December 2018
Paris has a long history of barricades and protests. Still, I find it stunning to see these riots unfurling in places where I walked just nine weeks ago. In September, from the sheltered vantage point of a tourist, there was no inkling of simmering discontent.
September 2018
I sympathize with the plight of the "yellow vest" protestors. Sky high taxes are making it very difficult for millions of Frenchmen and Frenchwomen to stretch their paychecks to the end of the month. However, it is hard for me to understand the desperation of those who commit acts of violence or vandalize historic monuments (although seeing the Arc de Triomphe in person made me see the stark reality of Napoleon's narcissistic despotism).
With the risk of sounding clueless and out of touch, I also empathize with those who saved their hard earned money and finally got to go on a trip of a lifetime only to have it marred by violence. It took us twenty years to finally make our anniversary trip to Paris last September. We saved our money and spent months in planning. We were lucky our trip was not ruined by riots. That may sound bourgeois but we are teachers and for us, these vacations are not done on a lark. I understand someone suffering economic deprivation could care less about the luxury of someone's vacation, and I don't fault them for that.
I hope fair and peaceful resolutions can be attained. I hope the tax burden can be alleviated for the poor. Beyond the glitzy center of Paris, suffering is real. I remember the images from the 2006 riots in the outer ring suburbs of Paris. I guess that didn't get quite the attention of the Yellow Vests since those riots pretty much stayed in the poor neighborhoods.
Historically, the barricades have been quite effective in getting attention, for better or worse. My European History classes, at this very moment, are in the midst of their French Revolution studies. I don't wish to indulge in false equivalencies but there are some intriguing parallels. High taxes for one. Social class tension being another. Let's just hope it doesn't end with another Napoleon.
I'm also suspicious that some of these protests may have been hijacked by members of the far right. Right-wing white nationalism is on the rise in Europe. They wish to disrupt the modernization of the continent. Many in Europe truly have been left behind in the new economy. But the nationalists are simply resentful of their loss of place in the social hierarchy. I'm also troubled that white nationalism is on the rise in the United States.
Lets hope beyond hope these movements are the last spasms of white anxiety as the world becomes more pluralistic. Let's hope these far right movements are the last bit of noise before they collapse into utter silence, forever.
We can't only hope, we must take active measures to make sure white nationalists never feel comfortable to spew their hatred in a civilized society.
