He has been charged with manslaughter and Paula's many friends, and she was likely quite a good kid because she seems to have had a lot of good friends who cared deeply about her - have decided to honour her memory by getting tattoos to commemorate her memory.
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| Paula Pavica (left) will be commemorated in friends' tats |
But what got my attention here more than that is that there is a noticeable trend among francophones here in Quebec to get English-only tattoos.
I first really noticed this at the waterslide near Oka while waiting at the top I overheard a conversation entirely in French by two young people who didn't seem to be likely to be really very fluent in English. And yet festooned on their bodies were tattoos with English words on them.
I asked one of the Paula's friends why they were getting tattoos in English rather than French and I was told that it's seems prettier in English, and "ca fait plus craquer." Snappier, I guess.
-- Addendum. A couple of people have dismissed this by stating that English people regularly get tattoos with Asian symbols on them. That, however, misses the point that English has been long portrayed in a certain way here in Quebec. A mythology has been adopted that English is the language and culture to be discouraged and even to be blamed for much of the woes suffered here. So it's important to recall the context of the status of English in Quebec: in spite of the frequent common perception that English is not a welcome thing, people are still getting permanently stained with words in that language. So if you have a more profound take on this, please note it in the comments below.
I will be calling l'office tomorrow morning to file a formal complaint. Tatoo shops should be obligated to tatoo in French. Any English should be at half the size of the French message.
ReplyDeleteI guess that explains why nobody noticed that "forever" is supposed to be one word.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being respectful. I am close to the family, and I also enjoy reading your blog (own your book)
ReplyDeletePauline Marois will be enraged, but I will volunteer to be an OLF inspector if such will give me power to order girls to strip and then punish them accordingly in the Donjon des Nationalistes. The provincial deficit can be reduced with a $100/tattoo/year tax.
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing new, nor is it specific to Quebec: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/5170898/Chinese-craze-for-English-tattoos.html
ReplyDeleteAnglos are often surprised that Francos are not Anti-English. They listen to English music, browse in English, watch English TV shows. But they expect to be able to work and be served in French and are proud of their culture, big distinction here. On a funny note, google "Rihanna, french tatoo", she thought it would be cool and the tatoo guy got the syntax wrong "Rebelle fleur" lol
ReplyDeleteFrancophone teenage gangs of the 1950s had black leather jackets with English insignia on them--presumably due to the influence of period American films such as "The Wild Ones" and "Blackboard Jungle".
ReplyDeleteBesides, in most instances, French words and phrases take up more space--such as for the word jet and fax, for example.
So, how would you say "no brainer" in French?
It is only due to separatist paranoia and their apparent cultural insecurities that English is so "hated". Such fear twists feeble minds. Ask the Taliban.
Hating English-speaking Canadians, however, can easily be extrapolated to including English-speaking Americans as well--which would be a politically fatal error for the seps.
The girl I chatted with about this on FB used the example of her "believe" tat. She said that "croire" wouldn't be very nice to look at. Nonetheless I'm two steps away from understanding any of this, as I don't even get the idea of tattoos in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI'll wager that most tatoos are requested on impulse, with many quickly second-guessing themselves and later having serious regrets, such as tatooing a boyfriend's or girlfriend's name.
ReplyDeleteA wiser choice would be a temporary tatoo.
Shaving ones hair off for a cause is obviously not quite as drastic a decision, but the point is made and everything eventually returns to normal--plus you get the perfect opportunity to clean your scalp!
Pretty similar to all the english-speaking people (and others) with their powerful, inspirational slogans written in chinese characters.
ReplyDeleteWell if it's the same, as so many seem to think, then why don't these people with such a profound personal attachment to the English language, say a word when teaching of the language, displaying it in public, etc, are accepted and enforced?
ReplyDeleteThey don't have a profound personal attachment to English. Putting words on yourself in Chinese characters or Elvish script or a language you don't speak is like putting a Latin motto on a tombstone or a Greek inscription on a university gym. It adds some mystery, implies some link to a life different from your own. It doesn't mean you want to speak English or Quenya every day.
ReplyDeleteI have no words on me, but I do have an animal from a prehistoric cave painting, which I feel much the same about. It sort of links me up to a different world.
The tattoo is personal, being in a slightly less familiar language (or hard to read font (all caps blackletter)) adds a layer of sacredness - by being not quotidian.
ReplyDeleteWherever I see Chinese script tattoos on a non-Asian person I always imagine that they think it's a profound message when in fact it says "Eat at Chow's" or "Soup special: 2 for 1."
ReplyDeletePerhaps more deeply-entrenched within certain members of the foreign and immigrant populace is the need to display their fascination with and intent to conform to our western habits and endeavours, thus you often see--
ReplyDeleteeven in overseas countries--young people wearing "Harvard" jackets and T-shirts, never mind that they may have no idea where or what Harvard may be.
Perhaps the most amusing example I have ever seen was a guy in Kathmandhu wearing a shirt with the Playboy bunny's head on the back, beneath which was the "abbreviated" word "LAYBO". Evidently, the shirt manufacturer was fearful of copyright protection! To be fair, though, trekking through the Everest region I did see another man there wearing an authentic-looking
Montreal Canadien's sweater! Word gets around!
I recall my best friend's father (aged in his 60s) jokingly refer to such people as "mockies"--a slightly derogatory term rarely heard these days ("chromo" is another) but used to describe foreigners who mock western dress styles, wishing to impress.
I was amused to read Roman Polanski's biography where he even referred to himself as a mockie, green and newly-arrived in the U.S.A. to continue his film director's career.