Post by Souriquois on Aug 23, 2019 10:05:16 GMT -4
Interesting article:
www.smithsonianmag.com/history/french-canadian-immigrants-struck-fear-into-new-england-communities-180972951/
I knew a little bit about this since I heard about it from family stories as well as local folk songs from my region. Many people in my old community went to Boston looking for work (both legal and illegal work... yeah, some of us were criminals down there). This is why there is an affinity for Boston among Acadians (many Acadians are Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, and/or New England Patriots fans for this reason).
I didn’t know the history from an American perspective. The rhetoric against French-Canadians, however, sounds A LOT like the rhetoric from the American hard right about Mexicans... right down to “sneaking across the border”.
The New England and Midwest states also used to be part of French Canada (New England part of Acadia, Midwest part of Quebec) just like the Southwest belonged to Mexico... wonder if there were like “reconquista” fears too lol.
Just shows that the same fears and talking points and recycled from time to time.
And now lol... French-Canadians are practically taking over Florida, and Floridians seem not to mind. I guess it’s because we are considered “white” now, but probably also because a lot of these French-Canadians are retirees who have money and spend it (oh boy, do they ever spend it) at local businesses down there. And I guess they do go back to Canada in the summer, for the most part... we don’t want to pay for health care if we don’t have to, so many French-Canadian residents of Florida will go home periodically so that the Canadian government doesn’t revoke their access to public health care.
Even though the criminal element remains, and is arguably much worse... Little Quebec in Florida is sketchy as hell. They call them the “gangsters with no mouths” because they are so good at hiding their dirt. And the crime is more of a white collar nature (fraud, real estate scams, money laundering, etc) these days... though there have been people tortured and murdered in well, gruesome ways. These aren’t the petty criminals and bootleggers/drug dealers who came to the US in the 19th century. This type of crime is much more dangerous and destructive IMO.
Well I guess a poutine, râpure, or tourtière stand on ever corner would be just as delicious as a taco truck on every corner. Mexicans seem to love our food, there are French-Canadian restaurants and food stands doing quite well in Mexico (something which surprised me, but I think it’s cool that they enjoy a piece of our culture).
www.smithsonianmag.com/history/french-canadian-immigrants-struck-fear-into-new-england-communities-180972951/
I knew a little bit about this since I heard about it from family stories as well as local folk songs from my region. Many people in my old community went to Boston looking for work (both legal and illegal work... yeah, some of us were criminals down there). This is why there is an affinity for Boston among Acadians (many Acadians are Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, and/or New England Patriots fans for this reason).
I didn’t know the history from an American perspective. The rhetoric against French-Canadians, however, sounds A LOT like the rhetoric from the American hard right about Mexicans... right down to “sneaking across the border”.
The New England and Midwest states also used to be part of French Canada (New England part of Acadia, Midwest part of Quebec) just like the Southwest belonged to Mexico... wonder if there were like “reconquista” fears too lol.
Just shows that the same fears and talking points and recycled from time to time.
And now lol... French-Canadians are practically taking over Florida, and Floridians seem not to mind. I guess it’s because we are considered “white” now, but probably also because a lot of these French-Canadians are retirees who have money and spend it (oh boy, do they ever spend it) at local businesses down there. And I guess they do go back to Canada in the summer, for the most part... we don’t want to pay for health care if we don’t have to, so many French-Canadian residents of Florida will go home periodically so that the Canadian government doesn’t revoke their access to public health care.
Even though the criminal element remains, and is arguably much worse... Little Quebec in Florida is sketchy as hell. They call them the “gangsters with no mouths” because they are so good at hiding their dirt. And the crime is more of a white collar nature (fraud, real estate scams, money laundering, etc) these days... though there have been people tortured and murdered in well, gruesome ways. These aren’t the petty criminals and bootleggers/drug dealers who came to the US in the 19th century. This type of crime is much more dangerous and destructive IMO.
Well I guess a poutine, râpure, or tourtière stand on ever corner would be just as delicious as a taco truck on every corner. Mexicans seem to love our food, there are French-Canadian restaurants and food stands doing quite well in Mexico (something which surprised me, but I think it’s cool that they enjoy a piece of our culture).