Martineau on “hate Montreal” duty
Richard Martineau got the we hate Montreal job this week at the Journal.
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Kate
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Matt G 10:21 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
Another gem from this useless public commentator.
DeWolf 12:07 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
Old man yells at clouds.
steph 12:15 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
Does he really believe that they used to just call the Hells and Mafia leaders and ask them to “play nice”?
Mark 13:26 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
Kate can I suggest that you stop posting articles from him? Unless he’s said something so outrageous that the reaction to his commentary is picked up in other news outlets?
This anecdotal and cherry picked drivel could be written by any “Old man yells at clouds” on Facebook, but it’s RM and the JdM, so we read him. A desperate newspaper pushing boundaries of controversy just far enough to maintain the attention of their dwindling readership.
Several discussion forums ban publications from certain outlets or authors. I’m thinking of Reddit and /soccer which has banned any articles from the Sun.
Again, completely up to you Kate on this one, but I for one won’t miss seeing this content.
Kate 13:47 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
Mark, my rationale for noticing articles like these is this: This item showed up in my general news sweep for the blog, because the topic is specifically Montreal. I didn’t enjoy reading it, but I feel I need to know about it, because – in the aggregate – this kind of content reaches people all over Quebec, influences attitudes to the city, and ultimately inflects voting trends and official policy.
As a Montreal blogger, although I find it distasteful, I also find a sort of gloomy comedy in how regularly Quebecor feels it has to put the boot in and remind us how terrible this city is.
Whether we like it or not, the “old men” at the Journal have a loud, influential voice. Completely blocking Martineau, Sophie Durocher, Gilles Proulx, Mathieu B‑C and their confrères means choosing to ignore the people who believe in the “grand remplacement” and its corollaries, who really believe that white people are being oppressed – and that francophone Quebecers, the only true Quebecers, can’t possibly be racist because it’s they who are oppressed.
It’s a way of thinking that always leaves me feeling riled, but I feel that if we want to understand Quebec, and in Montreal’s political plight within Quebec, we have to understand it’s there.
Mark 17:17 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
Good points, thanks for that explanation Kate. I find myself doing that as well, scanning the various sites to gauge the collective zeitgeist, especially those that I don’t necessarily agree with or consult often (Rebel Media, Fox, the CBC comments section :).
That being said, of the list of names that you put forward, Martineau (and to some extent Gilles Proulx) strikes me as someone who has simply run out of things to say. Having had long conversations with people who defend MBC’s view points, I feel like I’m at least learning something when I engage with them, even if I often disagree with their point of view. Interacting with RM feels like we’re having a discussion with a sock.
Chris 18:03 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
DeWolf, was your commented directed at Martineau or Matt G? 🙂
Mark, Kate, it is indeed important to read viewpoints you disagree with. I encourage everyone to do so. If nothing else, it helps you know your enemy better, and formulate better counterarguments. Kate, I for one love how you link to everything.
>francophone Quebecers […] can’t possibly be racist because it’s they who are oppressed.
Interestingly, a similar view is held by many American Wokesters, who say blacks can’t be racist because it’s they who are oppressed.
Tim S. 18:11 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
As I’ve said before, I’m glad Kate reads these columnists so I don’t have to.
(To be specific, I wouldn’t mind reading them for the reasons mentioned above, but I don’t want to give them the clicks)
Kevin 19:08 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
There are times you need to be aware of what people who dislike you are saying and doing, especially when they believe you are less than an equal.
Then some of them come along and prove that they are not your equal, and you can go back to ignoring them until they get dangerous.
DeWolf 22:38 on 2023-04-11 Permalink
@Chris, “viewpoints you disagree with” is being generous, given that Martineau’s only viewpoint is that “Montreal is gross.”