From the Washington Post:
PARIS, Nov. 7 — France’s national police chief warned Monday that a “shock wave is spreading across the country” as rioting intensified in cities throughout France during an 11th night of violence. Officials from neighboring countries expressed concern that the unrest could leap across international borders.
Gangs of young men burned 1,408 cars and trucks in dozens of cities across France, national police chief Michel Gaudin said at a news conference Monday.
News media the world over have chosen their words very carefully, but Mark Steyn is decidedly (and typically) unreconstructed:
As Thursday’s edition of the Guardian reported in London: ”French youths fired at police and burned over 300 cars last night as towns around Paris experienced their worst night of violence in a week of urban unrest.”
”French youths,” huh? You mean Pierre and Jacques and Marcel and Alphonse? Granted that most of the “youths” are technically citizens of the French Republic, it doesn’t take much time in les banlieus of Paris to discover that the rioters do not think of their primary identity as ”French”: They’re young men from North Africa growing ever more estranged from the broader community with each passing year and wedded ever more intensely to an assertive Muslim identity more implacable than anything you’re likely to find in the Middle East. After four somnolent years, it turns out finally that there really is an explosive ”Arab street,” but it’s in Clichy-sous-Bois.
Meanwhile, the must-read article of the day is found in the Wall Street Journal‘s Op-Ed page, written by flown Brit Theodore Dalyrymple:
No one should gloat over riots in other countries, since such Schadenfreude is usually soon punished by riots nearer home. After what happened recently in New Orleans or in Birmingham, who would dare to assert that what is happening in the suburbs of Paris could never happen chez les Anglo-Saxons? But at the very least, the events in the suburbs of Paris should puncture French complacency that they have developed a model of society vastly superior and more humane to that of supposedly savage economic liberalism.
Dalyrmple tends to see the crisis through a chiefly economic lens, with ethnic and cultural second order effects. I rather think of the issue as systematic, cutting across all of the continent’s social strata even as the violence metastasizes to other French cities and to Denmark (although, interestingly, you’d struggle to find witness for the latter in the major English news outlets). But this is deeper than just economics, I believe.
Because while this is partly an issue of social policy – stuff poor people in high rise enclaves anywhere apart from society at large, and pay them just enough dole money to ensure perpetual misery if you will – but then don’t pretend to be surprised when they act, well: poorly. This is also to a greater degree reflective of the national social compact from whence policy takes flight.
If an immigrant moved to France seeking economic opportunity, he was welcome to remain culturally apart while working in his low-skill, low-wage job – even rudimentary training in French was not provided. Perhaps some day he would go home? On the other hand, he could, with his wife and children, choose to become French. All the way French. Muslim schoolgirls with head scarves need not apply. Significantly, there were no other choices. There are no words, for example, to parse out ethnicity among French citizens like as “Franco-Africaines” or “Asians-Francaises.”
French, or not French. C’est facile, non?
Here, it has always been different. People emigrated to America from Europe, as well as Africa, Asia, Central and South America, etc. We are at heart an immigrant nation, and while there was a dominant Anglo-Saxon culture for new arrivals to fall in upon, it was also a culture both receptive to and ultimately adaptive of other cultural influences, especially where those influences offered something better. These adaptations (African American-inspired jazz would become Rock ‘n Roll, e.g.) we would make our own and often send back to the Old Country. Where, just as often (think of the Beatles “British Invasion”) they were further refined and returned back to our shores.
But very little of that came back to us from France – they have ever been fearfully protective of the national culture, restricting how many English language movies might be shown, demanding linguistic purity, etc.
And even if America was never the “melting pot” of 19th Century enthusiasms, we have still become a kind of kaleidoscope from which it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate the component pieces from the greater whole. It makes little or no sense to try to determine someone’s “American-ness” by class, or culture, or ethnicity or even origin. You can be any combination of the above, and still be an authentic American to all but the most rabid xenophobe. Oh, and Pat Buchanan. The continental reverse is far less true.
I say this having lived in France, and loving, as anyone who has lived there must, the French style of living. Still, just because you can love France does not mean that she will love you back. Not unless you agree to conform to her expectations.
This, I think, is the whirlwind that France has sown. This is the whirlwind she is reaping.
Yes, the other side of assimilation is a society’s willingness to allow others to assimilate. And not only to allow them to assimiliate, but welcome the finer aspects of the newcomer’s culture (as in your example of music). I was stunned to read today that French elementary students are regularly evaluated and graded on their literally “French accent.”
And somehow in all of this I get a whiff of what is sometimes called “liberal condescension,” the idea that “we’ll take care of you because we’re compassionate people, but we really don’t expect much out of you. That’s why we’re helping you.” And they are so stunned to find that creates anger in some classes of people! I could tell my own story, but won’t. However, I’ll mention that some of the most degrading (and anger-inducing) experiences of my life involved people metaphorically patting me on the head and wanting to “help” me. Needless to say, I told them what to they could go do with themselves, and promptly exceeded their expectations.
Cap’n,
It seems that the French are getting hits from both ends. James Lewis has a very interesting essay at The American Thinker site. Mr. Lewis cites examples of how the French Intelligence and Foriegn Office may well be behind the Joseph Wilson/Valerie Plame affair. Quite the read.
France supported Saddam before, during and after OIF for reasons best understood by France. Now the country is experiencing Islamic Intifada within its borders. Given the French callousness towards non-French (see Algiers c1954, Vietnam c1958-1960), one can expect a brutal response. That the brigands are non-caucasiam and of lower social/economic strata, they are easy targets. Blood will spill onto the streets.
As you point out, assilmilation in France essentially means becomming French. Leave the old world behind, don’t look back. As FbL also points out, here in the US assilmilation means learning the language, following our laws and go make the best of your life. We tolerate other cultures, not denigrate them as France does.
Nor should we here in the US not take note. We have a huge immigrant population moving into the Southwest; an area many Mexicans believe is rightfully theirs. Our own troubles may be coming soon.
Neener neener neener! I’m more Officer than you are! Plllpppppt! Of course, that was my second attribute. For some reason, answering as an artilleryman made me a Combat Infantryman…
And that shoulda been on a different post, dangit. And my trackback is hosed, too.
That’s why your retirement check is gonna be biggern’ mine…
I agree with the idea that a marginalized portion of any society will fight back eventually. But in the case of the riots in France, what will be gained by firebombing cars and beating handicapped people on buses? THAT particular nightmare happened over the weekend. And in case anyone missed it yesterday, there has now been a fatality – a 61 year old man, trying to put out a fire that was set in his own trash can, in his own front yard; he was beaten so severely that he has died.
And what does this accomplish, except possibly reinforce the stereotypical perception of this group?
Kris,
My experience shows me that terrorists commit terror to sway public opinion towards the terrorist’s goal. Jihadis, in contrast, essentially go to war against heretics, unbelievers and/or secular society in general. What happened over the weekend fits neither model. Beating a 61 year old man to death sounds like more like a rampage killing (eg. ‘Wildings’)
As I understand the circumstances, the victim resided in public housing. One could speculate he was a immigrant himself just trying to make a living. Pehaps he was too assimilated into the secular French society for these young barbarians.
Whatever the reason, a gang of cowards beating a man to death is not rioting, not Jihad, not terror. It is merely murder. The French have a way of dealing with such scum.
re Buchanan- I thought Buchanan was right on today re “France’s Infitada” (LTCOL Peters coined that phrase in his article today):
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=10116
Not a fan of Buchanan’s all the time but historically he is often very correct and somewhat prescient.
re “American-ness”- What about “Born Fighting” and the Scotch-Irish influence? MacDonalds? Home Depot? Wal-Mart? Automobiles? Guns? Football? Come and ye shall be assimilated. Creating foriegn ghetto-islands in your own country is self-destructive (rhymes w/Gallic?). As you can see, I ain’t a big fan of multi-culturalism. On the other hand I enjoyed St. Tropez, love ethnic food and really enjoyed travelling the world. How can that be?
B2
SeniorD: you put into words my point, better than I did. What these thugs are doing isn’t going to further their “cause” or bring them the respect they feel they are entitled to. It’s only going to bring them pain and more marginalization. And in the end they will have accomplished nothing for themselves, or for their younger brothers and sisters.
Yes, what they are doing is assault & battery and murder. And I’m curious – what will the French do, since they can’t seem to bring it under control yet…
Kris,
Once things calm down, look for little 1 paragraph notices of certain individuals suddenly turning up TANGO UNIFORM in most ghastly ways.
B2, Our country has always had initial difficulty in accepting large scale immigration (note: Anti-Irish, Anti-Catholic and Anti-German uprisings of the 1800s). Ghettoes are the immigrants way of slowly adjusting to a horrifyingly free country while still staying close to one’s fellow countrymen. Eventuall, assimilation occurs, the ghettos disappear and life moves on. The model in France approves of ghettos if the people choose not to become fully French. Of course, even if they did, they would still be viewed as immigrants by ‘true Frenchmen’. As an example, whilst enjoying the hospitality of the French Naval Base at Toulon, a French sailor once told me:
“We French look down our noses at everyone. A Parisian, however, looks down their nose at us as well.”