Black like who?

Scott C's reflections on Stéphane Alarie's "blackface" series in the Journal de Montréal were interesting (if a little outdated, seeing as the pieces in question ran last fall and have been largely forgotten) [Cover, "Race and black faces," March 4].

I cringed the first time I saw that original JdM cover. But I had the same reaction when Scott C rehashed the old stereotype about racist "pure-laine" Québécois.

The way to understand the Journal's series is to think about political correctness. I'd bet very few Mirror readers ever pick up the Journal de Montréal. But if they did, they'd find it's not unusual for their reporters and editors to include reference to a person's race in their copy, as in, "Monsieur Scott C, un homme de race noir," etc. I once read a Journal story where a landlord was described as "une juive."

Now this is unheard of in the anglo media. Why? Because the PC revolution that provoked a sea-change in the way most North Americans speak about each other in public never reached a certain slice of French Quebec: the same slice that makes up the JdM's readership. And it's obvious from Scott C's interview with Alarie that Alarie also falls into the category of white Québécois who don't see anything wrong with speaking frankly about someone's race.

All to say that, for better or for worse, one person's "racism" is another person's "unpolitically correct" and another person's "acceptable and informative."

I think this is more a question of presentation and political correctness than racism or trying to steal someone's voice and perspective.

» James Falkland

The members of the Ways and Means Committee at Fades Barber Shop all read your article on race and black faces. We all noticed that Stéphane Alaire admitted to Scott C that the project cost him thousands of dollars.

Well, everyone agrees that was a waste of money. If Alaire was sincere in wanting to find out if racism exists in Montreal, all he had to do was bring his pen and notebook to the barbershop and he would have heard stories on racism dating back to 1940.

Why didn't Alaire use the money to send young blacks to camps or buy memberships to the YMCA or rent a bus and take a group of black and white youth to Ottawa and Quebec City? But then he wouldn't have been interviewed 25 times. Or why didn't the newspaper where he works hire 10 students for the summer instead of supporting his exotic fantasy project? Because that's what it was.

We hope that Stéphane Alaire doesn't believe he achieved anything because racism is like cancer: lots of people don't believe they have it.

» Bob White

I'd like to be the first to applaud Scott C for his courageous investigative journalism. By disguising himself as a mentally retarded person, he was able to experience and expose the terrible discrimination these poor souls must everyday endure. That he wrote his article while still in character is further testament to his bravery and dedication.

» Jesse Brown

I have to admit that when I saw the cover of last week's Mirror, I was afraid. Very afraid. That cover got me to pick up your paper, convinced that I would be outraged by what was inside. The opposite was true. Not only would I like to congratulate Scott for a well-written article, he should be commended for even tackling the subject.

When journalist Stéphane Alarie's series began, I was uncomfortable, but was unable to fully express the reasons why. Scott's interpretation, along with comments from George Elliot Clarke, made me realize that I was not the only one who had a problem with the Journal de Montreal's series, and that there are others out there who were not among the "90 per cent of the blacks" who called to say thanks.

Bravo to Scott, and bravo to the Mirror for once again rising above Montreal's dailies.

» Allison Saunders

Gaytheist perspective

What is up with you people at the Mirror? Movies come and movies go. Some are good and some suck. There's lots of gratuitous shit being passed off as cool. Gratuitous sex and violence are just entertainment, to be sure, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see their effects over time - even you good folks at the Mirror have often given in to the wiz-bang sexy, violent and cheap. And then you go and let a Gaytheist like Mr. Hays review Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

Gimme a break puh-lease! That's like getting a poutine/McMac/bucket o' chickenshit to review the menu at a very classy resto, or some punk-assed/doohicky/pierced no-brainer to review a trendy new bar. Come-on, Mirror, do you take your readers to all be doofuses with tattooed numbskulls? Mr. Hay's POV is a valid one, but films like The Passion of the Christ don't happen every day. His POV is not appropriate here and neither was his dumb-assed review. Or maybe you think your readers are mostly gay, Jewish, Arab or whatever, and the few of us left have a little smattering of common sense and aren't worth considering? Get with the program, Mirror, intelligence is a very sexy ting, mon.

» Dim

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