Supercharts
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2002
- Messages
- 1,182
"Usual riots" ?
Eh?
In France are there "Usual riots"?
What is "usual" in terms of public opinion in France?
Are there "Usual riots"?
As an "American" I understand "Usual Stoppages and Strikes" in France.
But "Usual riots"?
OK - Theo leaving the Red Sox dominated the Boston Globe and the nomination of Alito to SCOTUS and the "Usual" rip-off of taxpayers dollars with the "Big Pit".
But "Usual riots" in France?
Must have been buried on page A26 in the local rag.
Is Chirac in trouble? Did the grape harvest fail? Did a realization that Sonoma and Aussie wines are superior finally make it into the psyche of the average French citizen? Is the Government of France actually asking people to work for a living? Beyond 32 hours/week?
Personally, I blame the Brits for all that is wrong in EURO-Land. Any future King who married his Grandmother is an indication that their influence has corrupted all of Western Europe.
Thank God for the Scots! Now's your chance!!! Take it all over! We will send Dentists to help you!
Eh?
In France are there "Usual riots"?
What is "usual" in terms of public opinion in France?
Are there "Usual riots"?
As an "American" I understand "Usual Stoppages and Strikes" in France.
But "Usual riots"?
OK - Theo leaving the Red Sox dominated the Boston Globe and the nomination of Alito to SCOTUS and the "Usual" rip-off of taxpayers dollars with the "Big Pit".
But "Usual riots" in France?
Must have been buried on page A26 in the local rag.
Is Chirac in trouble? Did the grape harvest fail? Did a realization that Sonoma and Aussie wines are superior finally make it into the psyche of the average French citizen? Is the Government of France actually asking people to work for a living? Beyond 32 hours/week?
Personally, I blame the Brits for all that is wrong in EURO-Land. Any future King who married his Grandmother is an indication that their influence has corrupted all of Western Europe.
Thank God for the Scots! Now's your chance!!! Take it all over! We will send Dentists to help you!
Bjorn
Off Topic
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2002
- Messages
- 2,968
You're welcome. Although Texans ....
Flo
Illuminator
If only it was that simple ...
Mycroft
High Priest of Ed
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2003
- Messages
- 20,501
I think if your relative were to crawl into a power transformer and suffer a terrible mortal accident, that it should result in week long riots.
Flo
Illuminator
Sarkozy is interior minister for the second time. For the second time, he's announcing all kinds of spectacular, but obviously impossible and irrelevant measures (the latest is voting rights for immigrants from non EU countries), to solve all and every kinds of problems, all the while slashing funds for any project other than repression, blaming victims (like expelling poor families from their dwellings, following this summer fires in Parisian slums that killed dozens of black residents), using inflammatory rhetorics ("vermins" in the suburbs that he was going to clean with a Kärcher, and where he would return despite the fact that everybody advised against it), and generally making a lots of things up (fake "direct" interviews and anti-terrorist interventions, for example) in order to appear on TV.
He's certainly not the only nor the first to have a bad influence on the situation, but he's certainly the most skilled I've seen in a long while
Now that I've seen this morning news and heard Sarkozy and Villepin's declarations, I'm even ready for more ...
Different problems, different populations.
Flo
Illuminator
The building has been described as a power transformer or a distribution station. It didn't look like anything special and in the dark the kids might not necessarily have seen what it was or warnings.
Anyway, this incident has only been a spark to the riots. It could have been anything else. The problem is that there's been too many cases of young men dying while fleeing the police after minor offences (or no offence at all), and the police has been almost systematically covered by the government, inquiries have been botched, the victims, and the local population, systematically vilified, etc.
BTW, I'm not saying the police is dealing with pure innocent angels ...
Bjorn
Off Topic
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- 2,968
Sorry, my comment was to this:
Somehow it sounded like stupid people being electrocuted was OK with the poster. It vaguely reminded me about another time ...
Flo
Illuminator
Usual is maybe a tad strong, but there is indeed a big problem of recurring violences (car burnings, fights, stoning police and firefighters) in the suburbs of some cities (mostly Strasbourg, Paris, Lille). It is widely believed that the police has a good idea of who is masterminding that but has no precise instructions to arrest them and that some of the "riots" is aimed at the trash TV audience ...
You bet ! He's running the risk of seeing Sarkozy elected president in 2007, thus ending up in court for his indiscretions when he was Paris mayor, for a start ...
Should the Sonoma and Aussie wines actually become superior to our wines, that wouldn't be enough for riots. It'd take at least a total ban on drinking
What our government is asking isn't relevant: we would only start rebelling should it have the means to enforce its will
Flo
Illuminator
Just to add that by blaming the French government actions, I don't intend to excuse rioters in any way.
Nick Bogaerts
Muse
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Messages
- 617
'Usual' was perhaps a tad strong, but there is unfortunately nothing new or surprising with these riots, which tend to recur every year or couple of years on a larger or smaller scale. It is 'habitual' in the same sense that Birmingham was 'habitual' for British riots.
Often, that depends on the alternative.
Well, France isn't exactly Syria.
That being said, I did google 'french police brutality' and it looks like Amnesty Int'l feels that the police in France can be a bit - heavy handed. I'll have to look into it more. That being said, the police are denying that they were chasing the kids.
Bjorn said:
Why yes, that's exactly what I mean! Let's just kill all the people with mental disabilities! Then we can get started on people in wheel chairs. And of course, you know I would like your relative to be first in line! Boy, eugenics is fun!
While you're at it, why don't you start a letter writing campaign to the people who run the Darwin Awards, and accuse them of promoting nazi ideologies as well?
Orwell said:
Hey, I do dangerously stupid things all the time. I'm currently in a cast and in physio, as a result, actually. And you know what? I'm the first person to say 'Damn, that was stupid'. And if I killed myself while doing something stupid, I would fully expect someone else to point out that I was being a complete idiot at the time. Not to go out and start riots.
Yeah, that would suck, if Thor were to rain down his mighty thunderbolts and smite people. Although, given that we live in a primarily Judeo Christian society, I don't think Jehovah uses lightning bolts - so maybe we could imagine people getting torn apart by bears when they say things that are judgemental.
But that's kind of a downer. Let's imagine happy things instead!
Like, imagine if I had a horse with wings! That would be rad! Not only could I ride, but I could fly down to Florida when it got really cold. Think of the money it would save on airfare! Not to mention the fossil fuels! It would be a revolution!
Or, imagine if I could be invisible. Man, would that be a riot! I could totally spy on people! And sneak into banks and stuff. I'd never have to work again! Or imagine if I could shapeshift! Damn, that would be fun! Like Mystique off of X-men!
Wow, imagining things is fun, Orwell.
Then they were really lucky. It doesn't make it any less of a dumb thing to do. Now, granted, I have no idea how old they were. But by the time you hit 12, you should probably have figured this sort of stuff out.
Young men who are discriminated against and have no jobs or job prospects riot. It happen in the US in the 60s. It happened in Britain in the 90s. I am not excusing the police, nor the rioter nor anyone else. I am just saying that when excessively large number of young men feel hopeless and useless, it is a tinderbox waiting to catch fire.
It was going to happen sooner or later. It will happen again unless something is done about youth unemployment. France needs to solve this problem to prevent riots. France should solve this problem even if riots were not an issue. Young people deserve jobs as much (perhaps more) as older people and union members.
There are lots of rich countries without this problem. The French need to look at Britain, the US and the Scandinavian countries and find a solution or else they will continue to decline and the youth will riot.
CBL
NoZed Avenger
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2002
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- 11,286
Orwell said:
Apparently it is only funny if a Christian is electrocuted.
http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46783
Funny, I didn't see either my name or Bjorn's on that thread...
Alphaba
Optical Allusion
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
- Messages
- 767
The death of the two adolescents (aged 15 and 17) was immediatly followed by sporadic acts of protest but what did infuriate the youngsters and spark off the riots was Sarkozy's denial that police was running after the boys, at a time when reports of wittnesses saying the contrary were aired on TV. It is thus the perceived gross partiality of the Interior Minister that considerably raised anger - wether he was right or not remains to be determined precisely, and that's the problem: given the context, the very existence of contradictory reports should have led him to remain more cautious with his initial statements.Jas said:
Actually the three youngsters who entered the power transformer enclosure stayed safe in it during half an hour; until one of them, who did survive, came up to the 20,000 volts transformer. How they did manage to enter the enclosure still is a matter of astonishment: they got over a wall 3 m high with barbed wire at its top.geni said:
[derail]
There's a drawback with complete invisibility that is too often forgotten: as invisibility generally means being fully transparent to light, a fully invisible man is completely blind (his photoreceptors being transparent, they no longer are of any use). This somehow reduces the ability and fun to spy on people...Jas said:
[/derail]
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Flo
Illuminator
and unfortunately (but unsurprisingly), the mere idea of cautiousness has obviously still not entered his tiny head ...
NoZed Avenger
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2002
- Messages
- 11,286
Mention was not aimed at you or Bjorn.