Category: Sackville’s Memorial park

Bambi would like to share a cartoon by Mr. Yannick Lemay (“La caricature d’Ygreck” in the Journal de Québec; September 9, 2019) without any comment (just a smile ?):

 

Bambi usually follows the news from Québec with great interest.

Herein she will comment on this article entitled “Le bloc Québécois veut que Ottawa respecte la laicité au Québec” (The Bloc Québécois wants Ottawa to respect Québec secular state):

https://www.hebdorivenord.com/article/2019/09/08/le-bloc-quebecois-veut-qu-ottawa-respecte-la-laicite-au-quebec

She would like to thank the Bloc Québécois, even if she does not reside in the Belle Province (clearly not a potential voter).

The Bloc Québécois is simply reminding Ottawa (i.e., our current Prime Minister) and the rest of Canada (i.e., leaders May and Singh as well as some former politicians from Alberta) and organizations from the rest of Canada that this new bill is made in Québec and is meant for Québec… In other terms, please all remember to respect Québec’s will (the bill is supported by the majority of the Québec population; maybe it was controversial but only in Montreal; sometimes for legitimate concerns; other times for other reasons).

It is hard for the rest of Canada, and maybe the rest of North America, to understand the history and mindset of Québec, especially when often people and politicians alike forget that Québec is a distinct nation (even within our beautiful Canada).

To come back to Bill 21, there have been many articles written about it. Many of them, if not most, include errors and/or omissions.

Contrary to what people think, whether they like this bill or not, it came after 10 years of public debate.

To clarify this bill, here is a quick summary:

Four principles:

1. The separation of state and religion
2. The religious neutrality of the state
3. The equality of all citizens
4. Freedom of conscience and freedom of religion

Some government employees in positions of authority, such as prosecutors and police officers, as well as teachers and principals of public primary and secondary schools, will not be able to wear religious symbols in the performance of their duties.

The Act specifies that persons who were in office on March 27, 2019, retain the right to wear a religious sign, as long as they hold the same function within the same organization.

The bill also clarifies that public services must be provided and received without a covered face during an identity check or if needed for security reasons.

Compared to other similar secular bills in other countries, the bill is moderate (ex., more than in France or even Switzerland). Not surprising to me because the bill reflects Québec’s pragmatism, tolerance, and collective self-respect.

This law is a natural historical logic to Québec’s past (a domineering Catholic Church, which led to a Quiet revolution).

Bambi took the time to reflect about this bill. She clearly supports it or supports Québec’s will.

This being said, spontaneously, she first saw the logic and merit of the police and lawyers not wearing religious or tribal symbols (+ of course, the part of the law about the security). She struggled a lot, especially at first, to see the government logic behind the extension of this bill to teachers/school principals (as authority figures). Maybe she still does not fully understand it but she endorses it, especially with the reactions of (religious and other) lobby groups and the media.  

Perhaps Québec is naive still. It does not understand that we can indoctrinate kids without wearing any symbol, religious or not. She also thinks that it is not because you are wearing a religious symbol that you would be narrow-minded… although you may have trouble teaching topics like evolutionary biology, who knows?

She also wonders why the bill didn’t extend to universities to protect education students/trainees, wearing religious symbols, who are aspiring for a job in the public sector? However, the government made the choice to legally protect only current employees. So, luckily no one would lose his/her job!

Yes, it is sad to imagine one single woman (or man, if any) who may find herself prevented from applying to a job in public schools and risk being isolated in their homes ☹. However, one must remember that they can apply for jobs in the private sector.

Talking about private schools, Bambi thinks that the Government of Québec must not fund private schools (currently 65% of private schools receive funding from the Government of Québec; http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/parents-et-tuteurs/ecoles-privees/).

Anyhow, this law is less authoritarian as it does not force students not to wear any religious symbols (so much more moderate than in France or, at one point, in Turkey).

Now, why does Bambi think that this bill is wise…. Because Québec respected its past and took the time to think of its future, preventing potential problems like those we see elsewhere, sadly like in her home country or even its neighbouring Israel, when religious lobbies become too powerful.

Bambi thinks that this bill is about the secularity of the government; not about removing any right to anyone. The government made a compromise and removed a traditional cross from its National Assembly. Even if Bambi has (Christian) faith in her heart (+ her family includes members of 7 different religions), she salutes this gesture. According to her, it was even about time for a province which government is now officially and fully secular.

To conclude, Bambi would like to thank the Bloc Québécois again and cite a (translated) quote from the Honourable Simon Jolin-Barrette, Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion and Government House Leader: “We have just written an important page in the history of Québec. The public has been waiting for this moment for more than ten years, and our government has had the courage to finally act in this way with rigor and pragmatism. It is legitimate for the Québec nation to decide how secularism applies in its territory and in its institutions. I am proud, on behalf of your government, to finally affirm and define the secularism of the state by placing it in Québec law for the first time”.

Thank you Québec for having the courage to govern and for perhaps providing an example to the world of how to stand for one’s values.

Bambi just read an interesting and informative article entitled “How to keep your pets calm in a big storm” by Mr. Aaron Beswick in the Sackville tribune:

https://www.sackvilletribunepost.com/news/regional/how-to-keep-your-pets-calm-in-a-big-storm-349425/

Without having any pet living under their roof, she can easily imagine that they would be made anxious by the noise of the wind, the feeling that a storm is passing by or even just approaching. Just like kids. Just like us.

Mr. Beswick’s article brought some childhood memories to her mind.

Made nervous by loud shelling noises, her neighbours’ dog used to run to the shelter with them. Sometimes he would scratch the floor for minutes in a row until they managed to calm him down.

As a child, Bambi used to take care of wild cats on the street, thinking to herself that, as humans, we are caring for each other, but who does care for them? That was before becoming allergic to cats later in life.

At one point in time, she was feeding and trying to nurture two adult cats and, eventually, their 7 kitten. She called the adult cats Nancy and Roy (imagining them to be siblings), only to discover a few months later that Roy was pregnant– almost at the same time as Nancy (mmm—Clearly then, Roy was not a male cat. Silly Bambi ?). Eventually, all these cats died at once (but that was a different story).

Another cute cat sadly lost an eye and a tail during a round of shelling and a bomb explosion respectively. He (she?) remained alive and even reproduced, after learning to run to a shelter so fast, even before the (human) neighbours.

Bambi was serious about helping those cats to the point of throwing food to them from the balcony. After her parents risked their lives to do groceries, Bambi did something stupid: Her mom opened the fridge a few hours after returning home. To her horror, she didn’t find neither the freshly bought ham nor the cheese. Why? Well, Bambi threw all the food to the street cats from the balcony!

Another time, and this was a freaky memory, she and her family were escaping to the Beirut airport. They were driving fast under snipers’ shooting, along with shelling here and there. Bambi’s dad asked his kids to lower their heads whilst driving fast on that particularly dangerous highway. It was like a movie scene… Bambi, the youngest child, saw an injured cat and started to beg her dad to save her. Her loving dad stepped out of the car fast to help the cat. She learned years after the truth about this cat: Her dad found it already dead (likely injured by a driver saving his/her life). He pushed the unlucky cat to the side of the road and returned running to the car. He told Bambi: “She will be fine there; her mom will take care of her”.  Bambi’s own mom was not impressed by her spouse’s (risky) behaviour. Perhaps this is what parents do, out of love, to try to bring a glimpse of normality and humanity into absurdly violent situations?

Many years after this incident, when Bambi was 24 (= last year ?; that was a joke), she made a trip to the Middle East to visit. Her parents invited her to (the island of) Cyprus for a weekend; Cyprus is 20 minutes away from Lebanon by airplane. A weird experience happened there: Just like a dog, Bambi felt an earthquake coming a few seconds before it occurred. Her parents thought that their youngest daughter was being weird by sharing that she feels something big about to happen. She warned them twice about it. Indeed, a few seconds later, a major earthquake took place in Turkey ☹. Bambi’s hotel room had tiny damage in its walls. This is how big that earthquake was (90 people died and about 240 others were injured).

Bambi does not pretend to have any psychological explanation to the strange story above. She admits that she is a deer. Perhaps for a few seconds, she had been a sensitive dog.

Bambi quickly toured the news before going to sleep. She discovered a section entitled *Climate Change* among the “hot topics” in CBC Kids:

https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews//site/search_results/browse_topics/?q=climate%20change&browse=true

In this section, there is even an article on Mr. Maxime Bernier vs Greta. My question is simply: Why?

Why are we using our kids (along with Greta, the passionate young activist) in this indoctrination machinery?

Bambi was not a fan of Mr. Harper’s era. She has never voted neither for him nor for his party. However, she cannot help but to recall how he had expressed a wise idea back then: reducing the funding to the CBC. It turned out that he did not have the courage to proceed with this. Someone will have to do it one of these days, Bambi is thinking now.

This is no longer journalism. This is propaganda.  

Bambi had wished that our tax money would fund research for real energy-efficient solutions to environmental problems.

If we continue down this path, our kids’ critical thinking would be in danger, not just ours ☹.

Well, after this sad discovery, Bambi continued her tour of the media. She came across an interview or chat between Mr. Bernier & Dr. Gad Saad. Food for though… It is refreshing to see two independent minds chatting, whether we agree with them or not, on some or all the topics.

Thank you to Mr. Bernier & Dr. Saad (he is Lebanese-Canadian, cool ?).

Bambi would like to share a moving story that can restore your faith in humanity…

Bambi’s current post is a (translated) article written by Mr. Mario Dumont, one of the leading columnists of the Journal de Montréal.

The original article (August 30, 2019) is entitled: «Greta et nous… menés en bateau»

Bambi is silently posting this (translated) text as food for thought.

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/08/30/greta-et-nous-menes-en-bateau

“The young environmental activist Greta Thunberg arrived to New York yesterday, after sailing across the Atlantic on a “zero-carbon” boat. She comes to our continent to attend the UN World Climate Summit in late September.

We cannot blame a young girl for being aware of social issues, let alone blame her for being a committed activist. One can even ignore certain contradictions in the speech of the one who candidly seems to be the voice of her generation.

Except that…

Except that I put a stop to a huge public relations operation, which exceeds this girl and seems to be meant to take us for idiots (“des nonos”, in French). Greta arrived by sailboat. Some media relayed that she made a trip with “zero carbon emissions”, without any nuance.

Let’s be serious here: this racing yacht was built with highly polluting materials. It was not initially designed to serve to bring food to poor people, but rather to practice a form of sailing race for multimillionaires. The sailors who accompanied Greta will return by plane and another crew will arrive in New York, also by plane, to take charge of the boat return trip home.

Even wackier, the young activist says she does not know how she will return back to Sweden. Let’s play the riddle game! Oh yes! I think she will take the airplane to return back home.

She does not say it now. Her father knows it. Her public relations managers know it. Does she know and lie to preserve her image? Or do we keep her in ignorance about it? Either way, there is a DEEP unease.

All others will fly

Everything is absurd in this sailing story. First, the total operation will have generated more travel by plane than if Greta had made a simple return trip with her father in a seat in economy class.

Then Greta attends a summit where hundreds of participants from around the world will be travelling by plane. To develop her logic of boycotting the polluting aircraft further, it would have been necessary to demand the end of these international meetings and to suggest holding them by videoconference.

As genuine as her activism is, Greta is trapped in her logical cul-de-sac. To go on a sailing trip, she had to associate herself with the wealthy family of Princess Caroline of Monaco. They too take advantage of her image big time. This solution is in no way accessible to ordinary mortals.

Greta amplifies the problem that is at the heart of climate change. Politicians, companies, organizations, all are fully exploiting the climate change card to improve their image. Meanwhile, there are few concrete and applicable solutions for ordinary people.

I cannot wait to see the number of journalists who will be at the airport on the day of her return flight…”

Bambi read the news from Montreal this evening in both languages:

English:

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/nuns-pray-that-leaders-truly-tackle-climate-change-1.4574145

French:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/09/01/des-religieuses-canadiennes-pressent-les-politiciens-a-agir-pour-le-climat

Bambi had wished that our English-speaking and French-speaking Catholic nuns would have come together to denouncing child abuse cases by some priests around the world.  

Instead, they chose to go public for other reasons, promoting divestment from fossil fuels, the forthcoming UN climate meeting, and the Paris Accord.

How odd Bambi finds. In her mind, nuns usually pray and do good deeds from time to time. Not politics or economics usually (she is saying this whilst also being concerned about the quality of our environment and the impact of changing/warming climate conditions).

The only good part of their call to action was perhaps seeing them sharing some actions which they take for the sake of the environment. For this, we do not need to look as far as congregations in Québec or elsewhere in Canada. Across her street, Bambi can see her conscious neighborhood equipped with solar systems and with energy-efficient ideas. This is likely the good influence of some genuine environmental local initiatives that she salutes.

Bambi was made particularly curious by the last paragraph of the French article above (in which there is a video to the news from the TVA channel). She had the idea of searching the net about the pope. This is how she googled the website of the Communist party of Québec (whose former leader, Mr. André Parizeau, is now running in the federal election with the Bloc Québécois). She discovered an interesting post about the communist ideology of the Pope signed by Mr. Parizeau himself (http://www.pcq.qc.ca/Dossiers//Autres/Archives/page_article.php?article_id=2625), entitled “Even the Pope calls for the fight against capitalism”.

In the text by Mr. Parizeau, we can read the following (translated) paragraph: “… In a gesture that contrasts with all his predecessors, the new Pope Francis has outright called on the peoples of the world to mobilize and unite to fight against capitalism and to work for the establishment of a new world order, which is no longer based on the constant search for more profits by some, against others; but rather based on the search for the common good.”

To come back to the article/video in the Journal of Montreal, signed jointly by the “Agence QMI et Agence France-Presse”, it is written: “…. François salutes the young activists of the climate cause, saying that they deserve concrete action rather than “neglected commitments for partisan interests and convenience”. The pope added that all eyes should be on the UN climate summit scheduled for September 23, calling on governments to “significantly accelerate action” to contain global warming, in line with the Paris Agreement of 2015. “May God (…) give us the courage to do good without waiting for others to start, without waiting until it is too late,” he pleaded”.

Interesting all this. No clue what it means precisely. In her mind, all this Paris Accord matter seems to be a globalist form of communism.  

It reminds her of an interesting article written by Dr. Bruce Pardy, a Professor of Law at Queen’s University, in the Financial Post in May, 2018  (https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/let-the-paris-climate-deal-die-it-was-never-good-for-anything-anyway). The article is worth reading as food for thought. Perhaps today more than ever. It is entitled: “Let the Paris climate deal die. It was never good for anything, anyway. Opinion: Paris is a climate fairy tale. It has always been more about money and politics than the environment”.

Without being an expert in environmental studies or economics, Bambi can appreciate the intelligent piece by Dr. Pardy.

She is sure the Holy Father is well-meaning, so are the nuns for sure. However, we must think with our rational brains and not our idealistic ideology. Communism has not worked. History has demonstrated it. Why is it still so appealing in 2019?

As a conclusion to this post, Bambi would like to borrow Professor Pardy’s own words: “If human action is not causing the climate to change, Paris is irrelevant. If it is, then Paris is an obstacle to actual solutions. If there is a crisis, it will be solved when someone develops a low-carbon energy source as useful and cheap as fossil fuels. A transition will then occur without government interventions and international declarations. Until then, Paris will fix nothing. It serves interests that have little to do with atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases”.

Bambi would like to comment on an article entitled “Un homme qui a des couilles” (A man with balls… and, no, the content of this post is not sexual ?). This article is signed by journalist, Ms. Sophie Durocher (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/08/30/un-homme-qui-a-des-couilles).

Ms. Sophie Durocher’s article focuses on parity (women vs. men) in arts and it starts as follows: “I just found my new hero. His name is Alberto Barbera and he is the director of the Venice Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. When he was criticized that there were only two movies produced by women of 21 movies in competition this year, he replied that he would have selected more movies made by women “had more women submitted good movies”. In other words, I do not care about your quotas, my only criterion is quality. Oh my God, I love this man who makes fun of political correctness!”.

Well, in arts, in politics, in businesses, and in other domains, quotas have been used as an instrument for the sake of justice. Some argue the latter is necessary to help rectify under-representation of a target group. In the example above, it is about gender inequity in artistic creation, namely movies. The underlying logic is that a system of gender parity quota would help ensure parity fast (a form of positive discrimination for the sake of equality of outcomes). But the question is: Is parity (always) a good idea, to begin with… and is it so at all costs? Why are we obsessed with the equality of outcomes when we know that each success journey is unique in itself? Why don’t we focus our energy more on the equality of opportunities rather? And, most importantly, what about quality or competence (= excellence, etc.)? Shouldn’t this be our concern number 1 before anything else in any competition: People’s sex or gender, colour or accent, place of birth or religion is not what is at stake here.

Bambi can of course understand that quotas in politics may be tempting to achieve a true representation of the population. The question that could beg itself then would be: Can’t we offer supportive conditions to women who have a potential for political success in order to encourage those of them who want to jump into politics? Wouldn’t this be enough to ensure a high calibre of politicians, whether they are women or men?

Do we really need to have an imposed (or self-imposed) parity to the point of perhaps sacrificing competence for the sake of that parity? At which point do we accept that a certain person X may be more competent than a person Y, even if Y would fill a quota or, even, a genuine concern for parity?

I will give a totally different example related to a system of forced quotas. In Beirut (Lebanon) where Bambi was born, there is a political quota system to fill positions in public service; this system is based on someone’s religion (the latter is most important grouping there). This religious-based tribal system is well disguised in the democracy that apparently seems to work there. From time to time, some would question this system or its unfairness (as there could be manipulation within it by this or that group). Indeed, history has shown that no one wins when one group tries to impose its power on the rest of the groups, regardless of the group in question. However, generally speaking, Lebanese power is well-divided; All the politicians seem to enjoy their piece of the cake of power.

To give a personal fictional example, had Bambi been a resident of Lebanon and interested in politics, she could never become neither the Speaker of the Parliament (held by a politician born in Sierra Leone because his Lebanese parents happen to be Shia Muslims), nor the Prime Minister (held by a politician who must be Sunni Muslim), nor the President of the Republic (a position held by a politician who must be Christian-Roman Catholic, precisely “Maronite”). Bambi can only be nominated as an Ambassador or hold a Ministry usually held by Christian-Greek Orthodox politicians. Do you get the idea?

In relation to gender and not religion per se, it seems that perhaps the most prestigious public service position in the country is held by a woman (bravo!): Interior Minister. In the past, the Head of the General Security has been a very competent woman (now retired). However, despite this, the vast majority of politicians are men. Despite many advances, the country is still characterized by patriarchy and by an apparently modern form of the religious tribalism mentioned above (yet as democratic as the country can be). Let’s not also forget that Lebanon still has its internal and external challenges (related to heavily armed powers in the country itself and in the neighbourhood).

Bambi wonders: Do we want Canada to become like Lebanon where a forced system of quotas was implemented to keep everyone happy and avoid strife? Is this the ideal that we aspire for?

Related to the topic of gender parity quotas, Bambi recalls how last year, it was decided by the media (I believe in the UK’s BBC) that a quota would be imposed to ensure more female experts on TV panels. She remembers having thought to herself: Why? Isn’t this determined by the area of expertise usually rather than the person’s sex? Knowing this, she would wonder to herself the next time she sees a panel of women whether they have been chosen for their expertise or just to fill a quota? She personally finds this insulting, although other media professionals, would not understand her logic.

Same for any other topic like health-related ones. If Bambi needs an urgent surgery of some sort one day, she doubts that she will think of the sex/gender of the surgeon. She does not care if the surgeon is a man or a woman, a francophone or an anglophone or whatever else. All what she would care for would be competence (once again)!

Plus, if we apply this logic to all the domains, Bambi is afraid that we would end up with a mediocre society where the standards of competence are lower.

To come back to Mr. Alberto Barbera, she does not know much about him to decide if he is also her hero (like Ms. Durocher’s hero). Maybe he is not a sensitive man in real life. Who knows? However, he seems to be a courageous artist who did not hesitate to say enough of political correctness: In this edition of the competition, it turned out that the best movies were submitted by men. Live with it. Bambi feels like adding, perhaps next year, the outcome would be the exact opposite. Who knows?

To conclude, Bambi finds it reassuring to read those words of common sense from the current Venice Film Festival Director as well as from an accomplished female journalist from Québec, Canada. The excellence of the end product (whether it is a movie, a painting, or a written piece) should be the main concern/criterion in determining success. Hopefully not politics… and surely NOT (absurd) political correctness.

When Bambi first read this article in the Global News, (https://globalnews.ca/news/5809545/tareq-hadhad-ppc-billboard/), she had the reflex to clean her *middle-aged* eye glasses, as she likes to call them ?. She honestly thought the article was by the CBC, not the Global news. You will see why in the following paragraphs.

The article is entitled: ‘Very hurtful to see,’ Peace by Chocolate founder says of anti-immigration billboard in Halifax”. Note how this title omits the word “mass”. Do journalists or title writers think we are that stupid to be able to discern, whether we agree or disagree with the topic?

Mr. Hadhad has been here for 3 years only and he already speaks the language of the Canadian establishment (i.e., video from 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4nJwLBllDM ), except that he is funnier, Bambi has to admit ?.

In the article above, he even allows himself to get *triggered* like this new trend in our society (a real product of his Canadian or Western times); what an exemplary integration!

In the Ted Talk video above (from last year), I find it surprising how an Arab businessman (entrepreneur) seems to insinuate that earning money is a bad thing… So why is he in business then if it is not to earn a living, to begin with?

Yes, of course, for giving back to society and for being kind, just like people who have been kind to him and his family. This is a BEAUTIFUL message. Full of humanity. Bravo also for being grateful but no need to lose one’s soul in the process…

Mr. Hadhad comes from a country that is tragically torn between a dictatorial ruling party and extreme religious freaks. He also comes from a country that SADLY has seen its population being massively displaced (over 1.5-2 million in the neighbouring Lebanon).  

In Bambi’s humble opinion, he should know better about:

1.      The danger of censorship in society (regardless of the message, whether we agree with it or not).

2.      The challenges of *mass* immigration in the world to both the migrants themselves and overwhelmed host countries like Sweden or Germany where many of his fellow citizens relocated. Of course, and thank Goodness, Canada is not Germany; I agree with him that we do not have mass immigration. We are a cold country, we have oceans around and… whether we like it or not, we are somehow protected (for lack of better words) by the United States; Except when our Prime Minister invites people to illegally cross the border to our country (to distinguish himself from the vulgar Mr. Trump). We may not have mass migration (yet) but we are heading towards it, with 350K immigrants per year (instead of 150K or so) in the next 4 years.

Plus, not all our Syrian newcomers are as skilled/resourceful as him (bravo again for his chocolaty success!). MANY families are and may remain dependent on the Government for a living for years to come.

3.      Governments come and go (maybe not in Syria though)… but countries stay. My piece of free advice for him as an older immigrant (who has voted for the Liberal party almost all her life) would be to remember that countries are meant to stay. For that, we need smart policies, including a good immigration plan like what we had in the past.

To conclude this post, coming back to the billboard question, Bambi wonders the following:

Why did this company remove its billboards? Because a few people, including Mr. Hadhad, complained? Why is it that spineless?

Plus, who gets to decide what billboards to keep and what to remove? Certain ads may make sense to some people. Other billboards to other folks for different reasons.

Can’t we ignore those we dislike whilst driving or walking?

In a democratic country, all politicians should be able to express themselves on any issue, especially when it is as important as immigration. This is the essence of a free society.

It is up to us the citizens to decide for whom to vote…or not. We are smart enough to do so. We do not need censorship.

I thought I left censorship behind when I immigrated to Canada.

1. Bambi’s introduction:

As Bambi always did since her childhood, she reads ALL the news by ALL journalists to develop her own ideas about what is happening. She reads news analyses by authors she does not agree with, even before reading those she would agree with. This is what Bambi has learned to do during, and after, civil war in her birth country. This is what she will always do, especially in times of what seems like increased thought police, in our (supposedly still) free country. This is what allows her to build an understanding of matters or to challenge her own ideas.   

2. Mr. Richard Martineau’s story:

One Canadian journalist I happen to read sometimes is Mr. Richard Martineau from the Journal de Montréal. Yesterday, I read that some readers, likely *triggered* by one of his articles are now circulating a petition asking for his resignation. In other simpler terms: Censoring him.

Bambi will not get into the details of Mr. Martineau’s controversial article because this is not the point of this post. His paper is entitled “They speak in the name of whom?” and seems to focus on society’s relationship with identity groups/margins.

His paper starts with the following: They speak in the name of the people they are supposed to represent in as much as I speak for white heterosexual men of 58 years old in Verdun. You know why? Because “THE women” does not exist. There are only women (meaning no single type). Same for THE blacks, THE Muslims, THE old” («ils parlent autant au nom des gens qu’ils sont censés représenter que je parle au nom des hommes blancs hétérosexuels de 58 ans nés à Verdun. Savez-vous pourquoi? Parce que LES femmes n’existent pas. Il y a seulement DES femmes. Idem pour LES Noirs, LES musulmans, LES vieux, etc…»). (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/08/18/ils-parlent-au-nom-de-qui).

Mr. Martineau’s article ends by telling the story of his gay friend who does not agree with the label that they wish to stick on him: LGBTQ+: “they want to put us all in the same basket. But, me, I am a man who have sex with men. I find talk of non-gendered or pansexual people ridiculous. Their struggle is not mine. How can we defend diversity when speaking in one voice?” («on nous met tous dans le même panier. Or, moi, je suis un homme qui couche avec des hommes. Les affaires de personnes non genrées ou pansexuelles, je trouve ça ridicule. Leur combat n’est pas le mien. Comment peut-on défendre la diversité en parlant d’une même voix?»).

Why are we trying to silence Mr. Martineau? Why can’t people accept that people have the right to their opinion, even if it differs from theirs? People are free to (fully?) agree or disagree with society’s “orthodoxies”. Why can’t we accept that some people (like the journalist’s gay friend) do not recognize themselves in defined groups?

I will give a different example to illustrate my point. Sometimes, Bambi is being asked if she is “Christian Lebanese” (many think she is Muslim because she is Arab). She sometimes replies: I am Lebanese. Yes, I happen to be Christian (although I could have been Muslim, Jewish or whatever else). Why? Because I refuse to see myself only through a spiritual lens or, worse, through a religious-based identity-lens. I have faith in my heart, but this is a personal matter. This is just one aspect of whom I am; it is no one’s business. I am Canadian period. I am Lebanese period. This is how I see myself. I also happen to be a Quebecer. I am also a proud New Brunswicker for over 11 years now (after having lived in/enjoyed Ontario too).

For me, a country is larger than us. It is above us all. As Gibran Khalil Gibran wrote in the Garden of the Prophet in 1934: “Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation“. This beautiful quote was meant for Lebanon. Sadly, it now applies to Canada more than ever… Extreme views on any issue, including multiculturalism, can easily become a dogma or political orthodoxy. This is especially the case if we do not allow ourselves to question this vision, which has merits up to a certain point. However, beyond that point, it may lend itself to a tragic reality like the one denounced by Gibran (in the Middle East, some identify with their religious fragments or *tribes* more than their country). This is a possible risk even in Canada or in any place (no one is immune), especially if we do not have a high enough opinion of our nation/civilization/ourselves anymore.  

To come back to Martineau’s article, and as well said by Bambi’s own sister, Ms. Roula Azar-Douglas who investigates equality between men and women. Please hang on to the rest of this post to get to know her ?: “Each woman is unique. Same for men, they are diverse too”.

3. Mr. Mathieu Bock-Côté:

As explained by Mr. Mathieu Bock-Côté (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/08/24/au-nom-de-la-tolerance), our society’s obsession with (group) identities can become illogical: What does a person with a black skin born in Cuba have in common with someone whose parents where raised in Congo? Why do we insist on putting people in groups? Why do we forget about the role of culture in all this?

Some insist on seeing one group as the marginalized or victims. Other see another group as the mean offenders… But who did not go trough adversity through his/her lifetime, in one way or in another, at one point or another? In her personal life, Bambi refuses to play the victim game. Bambi has too much dignity to play this game and hopefully enough compassion in order not to fall into the trap of becoming an abuser (power trip of some sort). Instead, Bambi prefers to either change or leave a situation or to modify her own mindset.  

In the case of censorship against Mr. Martineau (or against anyone else), the so-called fight for tolerance turned into an absurd intolerance, calling for a form of professional or public killing… ironically “in the name of tolerance”, like in the title of Mr. Bock-Côté’s article cited above. We may or we may not agree with a journalist. Why can’t we tolerate his/her different opinion?

One must add that Mr. Mathieu Bock-Côté knows what he is talking about. He has ironically published a book entitled the *Empire of the politically correct*. Because of that, we also tried to silence him a few months ago. Many public figures in Québec came to defend him, including other journalists (bravo) and even Mr. François Legault, the Premier of Québec. For me, it is particularly alarming when this suffocating political correctness is also being observed in a province/culture where citizens are known to be more direct in their communication style (than the rest of Canada). Quebecers usually speak their mind and allow others to do so.

4. Mr. Steve Fortin:

Related to Martineau’s saga, I enjoyed reading an article by his colleague Mr. Steve Fortin, denouncing this censorship. Mr. Fortin often does not agree with Mr. Martineau. Yet, he defended his right to freedom of expression (https://www.journaldequebec.com/2019/08/21/les-censeurs). I think of Mr. Fortin even more highly now. In Bambi’s humble opinion, this is how it is supposed to be in a so-called free country. Everyone has the right to the expression of his/her opinion. This is the least. We should all refuse to see others being silenced in front of our eyes.

5. Ms. Roula Azar-Douglas’ wisdom:

As promised above, I would like to introduce now some wise words by Roula Azar-Douglas, Bambi’s own sister (I hope you are still reading to discover her ?). Azar-Douglas is a journalist, writer, and a researcher (she is a PhD candidate in Human Sciences, namely in Information Sciences). She was recently interviewed in Lebanon and what a clever interview (the questions as well as the deep yet direct/simple answers)! The interviewer is a journalist (Ms. Hasna Bou Harfouche) who chose some excerpts from Azar-Douglas’ latest novel entitled “Le jour où le soleil ne s’est pas levé” (The day the sun did not rise). In this interview, Douglas shared her reflections on multiple identities and life/death issues.

Here is one of the citations from Azar-Douglas’s book chosen by the interviewer (the original French precedes Bambi’s free and hopefully not too bad translation):

«Chacun de nous est l’enfant de ses propres expériences, de son vécu, de cet avant que l’autre ne connait pas. Et il n’est pas toujours facile de se montrer à nu et de se débarrasser des carapaces construites au fil des années»     

Original quote by Roula Azar-Douglas

Each one of us is the child of his/her experiences, of the lived experience, of this earlier past that the other does not know. And it is not always easy to get naked and to get rid of the (protective) shells built over the years.

My translation, Roula Azar-Douglas

The interviewer’s last question to Roula Azar-Douglas was: “As a researcher on the equality between men and women, what is your message to the oriental [she means Middle Eastern] man and woman”?

Azar-Douglas replied as follows:

“This is a tough question because when I think of the oriental woman, I wonder who she is? There is no single type of an oriental woman. I am an oriental woman. You (pointing to the journalist) are an oriental woman. All the women who are watching us are oriental, whether they are married or single, with children or not, veiled or not. So, with our diversity all of us as oriental women, I will try to find a message for this group of women who are different from one another. This message would be what my life experiences have taught me. It would be perhaps in contradiction with what we have been taught as children, that loving oneself is selfish (versus being altruistic). I will tell the oriental woman to love herself. Loving oneself is the first step to be able to love the other. Loving oneself is the first step to defend our rights or to get our rights. I will tell all these ladies, with all their diversity, even including those who do not agree with me on some topics: Love yourself and work on your own convictions to get what you want.

To the oriental men who are also diverse, I will give a joint message to men and women. Again, this is not a lesson because I do not have any answer. I am a human being who think about matters and try to offer pieces of answers here and there. I will tell him or tell them all work on your critical thinking. Do not have pre-prepared answers to issues or circumstances in the country. Do not take for granted what someone else has told about how things should be. Think for yourself, according to your rational thinking and convictions, using your own brains”.

Azar-Douglas also talked about the important economic role of women in society, etc. (here is the entire interview in Arabic: http://bit.do/e5x4B).

Roula Azar-Douglas’ published two beautiful novels (the first one, entitled «Chez nous c’était le silence» addressed the issue of domestic violence and the last one is a tragic yet beautiful story about death/dying, which is filled with life, love, and hope. This latter novel is now a finalist in a French-competition called Prix Hors Concours. It was recently chosen, among international books, to be taught to students in French high schools that participate in in the Prix Hors Concours competition (comparative literature).

Roula, to you as my sister, Bambi will allow herself now to insert a personal note here: I so much enjoyed beginning my day watching your interview. Bambi is proud of her eldest sister, “ma grande”, as I like to tease you ?. I miss you and I miss Rania, my other talented sister. Yes, I may be biased by family love… but I know how to recognize talent, even in closer ones.

6. Bambi’s conclusion:

Bambi admires Roula Azar-Douglas’ talent in reaching out to BOTH women and men. No wonder why she is highly respected by all, nationally and internationally.

She lives in a society where patriarchy (truly still) exists, despite Lebanon’s modernity in many ways (this is why when I hear the word patriarchy in Canada, I smile to myself ?).

Sadly, she is also geographically not that far from where there is a *real* “rape culture”, a term also still widely used by many Canadian contemporary feminists. I am referring to ISIS practices in Syria or Iraq… Mind you, there are also executions committed against gay people in countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan. Where are our Canadian activists, including those readers who ganged up against Mr. Martineau, to also defend their rights to life!?

Despite all this, Roula Azar-Douglas is a courageous and smart journalist/activist. She has depth, nuance, and subtlety in all the languages she communicates in. She is a feminist in the true sense.

She advocates for women’s rights without putting men down or turning them off. On the contrary, she extends hands, building bridges and friendly allies in a genuine way.

In Bambi’s mind, most men only want the best for their daughters, sisters, mothers, spouses, friends, etc. They aspire for a just equality too, in their own ways.

Together, everyone can make the world a better place for all!