Serious mistake on ebay.ca implies people who speak French aren't Canadian

[canadiandave10]

I am shocked at the ebay.ca  language selection to toggle to change from English and French, and vice-versa.  That itself isn't a problem but if you take a closer look, eBay has placed a Canadian flag beside "English" and a Quebec flag beside "Francais".  This is incredibly offensive and I'm surprised that such a large company as eBay could not realize how large of a mistake this is.  The implications are rather serious, implying that people who speak French must be from Quebec (which is not true), and that only people who speak English are Canadian, based on the flags that eBay has used.  This makes eBay look really bad and makes the company seems as if that they do not understand what it means to be Canadian.

[tobyshitzu]

Hardly anyone would have even noticed being virtually no one uses cafr.  Years ago after it started they had free listing promos if you put certain words in the title so it was easy to see all the listings that did it, and hardly anyone bothered too.  The idea with a free, uniquely searchable, subtitle was you could have an english and french title...Ive never seen a single listing do that.  Its used so little ebay abandoned doing anything with it and all these years after "mandatory catalog" categories they haven't made it possible to use the catalog on cafr

Of the tiny number of people that might have noticed it must be a very tine % of them that would have cared

[nuvistors]

I doubt there's anything politically correct about eBay providing a French language site.  They perceived there was a market.  They wouldn't do it if there wasn't money to be made.  They aren't a government department or a charity, so they have no obligation to cater to me or anyone else who happens to be bilingual.

I can forgive the "grave insult" (by the way, I don't consider it quite as serious as that).  What I can't forgive is the complete silence after quietly fixing it, hoping no one would notice.  I only expect some open corporate recognition of the lack of sensitivity. 

No need for anyone to apologize.

You are making a flag flap out of a molehill !

The flag was only showing the language as it does on hundreds of internet sites,

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[i*m-still-here]

I doubt there's anything politically correct about eBay providing a French language site. ......................................

...........................................

complete silence after quietly fixing it, hoping no one would notice.

It's the only reason I can see that justifies the site.

It can't be profitable and the only justification I can see is to cater to a few individuals who might be offended otherwise.

I'm pretty sure that only a handful in addition to those viewing your posts did notice this error since so few actually visit the site.

[rose-dee]

The flag was only showing the language as it does on hundreds of internet sites,

No, in fact this was the whole point of the objection, which you've missed completely in saying the above.  The Canadian Flag represented only the English language.  French speakers in this country are also Canadian, or so I thought.    

When the icons were put up the Canadian Flag was linked to the "English-language" site, the Fleur-de-Lys (the Québec symbol) to the French language site.  The issue was that people who speak French are Canadians (Canadian flag), and by extension, people in Québec who speak English are Canadian. 

Using the Canadian flag to signify English only implied that the Canadian site was the English one, the French site was something "other" than Canadian.  Obviously someone at eBay didn't stop to consider this at all, or that it might offend people who would like to think of themselves as bilingual or French-speaking Canadians. 

Having the Canadian flag for each site as it is now, with "English" beside one, and "français" beside the other is the right way to designate the two sites, and had eBay put a bit of thought into it to begin with, should have been a no-brainer.  All they had to do was look at any federal government website home page for a "how-to".

Yikes, I just can't see why this is so difficult to grasp, regardless of whether one believes it's a minor issue.  What the initial action by eBay and the reaction here has told me is that many people in this country still don't get it.  😞

[rose-dee]

It can't be profitable and the only justification I can see is to cater to a few individuals who might be offended otherwise.

EBay isn't a public service or a non-profit.  They don't have to answer to anyone for what sites they do and don't provide.  They go where the markets are, or where they think they can create a market. 

I doubt they'd keep an entire site going if there wasn't some prospect of making money from it. 

[nuvistors]

No, in fact this was the whole point of the objection, which you've missed completely in saying the above.  The Canadian Flag represented only the English language.  French speakers in this country are also Canadian, or so I thought.    

When the icons were put up the Canadian Flag was linked to the "English-language" site, the Fleur-de-Lys (the Québec symbol) to the French language site.  The issue was that people who speak French are Canadians (Canadian flag), and by extension, people in Québec who speak English are Canadian. 

Using the Canadian flag to signify English only implied that the Canadian site was the English one, the French site was something "other" than Canadian.  Obviously someone at eBay didn't stop to consider this at all, or that it might offend people who would like to think of themselves as bilingual or French-speaking Canadians. 

Having the Canadian flag for each site as it is now, with "English" beside one, and "français" beside the other is the right way to designate the two sites, and had eBay put a bit of thought into it to begin with, should have been a no-brainer.  All they had to do was look at any federal government website home page for a "how-to".

Yikes, I just can't see why this is so difficult to grasp, regardless of whether one believes it's a minor issue.  What the initial action by eBay and the reaction here has told me is that many people in this country still don't get it.  😞

We don't get  your silliness about nothing ?

Flags indicate the language  for the internet site.   It is very common and only very  insecure people could possibly be upset.

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[pjcdn2005]

Yikes, I just can't see why this is so difficult to grasp, regardless of whether one believes it's a minor issue.  What the initial action by eBay and the reaction here has told me is that many people in this country still don't get it. 

No offense but...why is it that others don't "get it"....Maybe it is you that doesn't get it? 

Just because you have a different reaction than others doesn't mean that they do not "get it" or that they are wrong in feeling how they do. You've expressed yourself clearly and I think that people understand what you are saying.I am guessing that many feel that the initial flag was wrong but do not necessarily agree on the degree of seriousness that you've given it. That's their right..just as it is your right to believe and feel how you do. Suggesting that there is only one "right" way of thinking on this subject is unlikely to convince anybody to change how they feel..

[my3dotties]

I am shocked at the ebay.ca  language selection to toggle to change from English and French, and vice-versa.  That itself isn't a problem but if you take a closer look, eBay has placed a Canadian flag beside "English" and a Quebec flag beside "Francais".  This is incredibly offensive and I'm surprised that such a large company as eBay could not realize how large of a mistake this is.  The implications are rather serious, implying that people who speak French must be from Quebec (which is not true), and that only people who speak English are Canadian, based on the flags that eBay has used.  This makes eBay look really bad and makes the company seems as if that they do not understand what it means to be Canadian.

The kanadian flag is also incredibly offensive to the majority first nations people of this land.

W1B-)

[wdunn5454]

I believe that this is most probably an effort on Ebay's part to be "politically sensitive" to those "French Canadians" who  insisted years ago, Upon being referred to as"French Canadians";

Insisting that French be the official language of Quebec. And that the flag be an indicator of the "difference between French Canadians and ALL other Canadians.

[theclassof1984]

You are shocked? Well, try living in Quebec for a spell and you just might think differently. Just curious as to why you are so upset about this? I suggest living in the real world before crying foul about politically correct nonsense from the comfort of your couch - which I am guessing is in Anglo Canada.