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CHAZumaru 277th Post
Copper Customer
| "Re(2):To the French members" , posted Sat 5 Nov 07:22
I only read one weekly newspaper (Courrier International), and I am a bit late in the issues, sorry. I still haven't finished reading issues that were published in mid-october, so technically what happens now will only concern me next month.
But Google News tells me that some kids have been burning cars down for a week in the suburbs... Is that the trouble ? Are international news saying the whole country is in flames ?
Apparently it was just the classic thing, kids from suburbs get in trouble with the police and escape them, only to get killed in an awkwardly cartoonish way: usually ran over by a train, burnt in gasoline by mistake, or here apparently eletrocuted because they hid inside a power station... We don't have the brightest kids.
Then their friends get all nervous and accuse the police, then the other suburbs that are bored as hell start showing support and burn cars and crash stuff too, and then politician people and medias magically realize that life in the suburbs isn't nice and that violence and unemployment have been increasing for years and that oh shit it might be time to do something. That stuff always conveniently happens a few months prior to elections. Then calm will come back because kids will be a bit tired and the weather will be too cold to go on, then politicians will do impossible promises to get elected, then in five years some other kids will get killed stupidly and it'll start all over again. Usually no one but protesters and police forces get hurt.
If that's what was worrying you, thank you for your concern but in the case of Parisans it's no worry, really. It's part of the natural french social cycle of life. As Iggy and I demonstrated, it's so natural and predictable from the suburbs in wintertime that some of us Parisians didn't even have the slightest idea it was happening. I guess in our cases having a TV to watch news and political shows delightfully making their bread with the situation would have helped dramatically, but there were too many good theatrical releases recently to bother about the real world.
NOW IS TIME TO THE 68000 Z80 AND SH-2 HEART ON FIRE !!
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Iggy 7382th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(6):To the French members" , posted Sun 6 Nov 06:04
quote: I really need to stop reading National Review Online. Fuck objectivity. I mean, to hear them tell it, ya'll were being taken over by the Muslims.
I guess it's not the same in the US, but in France, that word "National" in the name of a news media reminds me of "National Hebdo", the extreme right garbage newspaper. Which is funny, because the riots have nothing to do with muslims or arabs or anybody beside the dwarf leader of the police forces, but the extreme right likes to say it's their fault nevertheless.
Also, our life here is not boring. Today, I was eating with a friend who walked by one of those 'hot' area yesterday, and she saw all the cars in the street she was walking in explode all at once. There was gunshots as well. It must have been real fun.
Hurrah Hurrah Apocalypse Extravaganza !
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Krzyzewski Man 1131th Post
Red Carpet Premium Member+
| "Re(7):To the French members" , posted Sun 6 Nov 06:55
quote: I guess it's not the same in the US, but in France, that word "National" in the name of a news media reminds me of "National Hebdo", the extreme right garbage newspaper.
Actually, that's pretty much how it is here too. I would say that maybe the American Spectator or Weekly Standard is more right-wing, but NR is definitely higher-profile. None of them are really as nigh-ironically bad as the Christian Science Monitor, though.
quote: Which is funny, because the riots have nothing to do with muslims or arabs or anybody beside the dwarf leader of the police forces, but the extreme right likes to say it's their fault nevertheless.
Yeah, figures.
quote: Also, our life here is not boring. Today, I was eating with a friend who walked by one of those 'hot' area yesterday, and she saw all the cars in the street she was walking in explode all at once. There was gunshots as well. It must have been real fun.
Oh, pshaw, our ghettos are ten times as horrifying. Ten times, I say!
quote: I am a Muslim and therefore a terrorist. Just because of my religion, I kill anyone that I see who is non-Moslem. All of the people in the world who believe in Islam are friggin' killers.
OH MY GOD BOMB THIS GUY
EMISSION
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Iggy 7385th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(6):Re(10):To the French members" , posted Mon 7 Nov 08:08:
quote: I'm going to extrapolate from this that this year's violence is even less dangerous than the usual level, and surprisingly so.
Seriously ? No, it's pretty serious. But because we live in Paris, we are not concerned with this ethnico-poverty problem. It's as simple and cruel as that. Chaz and I are white, we don't have to face problems with the police everytime we take the subway, we have jobs... We won't feel concerned until a car explodes before our very door (which is what happened to that friend I was talking about earlier).
On the other hand, this time, it's really, really serious. It's nearer to Paris than it ever was. Nobody cared when that shit happenned in Lyon or Strasbourg because these places are not Paris. If one of the car-burning kids manage to put the two braincells in his skull to work, they will notice that not so far away from his suburbs, Paris is waiting to be bombed. To make a car explode in a poor suburbs will only make the Dwarf happier and more powerful. "Oh, it's in the suburbs. Young punks.".
If they export their anger inside Paris, (and if possible, in a meaningful place, in the Dwarf's headquarters for example) then they will be saying something meaningful that will be heard even by the drones lobotomized by our first channel.
Hurrah Hurrah Apocalypse Extravaganza !
[this message was edited by Iggy on Mon 7 Nov 08:30] |
CHAZumaru 280th Post
Copper Customer
| "Re(7):Re(10):To the French members" , posted Mon 7 Nov 08:47:
Yeah, there definitely is something happening, since we start to see and hear people witnessing some fucked up shit. But as Iggy said, we are not necessarly the best witnesses of what's happening, and as I said, we also might not be the most suited people to tell you what's happening in our country (i.e. neither of us having access to television). I basically learned what was happening thanks to this topic.
Also, for a better understanding, the person Iggy is refering to as "the Dwarf" is Nicolas Sarkozy. He's our minister of... uh... he changes all the time. I guess he's Ministre de l'Interieur now, but it doesn't matter much since whatever his role is, he justs accaparates the attention and makes any problem his own.
[edit] But, for instance, it's nothing like the LA riots. No comparison.
NOW IS TIME TO THE 68000 Z80 AND SH-2 HEART ON FIRE !!
[this message was edited by CHAZumaru on Mon 7 Nov 08:53] |
Kikkoken 1027th Post
Red Carpet Premium Member
| "Re(6):Re(10):To the French members" , posted Mon 7 Nov 19:25
quote: Situation is surprisingly calm this side of France.
I'm going to extrapolate from this that this year's violence is even less dangerous than the usual level, and surprisingly so.
So, lawl at American news, as usual. Am i rite guyz?
Sorry what I said lacked clarity. I meant that here, in Strasbourg, the situation is far calmer then in the Parisian suburbs. Now, this is surprising as Strasbourg is notorious for the burning of cars that take place here on special occasions like boxing day. Now it seems it is no longer a geographic or temporal exclusive. Now, about Sarkozy, I'm the kind of person who'd give an arm & a leg just to be able to live in a secure, peaceful environment. So I'd rightly prostitute to Sarko and give him my vote if there was a guarantee that the situation would change. Now I doubt any existing politician in France can make it change. That's why sometimes I wish Sarkozy were Muslim 1) so that people would be less critical of his linguistic faux-pas and firmness 2) because a Muslim Sarko would have tremendous impact on our lil' savages, for obvious reasons.
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CHAZumaru 283th Post
Copper Customer
| "Re(10):Re(10):Re(10):To the French members" , posted Wed 9 Nov 10:15
quote: I heard that they forbid to go out. Is it true?
Is some of those inner cities (which are actually "outer cities" in France), mayors now have the right to decrete a curfew, and not allow minors to be out before 10PM or to stop all public transports by that time, etc. It's pretty dependant on the mayor's will, and most of the effects will be limited in practice, so right now it's more big words than real measures. We had our first death linked to the riots last night (an old guy that was apparently assaulted), so there's a bit more tension now.
quote: Also in the news they said that lately french media is not working properly before those incidents. Bigger ones always backing up goverment and misinforming public. So opposition thoughts cannot express themselves and their problems enough. I heard that was one of the factors cause this chaos. Is this true also?
Well, it depends. From a newspaper standpoint (or may I say, REAL journalism standpoint), it's complete bullshit. There has always been a major disinterest of the suburbs' issues, but this is not due to the major newspapers taking side with the state. French people are way too snarky for that. There has always been a strong opposition of thoughts between newspapers, depending on which side of the french politics is in command, and right now Left-minded newspaper Libération is delightfully taking advantage of the situation to attack the Right (which is in power). Actually, the only real "opposition thoughts" that are always repressed and maligned in mainstream newspapers are those of extremists such as rightwing nationalists, which are pratically banned from those medias since they don't have much support in the journalistic world.
However, when it comes to television, it's a bit different. State-owned channels are far from being the worst, actually.
The issue comes from TF1, the N°1 private european broadcaster which is owned by Bouygues - there's a good english wikipedia page about them telling what's wrong. Check the "Criticism" section. It's not an issue of being controlled by the state : TF1 is too powerful for that. It's closer to the Fox News / Bush Administration situation, althought not as flagrant and a bit more complex, since it's always a mind game between TF1 and the power in place to understand which is influencing which.
NOW IS TIME TO THE 68000 Z80 AND SH-2 HEART ON FIRE !!
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Mokona 328th Post
Bronze Customer
| "Re(10):Re(10):To the French members" , posted Thu 10 Nov 00:46
quote: Haha, come to Quebec, Iggy. We have all the advantages of America without the crap. Our politicians are also crooks, but it's not as bad as anywhere else anyway... .
I live in montreal ;p and Canada just *gasp* discovered their own CHIRAC with some CHRETIEN. - Scandale des commandites - which stole about 150$ millions from tax payers.
True, but Chretien was not the only one responsible (I can't believe nobody blames Martin... he was fucking finance minister, if he didn't know, he should have and is as responsible as any other... or at least he should admit that he's an incompetent piece of trash...) Also, Chretien was not Prime Minister anymore when the scandal errupted, which is a big difference with Chirac... Finally, the main things the Chirac is blamed for are stuff he did as Mayor of Paris, not as President of the Republic, so it's a different league IMO (I'm not trying to defend him, I do think he's a crook... it's just conversation!)
Blah!
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