A teenage boy is in critical condition after getting stabbed in Côte St-Luc on Sunday. A man’s been arrested. La Presse calls the location Montreal West.
Update: The kid is out of danger.
Updates from February, 2021 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
The premier has spoken out on social media about “freedom of expression.” This is the statement, much as I wish our elected officials would resist using Facebook for important communications – if you’re not logged in, it’s possible to read the statement but a huge popup makes it difficult. (Do we need to join Facebook to participate fully in democracy?)
Several incidents are mentioned in the stories. One involved that high school teacher who used an offensive word multiple times – we discussed him here in October. A few of the other incidents involved simple mention of the word in context, in one case simply naming a well-known book by Pierre Vallières that has its place in Quebec history. Teachers have been condemned for mentioning the book, as was CBC’s Wendy Mesley who was disciplined and had to do public penance for mentioning the title (in English translation, I gather – which Amazon doesn’t carry, although they offer several editions of the original book).
It looks like we may have to condemn the simple mention of any title or quotation involving that word because, on balance, it can end up with ugly situations like that high school teacher. But Legault doesn’t like that and this debate is going to drag on.
Johannes
Please refrain from using the term “n-word” as it immediately evokes the actual word and equally perpetuates harm and violence.
Kevin
Legault’s post was embedded on CTV when I saw it earlier today, and it’s currently linked on CBC.
Kate
Johannes, is the current view that even an indirect reference to the word should be avoided? I am sorry if I’ve offended and will go back and clean up my post.
Kevin, likewise to my claim.
Johannes
I was not serious about indirect references and I was being facetious about perpetuating violence. Legault has a point. That said, the high school teacher was completely out of line. He gleefully said the word multiple times in a shocking and despicable display.
EmilyG
Yeah, what that high school teacher did was unacceptable. And from what I remember, he’s done other racist things as well.
Kate
If we agree the word is only acceptable in context, e.g. when citing the title of a book that’s relevant to the matter under discussion in the class – something most people will understand, including erring on the side of caution and consideration if in doubt – somebody like that teacher will inevitably interpret “context” to cover his own assholish tendencies.
Ant6n
It’s ironic that Johannes was being facetious about even saying the “n-word” not being allowed, but Kate took it seriously. Clearly it’s makes sense to tread very lightly on this subject matter.
I’d say it’s important to this story that the word isn’t just offensive (cuz “fuck” would also be offensive), but that we’re talking about an offensive racial slur.
Kevin
Kate,
My apologies, I misread your post. Shouldn’t post on the blog while napping.Kate
Kev, we were both in error. No worries.
ant6n, you are right. I assumed Johannes was serious, but I’m old enough and out of touch enough with what university students and people of that general age group think, that I thought better to err on the side of being extra scrupulous.
Maxim Baru
I’d bet money the freedom of expression at school issue is going to be twisted to attack student unions. Sounds unrelated, but it’s precisely the kind of cynical and devious thing that often lurks behinds these kinds of initiatives.
EmilyG
There’s a good article on the CBC website about what’s wrong with Legault’s position.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-campus-free-speech-academic-freedom-legault-1.5917113From the article:
“The contentious part of this debate is not the merits of academic freedom per se. It’s widely accepted that scholars should be able to debate ideas without fear of repercussion from the powerful, or the popular.
Things turn controversial when it comes to identifying what, exactly, is threatening this ideal.”
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Kate
The media can be so predictable. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, there are pieces on couples divided by pandemic delays and travel bans and how sad it is that the day must be celebrated differently. Going to whisper this: the virus doesn’t care if you’re in love.
But Covid numbers continue to decline, a sign that pandemic measures are working, but we’re still being cautioned to hold the line.
Blork
I had one ear on “Cross-Country Checkup” yesterday (which I haven’t really listened to in years, but that’s another story) and they had a segment on couples separated because of COVID-19.
One woman called in saying she had gotten together with her sweetie just before the pandemic hit, and they’ve had very little joint physical proximity since as she lives in Manitoba and he lives in North Dakota.
The guest expert gave the usual advice for maintaining long-distance relationships, and how they should think ahead to the next five years and whatnot, and then the woman cuts in and says “By the way, I’m 88 and he’s 91.”
Mic drop. (Jaw drop.)
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Kate
Tracey Lindeman has a nice piece on the Fortune website about the origin and evolution of Lufa Farms.
nau
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Kate
A woman who pilfered thousands of dollars from CHSLD residents has been sentenced to house arrest, which makes me wonder how much house arrest differs from what we’re all living these days.
H. John
She seems to have received a suspended sentence. That’s not house arrest. For a period of time she has conditions she must follow. Unlike a conditional sentence, which erases the conviction,, she will have a criminal record.
So like the rest of us, she’ll be paying for her own room & board.H. John
Although I could be wrong on this one. The article doesn’t mention what conditions were set. Conditional sentence is sometimes referred to as house arrest since that may be one of the conditions.
Kate
I was assuming “prison à domicile” was house arrest but, in any case, she seems to have avoided being banged up in a cell.
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Kate
Montreal-based Structube emulates Ikea in giving names to its various products. Recently it has had to apologize shamefacedly when it was noticed that it had given the names Walid and Wassim to a couple of garbage cans.
EmilyG
In comments about this on a Facebook post, there were the usual bunch of white people saying “Lighten up, I’m not offended by this, so you shouldn’t be, and people are too thin-skinned these days.” Which doesn’t help the problem any bit.
How could the people at Structube not realize that this wasn’t a good idea?Nick
Should have named the garbage can ‘osama bin laden’
Kate
Naming them after a specific person would be different. Simply choosing common given names carries a different charge – imagine if we found out the Saudi government was naming its trash bins Chad and Karen.
dwgs
I would totally buy Chad and Karen trashcans.
MarcG
But if you had no power and lived in Saudi as a housekeeper…
Meezly
François and JF.
In tribute to freedom of speech in our schools.
JaneyB
@MarcG – I think dwgs is referring to incel concept Chad and meme Karen so that could have a very ironic market niche in garbage-related products. I think I’m spending too much time online lol.
Blork
I have a feeling there’s an Arab man somewhere who is seething with anger because the attractive and useful household items he designed and named after his kids have been declared, by indignant virtue-signaling white people, as insulting to Arabs.
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Kate
Early Sunday, a man was found walking along the Met between St-Laurent Boulevard and l’Acadie, after a collision with a truck. It’s a confusing story: TVA says the man was found walking 500m away on the highway after severe injuries. Radio-Canada says he was found 30m away.
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