More thoughts

Can I PLEASE tell you all of how uninformed some Americans are. This evening, a man and his daughter from Atlanta were eating in the Lebanese Creperie (intereseting combination, I know) that I went to with Harrison. They were having difficulty communicating with the staff and so I offered to assist them. Once they learned that I was American, they introduced themselves as first time visitors on their first day in Paris. When I asked them if they had any worries about being here at this specific moment in history and they did not express much concern. They went on to tell me that they believed the whole situation to be a "Muslim Insurrection" (keep in mind we are in a LEBANESE restaurant). To some Americans, every uprising, every newsworthy event is tied to Islamic supremacy when the issues at hand in France are purely discriminatory and ethical issues.

So, two youths killed while fleeing from who they thought were the police spawned the riot. Those who are rioting connect their deaths to the failure of France to provide hope and security to French citizens mostly of African (and Muslim) descent. I suppose the issues were just simmering on the back burner for so long that it was time for them to erupt. Yet, I have not once seen the media point out that the initial event that caused the rioting was not an act of discrimination. Did these youths have so much fear of the potentially racist police force, that they felt like they had no choice but to run?

On another note, I have noticed that there is a major difference between the discrimination against Jews and citizens of African descent. The Jews in Paris (I cannot speak for the rest of France), while many gentiles are anti-Semitic, are fully integrated into society--they hold jobs, attain an education, own property, and function in society as any gentile. French citizens of African descent are not integrated into society, do not hold jobs, are rarely college educated, and are completely segregated from the rest of society.

De Villepin says that the government will address discrimination, but I do not know in what form. I am not sure of what "side" to take-obviously something has to change, I just don't have an answer for what that change will be.