Language key to culture other band IF WE had a few more Shawn Davises 2 lot of things might change for the better. He’s the man who com- plained to North Van City Council about commercial signs being in Farsi (Persian) only. _. He thought something should be done about it, moat that we are still sup- to be an English- peaking society. The place at annoyed him is on West 15th, near Lonsdale. But after he had spoken up it - now posts a bit of English -along with the Farsi. : ¢ Davis view is that signs in forei ign ve mean Q - only are “exclusive,” mean- - .Ling that the rest of us are. “shut out of the picture. ~ <’ . ¢ He has not tied to make “a case.for “English only.” " That would get him branded ° as a racist, even thou; ugh it: has always been OK . © «Quebec to be racist, As we all know, Quebec has its language police. And. « What should. immigrant criteria be? until recently English was outlawed on public and commercial signs. Even now, businesses must give French greater prominence than English. Here in B.C., Davis has the public behind him. He spent an hour on talk radio and only one caller objected to his position. What set him of P “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he told me. I didn’t ask him to define the camel’s back and don’t want to put words in his mouth. But I would bet my boots he’s fed to the teeth with “multiculturalism” and all its works and objects to becoming a stranger in his own land. He’s not alone. That’s why there has been so much interest in the story. Needless to say, Rafe Mair had a fit. The Horse That Talks jabbered away at a great rate about how deplorable Davis’ move was. He then launched a rant about me; I am told: No’ doubt he believes it is my ’ sinister. writings that cause ~ such things to happen. -It would be OK with him > if English were replaced by Farsi, Hindi, Gujarati, Cantonese, or Pidgin. But what else can you expect, considering the source? (More later on him. Pm _ waiting for a tape of his coming even as he criticizes the opening of an immigration office in a culturally dissimilar place like Punjab. Pray tell, Doug, what Canada’s criteria should be for new immigrants? Should Canada admit only . those who are culturally : British? How cbout French? £. Or maybe. little more selec- ‘tive, _Do we need ¢ to exclude some . Deir Editor: ; “After_a period of rematk- able. restraint : verging on -boredom,: the Sikh’ temple dncidents have. - ° finally .unleashed a Doug Collins arti- “rele in his Sir! style (Jan. 19. News). I find, though, that Dong i is still not entirely forth- eonly from England? ple_ who live in England ut _aren’t ‘really English’ or ’ British in culture, e.g., ‘those ‘who live around ‘Brixton?. I know some Indians and Chinese people who are cul- _turally “more British than the British.” May they apply? ‘Or should we, by principie; be selective by British genéalo- gy? Maybe..a little -bit less — Bective on British genealogy ‘Hathex seller: “LETTERS to the editor must be legible (preferably type- written) and include your name, full address and telephone spumber. Submissions can be faxed to 985-2104. Plant Now Available, broadcast and am working up 2 head of steam.) Davis is not only con- cerned about North Van. Signs in other languages are sprouting up all over the place, he told me. That will not be news to readers of this space. Last year I drove through parts of Vancouver with the late Pat Burns and we wondered whether we were in China, Hong Kong, Korea or India. Davis mentioned the sign situation in Richmond, the worst case of all. But there it’s not just a matter of signs. Richmondites were out- raged when it became known that whites were being turned away in the job market because they don’t speak Cantonese. There’s more on the lan- guage scene, so II! throw it in now. There is a movement afoot to have Farsi taught in North Van and elsewhere in the Lower Mainland. Pamphlets have been dis- tributed on the North Shore requesting Iranian parents signatures to that effect. I have had them translated. They read, in part: “The Farsi language is our national and cultural identity. “With the support of a recently ciected North Vancouver School Trustee and a group of B.C. MLAs as long as European? Trish Republicans? How .about Serbia and Bosnia? Are they - European enough? So what is it Canada should be after? Acceptable’ genealogy, or behavior, appearance? Or a combina- tion? If Doug would answer these questions, we can have some real insight into what there is a proposal that Farsi be taught as a second Jan- guage in schools and high schools...”. Why? Don’t they speak their own language : at home? Besides which, aren’t they now supposed. to be Canadians? What’s with this “national identity” stuf? And why should we pay for that? Meanwhile, Davis says that if this minority language pressure continues, we shall end up with a hundred dif- ferent cultures, none of which wiil be able te com- municate with the others. Exactly. But that’s OK with politically correct fat- heads like Mair and with Chretien & Co., plus those unnamed “MLAs”. It’s only the public that objects, and the public doesn’t count. Davis is making a second submission to council. But if it tried to do anything about it, it would soon have the rights maniacs on its neck. Nothing will alter our lunacies until a massive pub- lic revolz takes place. The Davis move is a step in the right direction. % North Shore News believes stron mBly i in freedom of speech and the right of all sides in a debate to be heard. The columnists published in the News present differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of the newspaper itself. he’s promoting. And maybe we'can see a real test on the freedom ‘of speech that the North Shore News trumpets. Come on, Doug, don’t wimp out! > I.remain, Doug’s faithful Aa (though not necessarily Warren Yau West Vancouver istr2859@fox.nstn m.ca TO SATISFY DEMANDS FOR OVERDUE PAYMENTS: Assets of longest established PERSIAN © High Quality Carpets of Silk & Wool e Authentic Styles e » Over 100 pieces to be auctioned | Location: Masonic Hall 1763 Believue, Deficix-Saxelby aInsurance Services inc. 105-200 West Esplanade North Vancouver (Located beneath Femous Players Theatre) West Vancouver 1 pm Sharp - Public viewing from 12 noon B Partial List: Masterweaves, Silk Prayer Rugs, Double Wool Bokharas, High Quality Chinese, Aubusson, Tribal Chichakto, Baluchies, Dhurry, — Mehravan, Moud, Authentic Persian Mashad, Tabriz, Heriz ... F 12’x18". 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