Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

I think this is straight up a lack of vocabulary. What a lot of people mean when they say "French" is "Francophone". But somehow the term "Franco" is rather rare. For me, it's mostly what I have heard through my military career and around Ottawa.

In Gatineau « Franco » is widely used as shorthand for Franco-Ontarien. Gatinois are just considered Québécois so no need to specify anything about being francophone. Which is course is also another shortcut as not all Gatinois are francophones.

« Franco » is also used as shorthand by Franco-Ontariens themselves to refer to their group.

I don’t hear anglophones use « Franco » that much as it doesn’t sound good in English. To me it evokes Francisco Franco.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I'm tired of the stereotypes, assumptions and generalizations.

I guess it’s a pushback after several years of what one might call narcissism of minor differences.

I.e. People who will get into an argument with you for innocently saying Brazilians are wild about soccer and say « well I have a group of friends in Sao Paulo and they love baseball and don’t care about soccer, so there! ».

[harls]

Originally Posted by AverageMonctonEnjoyr

I beg your finest pardon ? how is anglo-saxon derogatory ? Doesn't it refer to the ancient tribes, the Angles and the Saxons that populated great britain, their descendants being people from the british isles. People love to victimize so much nowadays it's crazy.

If you read the nuance in his posts, you will see he's using the term disparagingly.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

You mean, how they are perceived by you. And how you perceive, disparagingly, "Anglo Saxons".
Neither represents how 500 million Europeans view it.

Wrong. Do some research and you'll see that's how they are perceived by the vast majority of Europeans. You are basically shooting the messenger here.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by harls

If you read the nuance in his posts, you will see he's using the term disparagingly.

That's highly possible.

But even if it's true that deep down he is not a big fan of you guys, that doesn't disqualify him from taking part in the forum.

[MolsonExport]

No it doesn't. But the way you selectively take umbrage at these labels (moreover the intent and manner with which they are employed) is rather disappointing.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

No it doesn't. But the way you selectively take umbrage at these labels (moreover the intent and manner with which they are employed) is rather disappointing.

It's not so much that I take umbrage personally as I like pointing out the irony of people who take pride in upholding the standards of bien-pensance and righteousness for such things, and then sloppily sling around inaccurate monikers, and then also dig in their heels when the error is pointed out.

C'est tout.

[MolsonExport]

Always have to be the last one on the ice, right? (not to mention, the first). I'd have better luck talking to a wall.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

It absolutely does. Everyone in Europe views JFK as an "Anglo-Saxon" (and he was, in his manners, his politics, his pretense of a postcard-perfect family while being secretly a womanizer, which is typical of the prudish Anglo-Saxon world, especially America nowadays now that Britain has become much more liberal on these issues, etc).

Ditto, Ireland's nasty tax haven legislation is seen as the typical excesses of Anglo-Saxon capitalism here.

It's purely cultural. No one would see an English-speaking Ghanaian as an "Anglo-Saxon". As I believe Acajack once said in this thread, it's basically all the Caucasian Anglophone jurisdictions that are labeled as "Anglo-Saxon", and the term is now widely accepted in Europe and Latin America, and increasingly also in the British media (less so in North America).

I didn’t realize the French were the Americans of Europe… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. No, Irish people are not Anglo Saxons, and neither are the majority of Canadians and Americans for that matter.

It would be even less accurate to call an Irish American or an Italian Canadian an Anglo Saxon than it would be for me to call you a Gall.

Not sure where you got this idea from, but please, use more accurate terminology.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

I didn’t realize the French were the Americans of Europe… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. No, Irish people are not Anglo Saxons, and neither are the majority of Canadians and Americans for that matter.

It would be even less accurate to call an Irish American or an Italian Canadian an Anglo Saxon than it would be for me to call you a Gall.

Not sure where you got this idea from, but please, use more accurate terminology.

Maybe the French are the Russians of Western Europe?

The Russian government under Vladimir Putin and Russian state-run media often use "Anglo-Saxon" as a derogatory term referring to English-speaking countries, particularly the United States and United Kingdom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxons#Legacy

Seriously though, I think "Anglo-Saxon" is often used by some people (the French, and others it seems) as a rough equivalent to what English speakers themselves would refer to the "Anglosphere".

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Maybe the French are the Russians of Western Europe?

The Russian government under Vladimir Putin and Russian state-run media often use "Anglo-Saxon" as a derogatory term referring to English-speaking countries, particularly the United States and United Kingdom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxons#Legacy

Seriously though, I think "Anglo-Saxon" is often used by some people (the French, and others it seems) as a rough equivalent to what English speakers themselves would refer to the "Anglosphere".

They did used to speak French in Moscow. Must be where they picked it up 😅

Anglophone or English speakers are both east enough to say.


Using “Anglo Saxon” as a one size fits all name for people from England speaking countries is about as ignorant as using the term “pepsi” to refer to French speakers in Quebec.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Using “Anglo Saxon” as a one size fits all name for people from England speaking countries is about as ignorant as using the term “pepsi” to refer to French speakers in Quebec.

Uh no. "Pepsi" is an ethno-racial slur. Come on, man.

[Nashe]

"I'll have you know I'm no Anglo-Saxon! My mother was a Visigoth and my father was a Pict!"

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Nashe

"I'll have you know I'm no Anglo-Saxon! My mother was a Visigoth and my father was a Pict!"

Nice to see at least some people haven't completely lost their sense of humour in the Canada of 2025!

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Uh no. "Pepsi" is an ethno-racial slur. Come on, man.

Please don’t assume my gender, thanks.

Is pepsi even used anymore?

If pepsi remained such a bad term, why the hell was this ever allowed to happen?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Please don’t assume my gender, thanks.

LOL!

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Acajack

LOL!

Merci, ma chérie

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Merci, ma cherie

Just don't call me "French".

(Not that there is anything wrong with that...)

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Just don't call me "French".

(Not that there is anything wrong with that...)

Sure thing, mon ami.

Lol, but seriously… if pepsi remained such a bad term, why was the Nordiques’ Arena called the “Colisée Pepsi”?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Is pepsi even used anymore?

If pepsi remained such a bad term, why the hell was this ever allowed to happen?

Actually most people in Quebec probably aren't aware of the slur. It's most common in my experience outside Quebec, for example in the Ottawa Valley and Northern Ontario. You also might have heard "pepper" as a slur for French Canadians as well, which is a derivative of "pepsi". Popular anti-francophone meme: "French (sic!) breakfast: Pepsi and Jos Louis".

As for the Pepsi brand itself, why would it cease to exist or go into hiding?

They didn't stop selling watermelons and Kool-Aid in the US just because they are used as racist tropes for African-Americans.