Are you a Dive Hypocrite?

[Belmont]

Can I jump on this offer?

Why not!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Bob, I give you more credit than that. You generalize on a whole population with the experiences you had with a few jerks.

Next time you are in Montreal, drop me a line, I'll take you out for a dive and you will have a chance to meet open minded people

Montreal folks are totally cool ... like I said, I love the city. That includes the people.
But comparing Montreal to the rest of Quebec is like comparing Austin to the rest of Texas.

The folks I was referring to were not in Montreal. They were mostly people I interacted with during weeklong trips to some of the Laurentian ski areas back in the 80's and 90's ... Mt. Tremblant, Mt. Blanc, Mt. St-Anne. The ski areas were cool ... the folks who lived in the towns you had to pass through or stay in while skiing them definitely were not. As I recall, the town of San Jovi is near Mt. Tremblant. What I remember most about that town was how nasty people were to tourists ... refusing to serve me in restaurants, someone keying my car, and another someone walking by and saying "Go home".

So I did ... that happened in 1992 ... ain't been back since ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

(edit ... almost forgot ... I would love the opportunity to dive there ... the skiing was pretty good too) ...

 

[Belmont]

Man, that makes my blood boil to hear that.
Like I said, jerks. Things have changed, At the time those small communities were newly introduced to the tourist invasion. They resented seeing their quiet lives troubled by outsiders.
Things have changed and now they understand that the presence of tourists is profitable.
People now even come to the Laurentians from Europe to enjoy winter sports like ski, snowmobile, dog sledding. We even have an ice hotel. http://www.icehotel-canada.com/index.php?action=&langue=en

 

[DaleC]

I am sorry that you have this opinion of the situation in Quebec. You are obviously receiving second hand information. Do you really believe that nine provinces were "forced" into bilingualism. Can you see any forced use of the French language in your daily life that causes you grief? English speakers are much less handicapped in Quebec than French speakers in British-Columbia. The English speaking Quebeckers have schools, colleges and three English universities here. The complaints are not coming from people who live here but from misinformed outsiders that keep repeating old fables from forty years ago.

I'm sorry, were the restrictive english signage laws really 40 years ago? My how time flies. Last time I checked it was never illegal for a Canadian citizen to post a sign in french. Has there really been no controversy with Bills 101 or 104 since then. And what is this little thing called Bill 86 that I've heard about?

Belmont, bilingualism doesn't bother me. Institutional discrimination does. You seem like a nice guy; don't think I transpose broad political perspectives onto ordinary individuals.

 

[Superlyte27]

LOL... this got way off of scuba

 

[Tigerman]

....
We even have an ice hotel. http://www.icehotel-canada.com/index.php?action=&langue=en

Oooh, so THATS where the whole "snowbound canadian fortress" came from?
We have a few of those things around Scandinavia too btw.. Well, during the part of the year we have arctic climate that is. The part of the year were moving into now theid melt rather quick - Thank poseidon for the gulf stream, for as long as it lasts anyways.

Hows the diving in Canada anyways? Friggin cold?

 

[TMHeimer]

Colder than that 1984 swim I had at Varangerfiord between Nordkapp & Murmansk.

 

[Belmont]

Belmont, bilingualism doesn't bother me. Institutional discrimination does. You seem like a nice guy; don't think I transpose broad political perspectives onto ordinary individuals.

Fair enough.

A little note in passing: no sign in English is forbidden, there must be the equivalent in French, with French being predominant.

http://www.encyclopediecanadienne.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009101

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Yanno what's funny? I was sitting in our yacht club one day shortly after my last trip up there, relating some of my stories about my time in San Jovite, and made some comment about the fact that maybe I'd have gotten along better up there if I spoke French. Well, sitting at the table was a fellow sailor whose wife was from France, and she rather emphatically stated that in Quebec they do not speak French!



... must be a cultural thing ... I hear that when there aren't any tourists, they keep in shape by practicing rudeness on each other ...

(Just kidding, Belmont ... ya just gotta laugh about this stuff sometimes) ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TMHeimer]

Fair enough.

A little note in passing: no sign in English is forbidden, there must be the equivalent in French, with French being predominant.

For a good number of years after 1976 signs in ANY language other than French only were forbidden, no? They finally changed that, but it sure blew my mind in a land of democracy.