October 25, 2006
IDLE HANDS ARE THE MULLAHS’ TOOLS
Joblessness, discrimination plague France a year after riots (Cecile Brisson, Ottawa Citizen, October 24th, 2006)
Any jobseeker in France’s down-and-out housing projects knows that if you want work, it’s better to be named Alain than Mohamed.Unemployment is still a major obstacle for French minorities a year after riots ravaged poor districts and exposed deep-rooted anger over racism and alienation.
Labour Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said in a recent interview that discrimination is “considerable,†especially against those of North African and African origin. He conceded that it will take years before government efforts to redress a failure to integrate its immigrants produce results.
“There are 40 years of failure to make up for,†he told Associated Press Television News. In rough neighbourhoods, he said, “We distribute rage instead of diplomas.â€
Joblessness in those areas is often more than double the countrywide level of nine per cent. Among men of Algerian origin, for example, unemployment is 23 per cent, according to the Inequality Observatory, an independent research group. Among disadvantaged youth, the figure soars to nearly 50 per cent.
As Mark Steyn quipped, it’s not easy to summon up a lot of or energy for jihad after putting in a long day at the auto repair shop or hospital emergency roon.
"it’s better to be named Alain than Mohamed." Of course it is. You simply don't know when Alain is going to punch your nose when he is mad, and don't know when Mohamed is going to slash your throat, or run you down with his car. I rather be punched by a craze Alain than have my throat slashed by a crazed Mohamed. Before accusing me of being a racist, please note that a mild manner Pakistani doctor stabbed his wife to death because his daughter has converted to Christianity, a Mohammadan ran a few UNC-Chapel Hill students down because he was mad,... Stereotyping, I am. But there is enough evidence that some Mohameds are time bombs, you just don't know which one. Why risk your life if you don't have to?
Posted by: ic at October 25, 2006 2:50 PMic
Yes and when they are a majority the wine will taste like goat p*ss. (like the beer already does)
Posted by: h-man at October 25, 2006 3:35 PMThis shows the pernicious knock-on effects of socialist economics.
Had France been well, more American, the unemployment rate would be so close to zero that jobs would be begging for people, no matter their surname.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at October 25, 2006 5:09 PMAt least our immigrants come to do work.
The Inequality Observatory? Wow! Couldn't make that up.
Posted by: jdkelly at October 25, 2006 5:44 PMWhen people don't have jobs, looking for something to give meaning to their lives, and are bored, then young men inevitably turn to violence. They could join the Nazis, communists, the local gang, jihad, or anything else. Not only does it keep them busy and hence too exhausted to do anything else, but working and having a future gives them a stake in the system so they have less incentive to burn it down.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at October 25, 2006 6:27 PMOr we could reimport that old Muslim tradition, slavery. Then they'll work, and they'll like it.
After all, it, along with generous bread and circuses for the masses, and except for the occasional Spartacus, worked great for the Romans for centuries. Surely we can do better than them.
But really, it's always better to be part of the dominant group than an outsider. The problem is that it's a European/Mediterranean/Middle East tradition to want to supplant the dominant group by force rather than using the available means and incentives to become coopted by (and your grandchildren part of) the dominant group. (That its also not a tradition to supply those means doesn't help, either.)
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at October 25, 2006 6:41 PMSpeaking of Mark Steyn...
I'm interviewing him tomorrow at 11:07 CST at www.wkrs.com
I'll send my copy of the book to anyone who calls from outside the state.
Posted by: Bruno at October 25, 2006 7:15 PMPerhaps the French should try midnight basketball.
Posted by: ratbert at October 25, 2006 9:06 PMIIRC correctly (not from personal experience, however!) when the Visigoths sacked Rome, the Visigoths themselves were only about 5% of the population of the empire at the time, and that included their women and children.