Whoo! 2,009 post! (AKA: What is French? Debate)

[Weltall]

Myself, like many other Canadians, are not in favour of assimilation. Comparing the Confederates to the French is ridiculous... Confederate States seceded because they wanted to keep slavery laws, the French want(ed) to secede to retain their culture. Back in grade 6 and 7, I found it odd that America's only official language was English. It's a nation just like Canada, in that it was populated from immigrants of other nations all over the world. Plus it's ten times larger, they must have at least three or four official languages. Such was not the case, and then I found out what assimilation was, and since then I have never understood it. How come every person has to be the same, why can't there be any room for diversity? Canada is a very diverse country, and we allow each and every citizen to retain their culture. For this, we are not hated by the whole world and murders and racism in our fair land are very, very low. We also have the best health care in the world, and our quality of life is one of the best. Canada is respected globally as a peacekeeping force (even though such forces are killed by our own allies) and is the best country in the world to live in. But I'd trade that in in a second to live in a nation where people are forced to give up their culture, are hated globally, and where murders and racism is much, much too high. Then I'd only have to bide my time until somebody ran a plane through a Toronto skyscraper, and I'd be living in a "real" country.

Good explanation as to why America is close-minded about other nations, btw. Being a superpower is the perfect reason to be unilateral.

I made the little Canadian patriot pissy!

See, assimilation works. We're a large, rich, successful nation. We know what we're doing. Everyone loves Canada because they aren't much of a factor in world affairs. Canada is everyone's favorite little brother. Even we love you guys (though, we pick on you because that's what big brothers do). Meanwhile, we do the dirty work, and some people hate us for that. Tough titty on them. There are very few nations out there that can claim that a good deal of their prosperity has little to do with America.

And having large-scale diversity is rarely a good thing, especially when the diverse peoples have issues with each other. Having one culture ensures stability and unity. If you're going to abandon your homeland to come to a better place, it's an empty gesture to retain your culture to such an extent that you refuse to embrace that of the place you immigrate to.

Now, your views on the differences between the Quebecois and the Confederates is quite skewed. Living in what was once the capital of the Confederacy, you easily learn the other side of the tale. The issue of slavery was the primary issue that forced the division of the union, but the Confederacy viewed it as both a federal intrusion on state's rights and as an overt assault on their culture (after all, slavery was a huge factor in the economy of the southern states). Whether or not they were right in that assertion is moot now because they lost the war (I personally agree with them in the matter of states' rights but I disagree with their methods, and the south DID start the war), but their reasons were nothing so simple as merely preserving the institution of slavery. They felt that the United States Constitution allowed for states to secede from the union if the Federal Government overstepped it's boundaries and usurped rights from individual states. In the mere letter of the law, they were right (although the government never actually DID this until some time after the war, it was inevitable).

Also, the north and the south had a definite culture gap. The north was a nation of laborers living mostly in and around factory and commercial cities. The south was controlled by an aristocracy of sorts. It was more agricultural and, in their view, much more refined and sophisticated. They really were two different cultures, and it was this cultural difference that really made the secession popular. Almost all the men who bore arms for Richmond were too poor to ever think about owning a slave. They were not fighting for that reason alone (though many of them were adamant that the black man stay in his place). They were fighting for their states and what they considered their culture. Robert E. Lee, unquestionably the finest general who fought in the war, chose to lead the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia instead of the Federal Army of the Potomac for the solitary reason that his home state, Virginia, joined the Confederacy. Had Virginia not seceded, he would have certainly led the Northern armies (and the war would have undoubtedly ended much sooner).

Now, I don't know the deep meaning behind the Quebecois push for independence, but I can't imagine it is any more valid than the CSA's reasoning.