April 3, 2006

SENSE FROM CANADA ABOUT FRANCE?

Would you hire this man? Let's see if we have this right: French kids are rioting because they can't have jobs for life? (Dominic Hilton, The Toronto Star, 4/2/06)

"French student power has an impressive record," the BBC drooled, gushing on about "the delicious sense of people power" as McDonald's gets trashed.

One young revolutionary was quoted as saying, "[This new fascist law the government is proposing] means that when I do get a job I will basically have to work as hard as I can to keep it!" (My emphasis, his accent)....

First, it's impossible to ignore the fact (though everyone seems to be doing it but me) that it's cool to protest, and that's why a lot of people, especially young people, do it (about anything). Every teenager knows how "It's not fair!" What they don't know is that, as Derek Jeter once wrote, "The World Is Not Always Fair." C'est la vie....

As for the violence part, well, let's face it, it's fun to lob flaming things at people you don't know, especially if your country refuses to go to war with anyone ever (even when it gets invaded) and, unlike, say, the United States, you rarely get the opportunity to formally lob flaming things at people you don't know. "I had nowhere to go but the streets!"

Ah. Dominic Hilton is a British freelance writer based in Philadelphia. He has just completed his first book, This Is The World.

Posted by David Cohen at April 3, 2006 12:59 PM
Comments

The French hate the Yankees, so they're certainly not listening to anything Derek Jeter says...

Posted by: John` at April 3, 2006 1:20 PM

Down with the fascist 5th Republic! Hail the 2nd Reign of Terror!

Posted by: Jayson at April 3, 2006 1:55 PM

"French student power has an impressive record"?

At what? For what?

If they actually attacked the rioters in the banlieues, then perhaps we would see their power.

Posted by: jim hamlen at April 3, 2006 3:12 PM

...unlike, say, the United States, you rarely get the opportunity to formally lob flaming things at people you don't know.

I've never lobbed a flaming thing at something in my life. I'm starting to think I'm missing out.

Posted by: Brandon at April 3, 2006 3:53 PM

an impressive odor maybe, but power isn't one of the things i associate with france.

Posted by: toe at April 3, 2006 6:53 PM

I have only lobbed flaming things at people I know. I am extremely lucky my parents never found out, but I still have the T-shirt with the hole burned through it from a lob that was a little too close.

Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at April 3, 2006 10:58 PM

I will basically have to work as hard as I can to keep it!

The horror!! The horror!!

Posted by: Robert Duquette at April 4, 2006 12:33 AM
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