Nicknames of Quebec premiers
A peculiar custom of Quebecers is to give nicknames to their politicians (and some personalities), quite especially their Premiers. Those of Premiers are often affectionate but little noble (unless noted in the following list).
Nicknames of Quebec Premiers
- Jean Charest (2003- ): Charest gained numerous nicknames, partly during the massive popular opposition to his government.
- Patapouf or Patapouf Premier ("Patapouf the First").
- The name was rumoured to be a nickname given by Charest's wife, something he denied. It became popular from the derision campaign of Destituons Patapouf!, an operation of disgruntled citizens who spread a petition from 2003 to 2004 to have Charest recalled, not unlike California governor Gray Davis. The word is an archetypal name for a clown in Quebec French. Patapouf Premier is a sarcastic variant that paints Charest as a farcical, despotic monarch. It is used mockingly.
- Le Frisé ("Curly").
- Referring to his famous curls, relatively long for curly hair. It is negative. A humorous, mocking song from irony rocker Mononc' Serge, about the man, is entitled "Le Frisé".
- Le p'tit Saint-Jean-Baptiste ("Lil' Saint John the Baptist").
Similar surnames
Possible explanations
A plausible reason for the custom of Quebecers belittling the very leaders they choose may be the complex of the colonized (an inferiority complex of a dominated people) that some thinkers say they harbour. When these surnames are reviewed, it can be striking how often, as with other Quebec expressions, the word "little" (petit or p'tit) and other humbling references appear. Another more positive explanation might be a simple sign of the humility of the people of Quebec.
