France Vs:
Four Teenage Girls
Part 2 in an ongoing "France Vs:" Series
The four French girls who started a fire in southern Paris on September 4, killing 18 people, have now expressed regret, but are "incapable of explaining" their motivations. Having started the fire in the Hay en Roses, a low-income housing project, the young ladies admit that they "didn't like" their target, dubbed "Jessica" by the authorities for her own safety. For her part, "Jessica" had no idea the arsonists felt any animosity towards her.
America is typically known for its violent teenagers, given the rash of school shootings around the country from 1997 to 2001, most notably at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO in April of 1999. It seems possible that France's continually escalating social tension and crisis over its own national identity may have something to do with the recent increase in violence--there have been two other fires in immigrant communities in recent weeks.
At any rate, the French media have inscribed typical class markers into the story, pointing out that Jessica "does not know her biological father," and that the four arsonists, though "of French nationality," are of Portuguese and Malian "origine."
Whether or not this attack was motivated explicitly by class or race conflict, it underscores the officially unspoken racial and cultural tensions burgeoning in France today. Le Monde links to a Society forum where this debate rages: contributors write about the "France qui me revolte," and the need for the French government--who doesn't officially recognize minorities--to finally address the issue of race. While America deals with its own reheated racial tensions in the wake of Katrina, France continues to grapple with a cultural division it barely even recognizes.
Preliminary Verdict: France, having taken the four girls into custody, has won this small battle, but still confronts a looming threat that may prove much more difficult to handle than a group of upstart adolescents. The Planner recommends tighter play earlier in the game.
France's Standing Record: 1-1
Part 2 in an ongoing "France Vs:" Series
The four French girls who started a fire in southern Paris on September 4, killing 18 people, have now expressed regret, but are "incapable of explaining" their motivations. Having started the fire in the Hay en Roses, a low-income housing project, the young ladies admit that they "didn't like" their target, dubbed "Jessica" by the authorities for her own safety. For her part, "Jessica" had no idea the arsonists felt any animosity towards her.
America is typically known for its violent teenagers, given the rash of school shootings around the country from 1997 to 2001, most notably at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO in April of 1999. It seems possible that France's continually escalating social tension and crisis over its own national identity may have something to do with the recent increase in violence--there have been two other fires in immigrant communities in recent weeks.
At any rate, the French media have inscribed typical class markers into the story, pointing out that Jessica "does not know her biological father," and that the four arsonists, though "of French nationality," are of Portuguese and Malian "origine."
Whether or not this attack was motivated explicitly by class or race conflict, it underscores the officially unspoken racial and cultural tensions burgeoning in France today. Le Monde links to a Society forum where this debate rages: contributors write about the "France qui me revolte," and the need for the French government--who doesn't officially recognize minorities--to finally address the issue of race. While America deals with its own reheated racial tensions in the wake of Katrina, France continues to grapple with a cultural division it barely even recognizes.
Preliminary Verdict: France, having taken the four girls into custody, has won this small battle, but still confronts a looming threat that may prove much more difficult to handle than a group of upstart adolescents. The Planner recommends tighter play earlier in the game.
France's Standing Record: 1-1
posted by f5againstone at 10:32 AM
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