Why Is Paris Burning?
France has always evinced great scorn for the manner in which other countries went about their business. The French are superior, to their way of thinking, to any other country. Their culture, their worldwide success in the culinary arts, the art of the couturier, that of their world-famous artists, writers, philosophers, scientists. On that score and many others they have reason to be proud, for they have indeed gifted the world with much that is valuable. The noble aspirations of the French Revolution helped pave the way in other countries following their lead to help make the world a better place for the downtrodden.Yet Paris is burning. This country which prided itself on its homogeneity of purpose, its securalist governance, its fabled tolerance for 'the others', made an especial national virtue of equality. Leaving aside France's colonial history, where historically it behaved no better than that of its neighbours, the citizens of France embraced the idea of fraternity, equality and liberty. After all, those are highly celebrated, very civilized virtues. Alas, humans being so severely limited by their dire inability to behave in an even-handed, even-tempered state of tolerance at all times, stamped failure on the enterprise.
France welcomed immigrants from Algeria and Africa to compensate for a falling birthrate and a need for workers to take the jobs that white Frenchmen refused; the blue collar, low paying jobs which were quite simply beneath the Frenchman. Although France loves to speak about its inclusiveness, its assimilationist ethos, it simply plays lip service to the ideal. French workers, thanks to their powerful unions and their hard-won gains, are plump with the luxury of assured jobs at assured salaries, with assured benefits and assured holiday time not matched anywhere else on the Continent. But these are by their very nature and the nature of the society exclusionist positions which are held by white, middle-class, socially-assured French. None others need apply.
French labour laws ensure the continuation of these quaint and useful traditions. Despite the fact that fully ten percent of the population of France is comprised of immigrants with an unemployment rate far in excess of white France, no one among them is eager and willing to give up any small portion of their social, employable success to offer employment hope to the vast slum-dwelling immigrant populations. So these populations simmer in anger at the vision of two Frances; one for the French French, the other for the immigrant French, extending even to the children and grandchildren of immigrants, some of whom have achieved university degrees and who still cannot find meaningful work. Because the French consider those of immigrant stock to be less equal than they, and therefore less worthy.
Of course one social element we're overlooking is the undeniable fact that, as proven elsewhere also, not all immigrant communities are eager and willing to assimilate. Particularly Muslim communities. And, in any event, it's a fact of life that not every immigrant is a good candidate for fitting into the values and choices of their adopted countries, and such is certainly the case in an egalitarian society where a Muslim population is confronted with social mores which are culturally offensive to them. Such is also the case when Muslims are confronted with the reality of the presence of a cultural religious group with whom they share a common religious beginning but whom they also abhore.
Jews have lived in France for millennia. And, alas, it is also true that France too has a long history of sly anti-Semitism; not overt, but it is certainly there and history documents it fulsomely. Yet apart from the fact of their religion French Jews are undeniably French and proud of it. These long-time residents and citizens of France have, particularly in the last few years with the growth of the population of Muslim immigrants, faced increasing incidents of brutal anti-Semitism. France claims that it values its Jewish community and the richness that it lends to French life and culture, and perhaps it does. But it has done too little, too late to eradicate the overt and violent anti-Semitism that the newer Muslim immigrants have brought with them, due perhaps partially to their overwhelming numbers. And that's another story of failure.
An Algerian paterfamilias complained publicly that the police are incapable of controlling the bitterly resentful Muslim youth. How could they, he claimed, since in his own family his 14-year-old son recently drew a knife on him? In contrast, a Vietnamese-French father complained about the lack of interest that Muslim parents display in the control of their children's behaviour. He pointed out that as the head of his family his children love and obey him, and he makes it his business to know what his children are doing, and where they are at all times. Absent responsibility in one instance, full responsibility in the other. Cultural differences?
Well, given the obvious fact that North African and Arab immigrants within France face such an uphill battle for recognition, for education, better living conditions, reasonable job offers, in short hope for the future, they certainly are at a disadvantage within the country at large. So they are, ipso facto, victims. Victims are resentful, they agitate, they speak bitterly among themselves of the disappointments they face. The young among them, likely unable to feel they are truly French, and certainly they feel little allegiance to citizenship in the countries of their parents' birth, are ripe for rebellion. In prison, where many wind up, on the street where Gangsta Rap becomes part of their culture, they're ripe pickings for visiting Jihadists.
Hey, victims are victims, right? They're easily forgiven for burning down schools, libraries, social centres, for trashing the very institutions set up to assist them. Shopping centres, subways, buses, vehicles of every description are fire-bombed. Fire fighters become targets on the job, trying to put out the insurgents-terrorists' fires. Police are mocked, the mob eludes them, slipping away through the dark alleyways they know so well. Islamist adults among the thongs of the young fire shotguns at the police. Anyone foolish enough to get in their way stands a good chance of being beaten senseless, sometimes to the point of death. These mobs are sufficiently 'educated' to be able to use communication tools of the 21st century to arrange their meeting places to sack and burn. All of this is all right, because, after all, they're only expressing themselves.
Hey, are you listening? These are your citizens of the future, France. You invited them in, gave them (however grudgingly) a place at your table. If you don't care for their manners, remember; they're your guests. Forbidding public displays signifiying one's religion didn't work, did it? Watcha gonna do now? Your neighbours are watching. Germany and Belgium are nervous, very nervous.
Get on with it, France.
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, November 10, 2005
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