So, I had written this a few days ago, but never got around to posting it…just an observation I’ve made over the past few weeks…
Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed and subsequently alluded to a lot of things on here that I think are pretty specific to the cultures I’m immersed in these days…One of those is that, politically, the climate here is much more dramatic, in my opinion, than in the U.S. On a small level, when I was at the Festival d’Avignon, there was a strike (if you ever go to France, it is imperative that you learn the word “greve.” It means “strike” and I guarantee that you will at least at some point need to know it as there are always strikes) by the performers in the official part of the Festival. Basically, the government has decided to cut unemployment benefits for the performers for the parts of the year when they’re not working, so a strike developed to protest this decision. As a result, the entire official Festival was cancelled… of course, the entire issue became very politicized (politise), which was only to be expected. However, in the end, there were demonstrations all over the city, complete with people laying in the streets protesting the murder of Avignon and of culture, as this festival is an enormous source of income in the city. You can see
pictures here, as well as read the quote by the director, “The festival closes with death in the soul.” While I agree that these developments have extremely serious consequences both culturally and economically, the magnitude of the demonstrations really did impress me…. just a thought. I always wondered what makes the community here so much more political than in the U.S….or maybe this is just my little observation and is completely unfounded. 
any thoughts?
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August 5th, 2003 at 2:36 pm
i think you’re just realizing the fallout of socialism…i’d be that much more political too if i paid as much as they do in taxes
August 5th, 2003 at 3:03 pm
So I said I would leave a comment at some time… a political topic will get me going, haha (did you write this on purpose?). You’re right. People are much more politically active here than in the U.S. They’re constantly cross checking their government’s actions and calling for corporate responsibility at all levels (thanks to their media sources which haven’t yet been corrupted by large conglomerates and their education system which provides truely equal opportunities). It’s great to see the activism, but it does go a little far at times. The unions have too much power and businesses have a hard time downsizing if they’re in financial distress. The US has the complete opposite problem (which I would consider worse, although somewhere inbetween is probably best).
The next election rounds in the US will give me either renewed faith or grave disappointment.
As for taxes - in some European countries (i.e. Switzerland) taxes are considerably lower than in the US.
enough.
August 5th, 2003 at 7:58 pm
http://namyth.superpatriot.net/SocialismWORKS!/index.php?sw=France
August 5th, 2003 at 10:27 pm
Man, the idiot that left the Socialism WORKS link has an odd sense of what constitutues criticism. Nearly every criticism in the post could be directed at the U.S. but with even worse numbers… what was voter turnout again in the last U.S. presidential election? Who’s more holier-than-thou on the international stage… the country engaging in the political process in the U.N. or the one that unilaterally goes to war? Yeesh.
Something Christian said needs to be pointed out… the best policy decisions often lay in the middle of two idealistic viewpoints. This is true in labor politics, taxation, class issues, health care, and even national security. Issues are made up of grays too, not just black and white. Policies should reflect that reality.
August 5th, 2003 at 11:16 pm
damn it…well, just to clear things up i’m actually not the person who posted that dumb link….i’m temporarily housing a few friends from college (one of whom i dont really care for, and probably the culprit) using my comp the last few days and probably happened upon this on through my bookmarked sites.
and i think you know i’m not a delusional jingoist sural
my apologies
derrick
August 6th, 2003 at 6:06 pm
wow…i disappear for one day…. derrick, don’t worry about it.
in response to sujal and christian…do you think it’s really just that our sources of information/education are corrupted? I mean, I agree on that (we’ve talked about this before, christian), but there has to be a more elementary reason (a) why that even happened and (b) that we don’t have as much initiative politically to go beyond the more easily accessible media sources and truly take on issues for ourselves…
August 7th, 2003 at 6:31 am
What I also think is interesting is that not only does the prevalence of strikes in France show that political activism is effective there, but also that it reflects a huge difference in the political power of lower economic groups in French society. While in America those working in blue collar jobs have been statistically shown to be those who do not participate (for a wide range of reasons, including that they do not perceive themselves and are not perceived by others as politically efficacious), in France it seems that these same individuals have much stronger political efficacy to effect change. The argument has been made by political scientists in American politics that one of the reasons the disadvantaged do not participate in elections is that they are not mobilized by elites, while the higher classes are much more inclined to be. Does the political efficacy of this cohort in France (assuming that they are in fact effective) translate into a different attitude of elites/pol parties towards the poorer classes? Does this political activism translate into electoral participation?
August 7th, 2003 at 5:01 pm
I think there are also cultural issues that go beyond empowerment… there is a tradition of self-reliance in American culture which is a little unique in terms of how it relates to government. In many European countries, people expect the government to help them out. In this country, we want little government and often don’t want them involved in our lives.
There’s also the American dream ideal (what you are is completely under your control… so if you’re poor, that’s really just your fault). Whlie fresh-faced political science students
might know about systemic and social reasons that prevent real class mobility in this country, most people don’t.
As for the question Sural asked… here’s my short answer (and I’ve spent too long typeing this already): people are politically active in this country. There are also strikes in this country. Regularly. It just doesnt’ get reported, that’s all. One of Heidi’s friends is an organizer for a local chapter of a major union. I hear a little about what happens there, and she’s a very busy person.
I also have posted a story about a local strike to Fatmixx. None of these things get any major news coverage. You should also, if you get a chance, read Fast Food Nation which contains several interesting stories about union busting (even using illegal means, such as intimidation and thugs) as recently as the 1990’s.
We could definitely say that the news is corrupted. I personally think it’s a little less sinister… it’s just dumbed down, because news isn’t about news… it’s about entertainment. When CNN’s HeadlineNews is concerned about ratings… well…
(oh, and that brings up media consolidation, but that’s a whole ‘nother rant)