Letters to the Editor

ON 'OUI, ON PEUT'

I have been sitting quietly watching matters unfold regarding the “Oui, On Peut” video even after the election (“All for a Song,” Jan. 21). Why some people are so upset doesn’t make sense to me.

I understand some Cajuns feel that because the video was made in Cajun French that somehow the Obama video spoke for all Cajun French speakers. This is utter nonsense.

If Boudreaux does a TV commercial supporting Thibodeaux for office and he speaks in French, do we assume all French speakers also support Thibodeaux? Of course not. Why would anyone assume that all French-speaking Cajuns support Obama just because a small group of Cajun and Creole musicians made a video in French?

Are we to use Cajun French to promote something or someone only when all Cajuns agree on it? How about English? Should we only use English in political speech when all English speakers approve?

We must also keep in mind even Cajun French is protected by our Constitutional guarantees of free speech.