I live in Japan where I signed a one-year contract at an international school. Every day I revel in what makes Japan unique: the thanks coming from the electronic checkout in supermarkets that ring in my ears like a song, the shops and cafes for dogs that always make me smile, the dishes colorful sushi and fish tartars, the great courtesy of customer service, the calmness of public transport, the cleanliness of public spaces, the disinterested benevolence of passers-by who help me in the street when I am lost and even what is written in Japanese on the milk cartons. In short, the Japanese language, Japanese culture, Japanese identity.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
I also observe, from afar, the Quebec election campaign. I read the comments on social networks and I see this exponential enthusiasm for the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, grow. Many agree that Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon’s ideas are solid and that he communicates them with aplomb, dignity and authenticity. But, there is a but… He is the leader of a party that is still associated with identity withdrawal and a revengeful old guard nostalgic for a bygone Quebec.
We are elsewhere, they say. The era is one of openness and inclusion, it seems. We are citizens of the world, we mutter. We find Paul St-Pierre Plamondon really good, but he would be so much better off if he let go of his “identity obsession”, that is to say the safeguarding of French and of our cultural uniqueness in North America.
Why shouldn’t Quebec, like other nations, also value its culture and identity? Self-denial is not a guarantee of openness to others.
In addition, asserting one’s identity, without complex or ostentation, is not synonymous with turning in on oneself.
Stepping aside to make room for the other is neither unifying nor generous. It’s dull and unattractive and even a little piss-so. The best way to attract and include those who want to participate in our national destiny is to celebrate who we are and to highlight what makes us unique. To be a citizen of the world, you must first be yourself. We need not be ashamed of who we are or cover ourselves with opprobrium because we want to preserve our linguistic and cultural heritage.
Release me with the identity withdrawal!