't aged a bit):

• Video Link

And for an idea of what the French view as really dull, this is the same show, but the... Polish version this time:

• Video Link

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

This makes me think, this is the way the French see US television (this is from 30 years ago, but it hasn't aged a bit):

• Video Link

And for an idea of what the French view as really dull, this is the same show, but the... Polish version this time:

• Video Link

Consonne

Consonne

Consonne

Québécois (at least from my generation) liked to make fun of this French show.

That and "la vaaaaaaaacheeeeeeette!" from Le Défi Inter-Villes.

[Acajack]

Though I did like Pyramide, especially since I had a crush on Claire. Beautiful and brilliant. I think she went on to become a doctor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fNfKXBuav0

[New Brisavoine]

Intervilles was great. That plus a Japanese science show about the Earth that they broadcasted in those same years that I really liked.

As for my mom, it was... this! (not in 1978 as in the US, but way later in France, like late 1980s)

• Video Link

Did you have the French version too in the music?

This series bored me to death...

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Though I did like Pyramide, especially since I had a crush on Claire. Beautiful and brilliant. I think she went on to become a doctor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fNfKXBuav0

I had a crush on Marie-Ange Nardi. Intervilles and other shows (Eurovision, etc). But she was much older than me.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

See my previous post above. Not the same context and not the same genre.

Also, you never see in France (or in Europe for that matter) an anchor left, with a 2nd journalist (middle) in another location, and a 3rd journalist (right) in yet another location. It's very American, a way to say "look, we are a TV station with lots of money, we can do spectacular things".

News in North America is like entrainement. In Europe it's more serious and conservative, to the point of being a bit stale perhaps.

There ya go!

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

There ya go!

• Video Link

[Loco101]

Something I noticed today while watching one of the news channels was a commercial from the Canadian Cancer Society. It was for a challenge for people to not drink alcohol for all of February called DryFeb I think.

On the bottom of the screen it had the text "This event does not take place in Quebec" or something like that. I'm used to seeing "void in Quebec" or contests that aren't valid there but this was a new one. I looked further and DryFeb is a program that only done in English. It doesn't strike me as something that would go over well in Quebec society. I've never heard of it in Northern Ontario but I'll keep my ears open and see if anything is done for it here but I doubt it.