Riots
For the most part, the debate about what's been going on in France at night over the past two weeks has been played out in other spheres of influence, outside of the reach of the AntiC. This is where it belongs. Because the issues behind the riots in France have little to nothing to do with what the AntiC can manage to comment upon- they are internal, historical, economic and social discords that have been festering within the French system for decades.
They are not Islamism, corrupted socialism or welfare state problems, or karmic retribution for violating the American principled wisdom of the War on Terror. In America [and elsewhere] conservative minds have been manipulating the riots as a way of imposing their own value-system to them, without regard to any of the actual causes, frustrations, or aims of them.
Here's some examples of how an idiot develops the frameworks for understanding these riots.
France's history as a colonial power and its postcolonial issues are a huge part of the disconnect between these roving gangs and the societal establishment.
So instead go read Informed Comment. Juan Cole [an actual historian!] has written a great essay that illuminates much of this conflict, and how the moronic right has taken the simple, and worthless, path toward explanation.
The riots in France show two things for us to examine:
2) The first is that France's culture [which does, in fact, share many similarities with our own] has some serious problems. If you've ever been to France or taken at any length to the french, this is an evident issue. In the last presidential election, Chirac had a surprise run-off against anti-immigrant extremist Le Pen- this shift toward eliminationism has escalated the conflict greatly. But here's the trick: it's not immigration, per se, that have broken these populations of people. It is societal disenfranchisement, poverty, cultural disconnect, and other social issues. These are systemic problems for a large part.
Why should we care? Does this sound like any populations of youth in America? If Katrina exposed anything, it was that poverty is still a significant and hidden problem here. However, there are many areas where poverty, race, status, and opportunity have been stifled, and the youth have turned into cultures of rage and disconnect. If you think we don't have these problems brewing in American cities, you're incorrect. However, it's not Islam- it's culture.
2) It is in the interest of those ideologues who seek to manipulate and distort any reasonable examination of what's going on in Paris into their own framework. This works as another reason to justify any number of things for them: their hatred of the French, their hatred of Islam, their hatred of Africans, their hatred of cultural assimilation, of socialism, of multiculturalism [particularly strange, because this is exactly part of the problem France saught to "avoid-" by removing any "race" or "cultural" teachings, they attempted to sidestep conflict. If anything, we should learn that by having a nation ignore these things, it makes them much much worse].
They are not Islamism, corrupted socialism or welfare state problems, or karmic retribution for violating the American principled wisdom of the War on Terror. In America [and elsewhere] conservative minds have been manipulating the riots as a way of imposing their own value-system to them, without regard to any of the actual causes, frustrations, or aims of them.
Here's some examples of how an idiot develops the frameworks for understanding these riots.
France's history as a colonial power and its postcolonial issues are a huge part of the disconnect between these roving gangs and the societal establishment.
So instead go read Informed Comment. Juan Cole [an actual historian!] has written a great essay that illuminates much of this conflict, and how the moronic right has taken the simple, and worthless, path toward explanation.
The riots in France show two things for us to examine:
2) The first is that France's culture [which does, in fact, share many similarities with our own] has some serious problems. If you've ever been to France or taken at any length to the french, this is an evident issue. In the last presidential election, Chirac had a surprise run-off against anti-immigrant extremist Le Pen- this shift toward eliminationism has escalated the conflict greatly. But here's the trick: it's not immigration, per se, that have broken these populations of people. It is societal disenfranchisement, poverty, cultural disconnect, and other social issues. These are systemic problems for a large part.
Why should we care? Does this sound like any populations of youth in America? If Katrina exposed anything, it was that poverty is still a significant and hidden problem here. However, there are many areas where poverty, race, status, and opportunity have been stifled, and the youth have turned into cultures of rage and disconnect. If you think we don't have these problems brewing in American cities, you're incorrect. However, it's not Islam- it's culture.
2) It is in the interest of those ideologues who seek to manipulate and distort any reasonable examination of what's going on in Paris into their own framework. This works as another reason to justify any number of things for them: their hatred of the French, their hatred of Islam, their hatred of Africans, their hatred of cultural assimilation, of socialism, of multiculturalism [particularly strange, because this is exactly part of the problem France saught to "avoid-" by removing any "race" or "cultural" teachings, they attempted to sidestep conflict. If anything, we should learn that by having a nation ignore these things, it makes them much much worse].
posted by General Stan at 9:13 AM
1 Comments:
Ya, I think you're right. I think it'll surprise people to the extent that we have similarly disenfranchised youths in America. a core difference, of course, is that in America you at least have the "hope" of becoming baller or hip hopper. In france... not much going for you there...
good observations, and I think very appropriate.
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