JOHN KERRY SPEAKS FRENCH - SO DID WE, BUT IT MADE NO DIFFERENCE TO BIGOTS

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September 7, 2013

 

Renee Edwardh

Surprising to hear Joh Kerry speak a perfect French on RDI. He was educated all over the world even in Montreal... http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry

 

Phyllis Carter

Renee, When I was a child my working class parents were proud to speak French. My father worked, so he learned to speak French from customers and he spoke it well. My mother, a homemaker learned to speak French from tradesmen, the milkman, the fruit pedlar.

 

Even though we, as Jews, were ill treated by some Francophone neighbours, for the most part, we got along. Those around us on Colonial and St. Dominique in Montreal were very poor people.

 

In comparison we were "rich". The fathers of the French kids could always be found in the tavern down the street. My dad who worked in a dress factory brought home his pay envelope and my mother doled out the money in little piles - this to pay rent, this for food, school books, shoes.

 

We were "rich" because my parents were wise and ethical and sober. Our wealth was in education, work, family, tradition, the Jewish religion. And we thought it was really nice to be able to speak French - as the classy folks did in Paree. No one tried to force it down our throats back then. They just didn't want us to be there at all.