Ça ne fait rien
Nice to see that Americans are just as good at condescendingly giving French people empty, platitudinous advice about how to improve their society as the French are to Americans.
7 Responses to “Ça ne fait rien”
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November 8th, 2005 at 6:06 pm
What do you expect from the daughter of Marshall Field (#4, I think)?
Seriously, though, at least she lives in France, as opposed to sniping from across the ocean.
November 8th, 2005 at 9:05 pm
The daughter of the Marshall Field that died in 1906? Really?
November 8th, 2005 at 10:31 pm
That’s why I said #4, as in Marshall Field IV.
November 9th, 2005 at 1:43 am
Ah, I thought you meant the fourth daughter, since you don’t usually use Arabic numbers in that context.
November 9th, 2005 at 9:59 pm
I am sure you can’t wait to hear my theory about the cause of the riots in France. I heard on NPR that the rioters were quiet today but were still laughing about the fun they had burning all those cars. I was at a national park recently when it came to me. There was a sign on a picnic table which I will paraphrase. “Giving fried chicken and watermelon rinds to bears is lethal. Never feed the bears. Why? Because bears given food cease to look for food in the wild and almost always become problem bears.� Or as Grandma said the devil finds work for idle hands.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:18 pm
More or less the theory elaborated here. For the record, I think it may be even simpler than that. After the U.S. and Britain, which have had problems with urban riots for some decades, France probably has the largest racial minority bloc in the Western world. Much like the ’60’s youth rebellion in the U.S., I think this violence is primarily a demographic fact. Poverty is no doubt an aggravating factor, but for all our bleating about the wonders of multi-culturalism I see no evidence that any society with a significant minority that for whatever reason does not fully identify itself with the host society (i.e. French rather than French-Arab, or American rather than African-American) will not experience significant inter-group conflict.
November 10th, 2005 at 12:30 pm
“ for all our bleating about the wonders of multi-culturalism I see no evidence that any society with a significant minority that for whatever reason does not fully identify itself with the host society-will not experience significant inter-group conflict.�
Agreed. As I understand it multiculturism is an attempt to preserve separateness and cultural identity of foreign groups while giving them immediate equality. Having a situation where thousands of able bodied youngsters don’t have to get up every morning and go to work or to school is untenable. Free food and housing is not enough. Mix this with fundamentalist Muslims and you have a disaster. Multiculturism is not an answer, though oddly affirmative action or some variant of it might help. Strangely, I don’t think the French have tried it.