NationStates Jolt Archive

COMMENTARY: An interesting little opinion piece about last October's riots and the French response to them.


The French Disconnection (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/opinion/08maier.html?th&emc=th)


By CORINNE MAIER
Published: January 8, 2006
Paris

WHAT'S going on over there?" my foreign friends have been asking me, concerned about the news coming from France. A justified worry: our impoverished suburbs, or banlieues, were the scene, starting on Oct. 27 and stretching into November, of an urban agitation that turned to a riot. There were thousands of burned cars, public buildings looted, confrontations with the police, a state of emergency that ended only on Wednesday. Paris and then the provinces were affected; we hadn't seen anything like these disturbances since the famous uprising of May 1968. What has happened to the picture-postcard Paris that was the setting for "Amélie"?

The experience has put all of France into a funk, even with the lifting of the state of emergency after New Year's passed relatively peacefully (cars were set afire, but not substantially more than in previous years). In truth, though, people, who - like me - live in the center of Paris, didn't really see that much; they watched the spectacle of the disorder on television. They discovered places they ordinarily wouldn't even be able to find on a map: ghettoes where France has relegated immigrants and their descendants, gloomy blocks that resemble bombed-out sections of Chechnya. They learned that high unemployment (close to 40 percent in some places), racism, drugs, disastrous urban policy and police brutality were making everything worse.

But no one has been truly astonished by the violence. "It was bound to happen," as my local bookseller, who lives in the suburbs, says. What surprised - and relieved - Parisians was that Paris proper was mostly spared: the Eiffel Tower is still there, the Arc de Triomphe hasn't budged, thank goodness.

The reality is that Paris and its "difficult" banlieues are two worlds that are completely foreign to each other. They don't even speak the same language: polished, accent-free French on one side, the verlan, or "reversed" speech, of the housing projects on the other. The suburbs are on fire? So? The Left Bank intellectuals didn't have much to do with these rioters without demands and without leaders.

Away from the banlieues, everything stayed calm, in contrast with the image of France portrayed in the foreign news media. "Paris Is Burning!" was a common headline; a major German newspaper predicted that the intifada was imminent. The Americans and the British covered the violence with as much avidity as some of them had denounced the French decision not to fight in Iraq; was France, they asked with glee, going to be forced to wage its own battle with Islam? We French expected a little more empathy considering the 1992 Los Angeles riots, when the authorities responded in force, and the city experienced curfews, 8,000 arrests, and scores of deaths.

In France, the death toll was almost nonexistent, perhaps because, as the saying goes, "Here, everything ends with songs" - that is, it all works out in the end. Still, an arsenal of repression was put in place. It has a rather unpleasant name, the state of emergency, established by a 1955 law that sought to restore order in French-controlled Algeria, racked by violence in the years before it won independence.

This legal parenthesis brought searches without warrants, curfews, restrictions on comings and goings. All in all, though, the authorities were prudent in the use of these extraordinary powers, even in the banlieues; to say that France suffered under the yoke of oppression during the state of emergency would be an exaggeration, and the French, fatalists for the most part, protested little.

Nonetheless, those few weeks of violence left us bitter. The riots were undoubtedly a reflection of French failure. Failure of the politicians, yes: Jacques Chirac, president since 1995, has been unable to reform society. But also failure of the "French model," which asserts that all inequalities, all differences, can be resolved in that shopworn religion called the Republic. Today all France, even the middle classes, suffers from a feeling that things won't get better, from an inability to make plans for the future. It's the big topic at dinner parties.

Fortunately, in Paris there is always something to do when one is feeling blue. Everyone in town has been talking about an exhibition at the Grand Palais consecrated to ... melancholy. Whether called melancholy, or ennui, depression or "spleen," this sensation was wonderfully defined by Victor Hugo as "the enjoyment of being sad." Welcome to Paris, city of melancholy. You have until Jan. 16 to visit the exhibition. Otherwise, you'll have to go to, well, the suburbs.

Corinne Maier is the author of "Bonjour, Laziness: Jumping Off the Corporate Ladder." This article was translated by The Times from the French.

Today all France, even the middle classes, suffers from a feeling that things won't get better, from an inability to make plans for the future. It's the big topic at dinner parties.


If I remember correctly, politicans were promising the lower class all sorts of funding and jobs directly after the riots. What happened there?

If I remember correctly, politicans were promising the lower class all sorts of funding and jobs directly after the riots. What happened there?
Damned if I know! Sounds kinda like political grandstanding to me. :headbang:

So... she says France is having problems, so lets go check out that art exhibit? Things suck, but there is always something else to do in Paris? Is this a typical French attitude? If we attend trendy public showings, eventually the problems will disappear?

If we attend trendy public showings, eventually the problems will disappear?

They will for an evening, at least.

So... she says France is having problems, so lets go check out that art exhibit? Things suck, but there is always something else to do in Paris? Is this a typical French attitude? If we attend trendy public showings, eventually the problems will disappear?
In all fairness to the froggies, these problems do not admit of easy or quick solutions. It takes a lot of courage to break with popular misconceptions and take creative new directions, and politicians are not noted for either their inovativeness or courage, regardless of what country we're discussing. :(

Its pretty obvious that over the next 50 years, the French will refuse to fight or reproduce and become just another suburb of an emerging Islamic Empire, the French Republic will be merely a footnote in its history. Oh well, if that's what they want, who am I to argue?

Its pretty obvious that over the next 50 years, the French will refuse to fight or reproduce and become just another suburb of an emerging Islamic Empire, the French Republic will be merely a footnote in its history. Oh well, if that's what they want, who am I to argue?

Who indeed?

Isn't it Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned?

Its pretty obvious that over the next 50 years, the French will refuse to fight or reproduce and become just another suburb of an emerging Islamic Empire, the French Republic will be merely a footnote in its history. Oh well, if that's what they want, who am I to argue?

If you stood up while typing the better blood flow to your thinking organ might well help prevent the production of doomsday nonsenical tripe such as I've quoted above. What happened in France is little different than what happened all over America in the 60's, and still breaks out now and again (the whole Rodney King business). It has nothing to do with an "Islamic Empire" but a great deal to do with the dispossessed urban poor, who happen to be largely muslim, in many areas.

Isn't it Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned?

Indeed. The title is an anology.

It's true what she says about the riots not being in Paris, though. People who live and work in the city, weren't any 'closer' to them than everyone else in the country watching burning cars on tv.
So it wasn't Paris that was burning, but the suburbian towns around it.

If I remember correctly, politicans were promising the lower class all sorts of funding and jobs directly after the riots. What happened there?
As far as I know they had managed to provide about half of the promised jobs so far.
.... I think that's about 70 or so jobs :rolleyes:

Nonetheless, those few weeks of violence left us bitter. The riots were undoubtedly a reflection of French failure. Failure of the politicians, yes: Jacques Chirac, president since 1995, has been unable to reform society. But also failure of the "French model," which asserts that all inequalities, all differences, can be resolved in that shopworn religion called the Republic. Today all France, even the middle classes, suffers from a feeling that things won't get better, from an inability to make plans for the future. It's the big topic at dinner parties.
America uses the same model as the French, seeking to unite its diverse peoples under the banner of patriotism.

America uses the same model as the French, seeking to unite its diverse peoples under the banner of patriotism.

It does it much better though, for some reason.

When you llok at France, you are looking at two countries, that of the Haves and the Have-Nots
The Haves are white, French, wealthy, and enjoy one of the best social models and cultures in the world (in my view)
The Have-Nots are poor, mostly recent immigrants or descended from recent immgrants, live in crapholes, and have no prospects and no future.
How can anybody be surprised that the riots have happened?

Indeed. The title is an anology.
Paraphrase. :p

America uses the same model as the French, seeking to unite its diverse peoples under the banner of patriotism.
No. It's called "The rule of law."

Paraphrase. :p

Damn it! Time to go back to the old english grammer books.

No. It's called "The rule of law."


I thought it was called "Baton the negro" on occassion......

The reasons for the riots are many.

The first reason is the social distress and suffering. In the "suburbs" ("banlieues") that exploded, the unemployment rate is very high, above 30% for some. Social suffering is daily. People live in the street, or at 10 in a 2-room flat. The kids can't afford the school restaurant and don't eat at lunch. Families take the remainings of the school restaurant in the trashcan to feed themselves. That's the situation of France suburbs today. 1.2 millions of persons are receiving the "RMI" (minimal income), which is barely enough to pay an housing - and nothing more.

How did we get there ? Since around 30 years, France is going away from its "social capitalism" policies towards more harsh liberalism. Sure, there were some exceptions. In 1981, the newly elected left-wing president, Miterrand, did some social reforms... but in 1983, he stepped back to neoliberal policies. The situation afterwards was an alternance of strong right-wing and weak, coward left-wing, which, except a tiny few of social measures (like creating the RMI) did mostly a modeate-right-wing policy. The coverage of the nationial health care is lower and lower, public schools are more and more lacking of money, the minimal wage is increased slower than inflation, ...

The results of those nearly 30 years of neoliberal policies are catastrophic: the gap between poors and richs is higher as ever, the profits are raising to record height (the profits of the CAC40, 40 biggest french companies, doubled in 2005 compared to 2004... while the number of people below the poverty level raised). Public services (health care, education, housing, transports, ...) are in a dreadful state, thanks to the reduction of funds caused by the tax cuts (in 2003, the gov did a nice tax cuts, 70% of it going to the 10% richests of the population) and insane stability pact.

But that's not all. In addition to that, you've the state of despair of the population. People are fed up of those policies, but don't see anyway to make them change. In 2004, the right-wing governement was defeated 3 times in local/european elections. What was the answer ? An even more to the right policy. In 2005, breaking with the voting appaty of previous elections (70% of the population voted), the people rejected strongly (by 55%) an "european constitution" which wanted to make neoliberal policy a constitutional choice. During the debate on that treaty, the will of the people for more social policies, for strong public services, was shown as never before. What was the answer ? Once again, new neoliberal reforms, more privatisations, more breaking of the working code, more disbanding of the public healthcare. The current situation of french people is the one of despair, and the one of being unheard by their governement.

But aside to that, there is no hope. French left is in a disatrous state. The main leftish party, the social-democrat "PS", supported the "european constitution". They did some neoliberal policies during the years they were in power. They made many promises, and never kept them. And they don't even have any program, any leader, any idea.

The third thing, is the daily suffering of those people based on their skin color/religion. Motivated by the will to take the voters for the fascist party (FN) in the 2007 elections, the right-wing is applying some of its idea. The police is constantly harrassing people who look "arab" or "black", asking their ID card 3 times per day, arresting them for a yes or no, always considering them inferior citizen, even if many, born in France, are french. But that's not all. The discrimination is also daily. While looking for a job, while looking for a flat, those french citizen are discriminated too.

So what do we have ? A population suffering form misery while they know that profits are as high as ever. A population suffering from hopelessness, with no forseeable political alternative. And a population constantly discriminated, by the "republic" itself.

And now what happened ? A minister (who is, in fact, the vice-price-minister), Nicolas Sarkozy, who provoke them daily, insulting them, treating them like dirtiness that must be cleaned. And then, those terrible events. Two teens who didn't do anything, but, afraid of the police because of this constant harrassing, were struck with panic when cops chased them. So paniced that they prefed to cross a "!! WARNING !! High voltage area. No trepassing. RISK OF DEATH." sign rather than leting the cops catch them. And they died because of that. And then, as if it were not enough, the police fired a teargas grenade... inisde a mosquee, during ramadan's prayer !

So, how to be surprised of those riots ? How can we be surprised, with all this suffering and hopelessness accumulated, and then those deadly sparks, that they burst out, in the only way they can ? Too much is too much.

Of couse, burning cars is no solution. Of course, it'll just make the right stronger. But hopelessness is not always smart and wise.

The failure is not the one of the "Republic". It's not the one of multiculturalism. It's not the one of the welfware state. It's the failure of neoliberalism, it's the failure of those who claim to be the "Republic" while doing the exact opposite of the republican ideal, it's the failure of the disbanding of the welfare state.

And it is also the failure of a weak, coward left, unable to stand for its own values, unable to change life, unable to fight capitalism, but merely adapting it. It's also the failure of the one prophetising the "end of history", the ultimate victory of capitalism, who created this hopelessness.

Well put Kilo.

Well I was in Aix and MontPellier and did not see bitterness. At least from the people I chatted while explorering around when I could. I didn't even get abused since I am a "stupid american" in fact most were interested in chatting and wanted to know what the average american thought about the war and our "great" leader.

One of our reps has a GF who is a cop. She deals with Drugs and gangs.

She says part of the problems with the Muslims is there are a batch of them they don't want to fit into French Society. They think France should be an Islamic state. They are the problem. She said there are other Muslims that are decent people and just want to enjoy life and make efforts to join soiciety. Sometimes people intermix the two.....

Oh, I forgot another important point: the grouping of poor people together, in ghettos.

There is a law, in France, stating that every city must have at least 20% of social housing, to prevent creating cities of rich and cities of poor. But the rich cities prefer to break this law, and pay a fine, than to allow poor people to come in their cities. The city of Neuilly, where Nicolas Sarkozy comes from, and where he was the mayor for a while (and a close friend of him is still mayor of it today), only has... less than 2% of social housings. He, who is so quick to call for "tolerance 0" and harsh penalty to anyone breaking whatever law, should first apply it to himself... and respect the law, or go to jail ;)

So it created cities of poor, and cities of rich. The poor cities, because most their inhabitant are poor, are unable to get much money from local taxes, and therefore unable to run the municipal services (like cleaning, or small children services). While the rich cities, with a lower tax rate, are able to gather much more money. A situation which was aggravated by the recent "decentralisation", that is, tranfer of power and charges from the state towards more local levels.

America uses the same model as the French, seeking to unite its diverse peoples under the banner of patriotism.

French patriotism is, or at least was, quite different from US one, and far from being as strong.

First, you'll never see a french puting a french flag on his window, or anything like that ;)

But then, french patriotism, at least a huge part of it, takes his roots into the French Revolution, when it was the struggle of the newborn Republic (well, at first, constitutional monarchy, but the king betrayed quickly) against european tyrans who wanted to crush the freedom. This is from when the blue-white-red flag comes, and from when the Marseillaise song comes (this doesn't prevent me from disliking this song, but well, it's another issue).

But unlike USA independance war, the French Revolution was inspired with universalism. French Revolution was inspired from Enlightenement, from the will to make everyone equal and free. Unlike USA, French Revolution did abolish slavery (the Convention did in 1793). Unlike USA, French Revolution proclaimed equality, and not just freedom. Those two are symptomatic of a very different ideology behind.

Then, during all the XIXest century, french "patriotrism" was firmly linked with the revolutionnary movement. In 1871, during the french-prussian war, the most "patriotic" were the ones who created the National Guard, which in turn revolted and proclaimed Paris' Commune... which motto was "long live the Universal Republic". This is a bit contradictory, but not very surprising. This form of french "patriotism" was not a patriotism based on "we are better than other" but on "we will not allow others to crush our ideal", it was a "patriotism" which was inspired by the will of creating an "universal republic", and, at the end, abolishing "nations". In fact, this "patriotism" was more a loyalty towards an ideal (Enlightement, French Revolution, Paris' Commune, ...) than to a "country" or a "nation".

Then, even during WW2, the major source of opposition to the Nazi invasion of France was not "classical" patriotism, people defending their country against invaders. Of course, some where like that. But the main, most active, resistance networks were runned and manned by the Communist Party, which fighted against the nazi over ideological, and not national, ground. That Manouchian (one of the most famous resistance leader, who was executed by the nazi) last words were: "Long live German Communist Party !" while they fired at him is very significant, even if anecdotic.

But then, there is a second kind of french "patriotism", the right-wing patriotism, more akin to the US patriotism. It's the kind of patriotism which prevailed during the colonial wars, where the "patriots" where fighting to keep the colonies under control, against the ideals which are the root of French Republic. This is "real" patriotism, the one which is put in front nowadays, by the FN and the right-wing (just look at the recent law forcing schools to teach pupils about the "positive aspects of colonisation"), and of course, this one clashes with people coming from those former colonies... even if born in France, and even if french.

The city of Neuilly, where Nicolas Sarkozy comes from, and where he was the mayor for a while (and a close friend of him is still mayor of it today), only has... less than 2% of social housings.
Yes! I know! And because they don't have enough social housing, and they claim they don't have enough space in their city to build more, they build their social housing in other cities. Like where I work now. So we'll have to move, they're going to tear down our building and put their stupid social housing there instead.
First, that was not the idea of social housing, they should build their houses within their city limits and second... i don't want to move for that reason!
[/side note rant]

For the French to agree with each other they need one thing: the threat of invasion from Germany. Its kept them together in the past, for the most part, so why can't it work now?

Damn it! Time to go back to the old english grammer books.

Grammar:p
Oh, and English:p :p

For the French to agree with each other they need one thing: the threat of invasion from Germany. Its kept them together in the past, for the most part, so why can't it work now?

Eh? Forget about doing something with the poverty and desperation among immigrants and instead convince everyone the Germans are on their way to kill them?

For the French to agree with each other they need one thing: the threat of invasion from Germany. Its kept them together in the past, for the most part, so why can't it work now?

It did not.

In 1791-93, while France was attacked by European monarchies wanted to crush the Revolution, the monarchists of Vendée created an army and tried to break the Revolution too (hopefully, they were defeated by the republican army).

In 1871, while France was half-way invaded by the prussian, a very crucial civil war occured. While the people of Paris revolted itself and decreted the Commune, trying to build a democratic communist society, the right-wing allied themselves with their former prussian foes in order to slaughter the Commune.

And in 1940-44, while France was occupied by Nazi germany, the major political parties voted the full powers to Pétain, who helped Hitler, while De Gaulle's Free French Forces continued the war from London, and while the democratic french (and mostly the communists) created the Resistance (which finally managed to kick the Nazi from Paris in 1944, before the US army arrived to Paris, allowing France to be considered a victorious of WW2, and not a loser ;) ).

Grammar:p
Oh, and English:p :p


Now that is embarrassing.

COMMENTARY: An interesting little opinion piece about last October's riots and the French response to them.

I have to wonder how this was so different then the L.A. riots and the many before and after them in the USA? But I guess people like to pick on the French and make general statements, I suppose it happens with most. France was the parental figure to the USA as they would of not achieved independence without them from the UK... and I suppose when your kid gets to be a teenager, they like to rebel. When they grow up, they tend to think their parents got smarter..lol When in fact it is them who did. Classic!

America uses the same model as the French, seeking to unite its diverse peoples under the banner of patriotism.
Actually, it uses a different model than the french. One only has to look at the difference between the revolutions to see this.