Why does France matter?

Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, La Baigneuse de Valpincon, 1808, Louvre

Let me first off state that the influence and prestige of France has been declining in inverse proportion to the ascendency of the U.S. since 1945.  Nowadays, American culture has conquered even "l'exception culturelle," with French being more familiar with U.S. television sitcoms and pop-stars than I am.

But this country, only one-fifth the size of the United States of America (in population) still matters, at least to me.

And it is neither fashion nor cuisine that interest me.

For most Americans, I'm assuming that the mention of France brings up "Les Miserables" or "Phantom of the Opera" or "The DaVinci Code" in the popular imagination.

But it is French culture and history that fascinate me.   It is only 15 years that separate the French Revolution from Napoleon, who conquered most of continental Europe.  The Revolution ended the notion of divine rule by monarch, and all the rest of Europe trembled.  It brought the French Republic into existence.

And proceeding 17th century--that of the Sun King Louis XIV--was the era when French culture began its cultural dominance in Europe.  And going back further, in the 15th century, one has the incredible Jeanne d'Arc, who helped liberate France from the yoke of the English.  In the 16th century the epochal rivalry between Protestants and Catholics reached its climax in the St. Bartholomew's Massacre, where thousands of Huguenots were massacred.

This is also the country that was overrun by the Germans in World War II and occupied by its chief continental rival and enemy.  The United States has never known being invaded and ruled by another country.

In art, Gothic art began in France, where it reached its apogee.  The 19th century saw the movements in art of Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, in all of which France was "where it happened."  And the early half of the 20th century witnessed both cubism and Surrealism, art movements in which Paris was clearly the epicenter.  (The latter half is given to the U.S., with abstract expressionism coming to the fore after 1945).

If only for comparative reasons, France matters.  Unlike America, which had its one war of independence and revolution in 1776, France has had successive revolutions, the first in 1787 followed by revolutions in 1830 to rid the country of the Bourbons and 1848 to overthrow Louis-Phillipe.

The U.S. is conservative-moderate, politically speaking, and no one except a fringe of people believe that a revolution could happen here again.  So the French have a history of "taking to the streets" and demanding their rights ("liberte, egalite, et fraternite").

From the 1980's onwards, France has a mandated six-week vacation for all workers.  In the U.S. getting more than two weeks is unusual.  The U.S. has never had national health insurance, something that is considered a basic human right.

And the recent demonstrations by McDonalds workers in New York City over low hourly wages is another point in case.*

France also, unlike the U.K., vehemently refused (and led international opposition) to go along with the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, arguing passionately during a session of the U.N. General Assembly against giving the U.S. the mandate to go in.   (France holds one of the five permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council).

This is also a country where news programs such as "Envoye Speciale" or "Secrets d'histoire" are presented in their entirety--100 minutes--without commercial interruption, in contrast to the U.S., where the major networks bombard viewers with advertising every 6-7 minutes, encouraging them to consume, consume, consume.

This is not to say that France is not in crisis--the French are notoriously cynical and/or pessimistic--, with a huge deficit, high unemployment, sluggish growth, and a social malaise (immigration, national identity...).

France is in a unique geographical position in Europe, as a result of which it has been influenced and, in turn, influenced, successively, England, Spain, Italy, and Germany--the principal nations.  You only have to cross the English Channel using Eurostar to realize this.

Lastly, I don't think there is anyone who would contest that the French language is, in pure aural terms, the most beautiful (Italian being a distant second, Mandarin third?).

(I won't even get into here how American women--whose ranks include not just an occasional loud, fat harridan, or wannabe, for whom "understatement" is not to be found in any dictionary--could learn a thing or two about femininity, sophistication, and charm from French women).

In France one does not talk loudly in public spaces--something Americans completely ignore--, while in England, talking loudly--and thus drawing attention to oneself and causing others to stare--is considered frankly lower-class and vulgar.

Obviously, in terms of being loud, Americans have competition from the Germans, Mexicans, and Chinese, although the latter usually realize not long after their arrival in the U.S. that being loud is both being indiscreet, unaware, and a marker of lower socioeconomic status and educational attainment.

The Romanos, Russia's last czarist dynasty, spoke French, the language of the court, this despite a century earlier Napoleon's Grand Army having marched through Russia to Moscow ("War and Peace").

There is nothing, in my opinion, in American history that compares to the dramatic richness of the events and experiences that have shaped France.

Which national anthem is more stirring, "La Marseillaise" (think of "Casablanca") or "The Star Spangled Banner"?

* http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/09/how-americas-minimum-wage-em-really-em-stacks-up-globally/279258/

(de haut en bas)  Delacroix, "Liberte Guidant le Peuple"; "La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" (Carl Theodor Dryer, 1928); "Le Petit Prince" (Saint-Exupery); David, "Bonaparte Franchissant les Alpes"; Javert dans "Les Miserables"  (illustration de G. Brion) de Victor Hugo; Grille royale (porte d'entree) a Versailles; Nijinski, "L'apres d'un faune"; Monet, "Les coquelicots d'Argenteuil"; TGV (train a grande vitesse); Zinedine Zidane

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/arts/design/19abroad.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

"Most Americans hate their lives, but to get through the day they talk themselves into believing..." (Morris Berman in The Atlanic)

"Most Americans hate their lives, but to get through the day they talk themselves into believing that they want to be doing what they are doing.

"They hate their lives, but to get through the day, besides taking Prozac and consulting their cell phone every two minutes, they talk themselves into believing that they want to be doing what they are doing. This is probably the major source of illness in our culture, whether physical or mental."

* * * * *

"Americans are probably the most superficial people on the planet".

* * * * *

"Over time the hustling culture swallowed everything up. There used to be margins, interstices, where creativity could flourish. But as things began to speed up in this country from about 1965 on, a kind of industrial, corporate, consumer “frenzy” took over, which meant there was no time for anything except getting and spending. It takes silence and slow time to be creative, and those things are threatening to most Americans, because they understand on some level that that’s what health is about, and that they don’t have it. So they are angry, intolerant. Fear, power, and desperation dominate their lives instead."

-Morris Berman

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/how-americas-culture-of-hustling-is-dark-and-empty/278601/

On a day like any other in Seattle

If statistics were available from the Seattle Police Department, I would be able to ascertain the accuracy of my estimate that 80% of the violent crime (primarily assault but also murder, rape, etc.) in this city is committed by African-Americans, who constitute only 12% of the population.

"Suspects Wanted For Spree of 10 Robberies In Less Than A Week

The string of 10 cases began just after 9 AM on July 31^st, when a group of six male suspects cornered a teen in an alley behind the Beacon Hill library. One of the suspects lifted up his shirt, implying he had a gun, and stole the teen’s backpack, phone and bankcards.

Early the next morning, at 1:40 AM on August 1st, a car full of men a drove up to a woman near 56^th and Latona and demanded her purse. When the victims refused and kept walking, the suspects got out of the car, pulled a gun on the victim and stole her purse before fleeing.

That night, around 11 pm, the suspects pulled a knife on a delivery driver in Holly Park and stole four pizzas. A half hour later, the suspects struck again in West Seattle, where they surrounded a man in the 5500 block of 16^th Avenue SW, shoved him to the ground, rifled through his pockets and stole his iPhone at gunpoint.

Again, around 3:30 AM on August 2^nd, the same suspects grabbed a 28-year-old man near Harvard Avenue and E. Thomas Street, put him in a headlock and stole the man’s iPhone and wallet.

Almost exactly twenty-four hours later, two suspects—accompanied by a lookout— approached two men near 11^th Avenue and E Pine Street, across the street from Cal Anderson Park. The suspects pulled a gun on the men, demanded their wallets and phones and then ordered them to walk away.

Half an hour later, around 4 AM, two of the suspects climbed into a victim’s car outside a Central District hookah bar, drew guns, and forced the victim to drive to Renton, where they pistol-whipped the man and stole his wallet before fleeing."

reblogged from:
http://westseattleblog.com/2013/08/west-seattle-crime-watch-street-robbery-updates-car-vandalism

(See also:  http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2013/08/07/suspects-wanted-for-committing-10-robberies-in-less-than-a-week/)

You will not see mention of these robberies in The Stranger (or other mainstream media in Seattle) unless the race of the perpetrators has been censored and expunged.

The suspects in all 10 of the cases are black males between 18 and 25 years old.

* * * * *

We are bombarded with stories of how African-Americans have a higher rate of cancer or obesity, or how they are more likely to be in prison.   Or higher rates of poverty.  Or much lower rates of home ownership compared to other groups.

But mention of overwhelmingly higher rates of violent crime is taboo, whether in The New York Times or on MSNBC.

Rome, la ville eternelle, dans la litterature, l'art, le theatrem et le cinema

"La Dolce Vita" -Federico Fellini
Les memories d'Hadrian  -Marguerite Yourcenar
Caravaggio, A Life Sacred and Profane -Andrew Graham-Dixon
"Les Pins de Rome" -Antonio Respigi
Art and Architecture of Italy, 1600-1750    -Rudolf Wittkower
"Roman Holiday" -William Wyler
"Tosca" -Puccini

a continuer

The love that dare not speak its name

"Are you kidding??   I mean, didya really do it to her?  W-O-W, I mean...that is so awesome."

"The nice thing is, I mean, it's not messy like punching someone out...you don't get all bloody.  Go ahead, girl, just post it."

* * * * *

I wonder if people who bully realize the extent of the damager they do to others.

Are they even ever aware of their what they are doing?  Or do they experience pleasure at being able to dominate and/or humiliate others, while society generally turns a blind eye (especially if the victim is a man:  a man experiences shame at being "beaten up"; to tell others is tantamount to acknowledge publicly being "a weenie").

Is it out of boredom?   Or is it just the obverse of urban crime, i.e., physically assaulting and robbing someone at gunpoint?   Or of watching "Men in Black" et.al.?  Everyone's gotta get into "the action."

Iis the name of the game, today, for younger people Facebook (social networking)?

The phenomenon immediately flocked to Europe:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/schoolgirl-14-hangs-herself-after-2128742

According to the RTS (Info), 95% of children in Switzerland between the ages of 9-16 have a cellphone, 79% a smartphone.

Not everyone bullied, of course, actually kills himself or herself.  They suffer, often silently, all their lives from wounds that are invisible to most other people.  Or they, in turn, become a bully.  And so forth...

* * * * *

Is violence the only way American men can feel like "real men"?

Going to the movies: The U.S. is the world's primary exporter of cultural violence

"Ya know, a man ain't a man without a gun!"

Hollywood films account for 60% of the box-office in Europe.  European films account for 4-5% of the U.S. box-office.

The importance of films like "The King's Speech" or the television series "Downton Abbey" is not just that they feed on nostalgia and anglophilia but that they eschew the elements of Hollywood's reigning genre, the action film.   No CGI effects, colossal budgets, super-fast editing, ear-splitting soundtracks, AND mega-violence, which, unfortunately, has become the staple of most U.S. box-office hits, from "The Terminator" to "Django Unchained" and "The Departed."   ("Django" supposedly had a "social" theme but it turned the theme of the brutality of the worst of slavery into a boomerang revenge blood-lust directed at white people).

The exceptions are the "family" Disney-spin-offs or the occasional comedy-romance.

The Europeans cannot compete with Hollywood budgets.  Even so, they do attempt weak imitations of American "action" films.  Von Damme had to be another Sylvester Stallone to become a "star."  Forgot about being an actor (leave that to the antediluvian stage).

How many Americans would have the attention span necessary (more than 15 seconds) to sit through an Eric Rohmer film or be interested enough to see a film such as "Central Station"--films actually about human relationships--one set in a different time and place than their own with a different cultural assumptions?    (Even with a film is ostensibly set in such a situation, it has to invariably have the non-stop fight-to-the-death action scenes, e.g., "Gladiator" or "Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons").

Why see the starkly realistic French-language film about the end of life "Amour" when you can see one more vastly violent and escapist ("X-men")?   

Cars speeding down highways, crashing, and bursting into flame; gunfights, explosives, and fists; gore-and-blood spectacles:  we are addicted to violence even as we protest that we don't approve of it.

And we certainly are willing to pay for it at the flicks.  And when we discover that our young people think nothing of a shootout at school, for that's exactly what they're being taught to think of as "awesome" and entertaining when they see a movie.

It's when the wall breaks down between the movie-plex and the street that our denial starts to crumble.

None of this excuses the political violence of repressive governments such as those found in Syria, Zimbabwe, or Cuba, but it is a curious feature that while the U.S. at least nominally supports democratic movements around the globe, culturally speaking, at any rate, it exports mass violence, consciously or not.

And, to tell the truth, I would have to say that in our "global village" (a cliche, but I'll use it anyway), violence in the movies is to be found across the globe now, with everyone trying to "get in on the action."  But "nobody does it better" than American cultural factory (Hollywood, the NRA, U.S. military, game manufacturers, the black macho admirers...).

"Ya know, a man ain't a man without a gun?"

In a different world, people would not be entertained/enthralled by violence nor would others make money from selling it in any form.

Trouble in Tahiti

As one who believes that I have the right to be critical of the behavior of any particular group to which I am, at least demographically speaking, associated, I have had strong reservations about the popular culture and accompanying values of gay men.

This culture with its values, I believe, demeans human beings, not least of which are gay men themselves.

With its overwhelming premium (bordering on obsession) on physical attractiveness and compulsive sexual behaviors, it leaves some gay men lonely, alienated, and desperate, which leads to another round of bar-hopping, sexual-partner swaps, etc.

One can feel dismayed, shocked, but also compassionate towards those caught in the vicious circle.

The capacity to experience love--to be aware of it, to feel it, to receive it--may be blindsided by the primacy given to sexual gratification and sensation.

Surely there is truth in that physical beauty is only skin-deep.   From a Buddhist perspective, everything is in process and is changing.  Our lifetime can teach us to let go, rather than to remain attached to "things" (including concepts).

At the same time, in contrast there seem to be much stronger human bonds within the lesbian community, ones that see the intrinsic worth of lesbians regardless of their capacity to arouse physical desire.

That said, I strongly support gay marriage...as a matter of human rights.

"French Flicks and American Beef Standing in the Way of a U.S.-EU Trade Deal" (from Foreign Passport)

"As anyone following U.S.-EU trade relations will quickly discover, France and the United States are prone to butting heads. Whether it's because of French ambivalence toward capitalism in general (especially the American variety) or just good old-fashioned economic self-interest, Franco-American disputes are often at the heart of U.S.-EU quarrels. This latest round of talks is no different, with the French consistently threatening to veto any agreement that fails to make an exception for French cultural subsidies, especially in music and film.

French foot-dragging on the subject is part of a government policy called "the cultural exception," which seeks to protect French language, art, and culture from what the country's leaders view as the increasing dominance of American culture and the English language. For their part, the United States fears a "give them an inch, they'll take a mile" scenario in which European countries scramble to protect favored domestic industries, defeating the entire purpose of the talks. Last month, EU ministers struck a deal to exclude France's audiovisual sector from the U.S-EU free trade agreement -- but the threat of a French veto will continue to loom over negotiations.

Where your sympathies lie in this dispute may depend on your film preferences. Which sounds more entertaining: minimalist, black-and-white meditations on adolescence, or exploding CGI robots?"

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/09/biggest_free_trade_disputes_united_states_european_union


I'm one of the dozen or so Americans who hasn't the slightest interest in seeing exploding CGI robots on the big or small screen.   Unfortunately, the U.S. may gets it way, with little European solidarity with France on this issue.

America the Marvelous or America the Braggart (Exhbitionist, Narcissist...)?

from the July 2013 issue of Vanity Fair an article entitled "America the Marvelous" from a book America with Love by A.A. Gill:

"Among the educated, enlightened, expensive middle classes of Europe, this is a received wisdom. A given. Stronger in some countries like France, less so somewhere like Germany, but overall the Old World patronizes America for being a big, dumb, fat, belligerent child. The intellectuals, the movers and the makers and the creators, the dinner-party establishments of people who count, are united in the belief—no, the knowledge—that Americans are stupid, crass, ignorant, soul-less, naïve oafs without attention, irony, or intellect. These same people will use every comforting, clever, and ingenious American invention, will demand America’s medicine, wear its clothes, eat its food, drink its drink, go to its cinema, love its music, thank God for its expertise in a hundred disciplines, and will all adore New York."

And then:

"America has won 338 Nobel Prizes. The U.K., 119. France, 59. America has more Nobel Prizes than Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia combined."

I find the last statement grossly misleading.  The U.S. is five times the size of either the U.K. or France.   Per capita, the U.K. far surpasses the U.S., although France does lag behind considerably.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/07/america-with-love-aa-gill-excerpt#/livefyre

Most Americans definitely would prefer "The Dark Knight" to anything by Eric Rohmer, as would most Europeans, unfortunately.

Dumb?   Not in the sense of I.Q.

Fat?   I do wonder about this:  Somehow I think that a  scrupulously scientific survey would indicate that we are indeed much fatter than our European counterparts.  I see them everyday.

Belligerent?   We did invade Iraq against the advice of half our European allies.  And we did refuse to sign the Kyoto Treaty against global emissions, citing that "it would hurt our economy."   And we have continued, despite near universal condemnation, to support Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

I'm not sure having the music, movies, and hi-tech gadgets that the rest of the world, admittedly, loves (and buys) gets us off that easily.

* * * * *

We have more and we are bigger than everyone else because we are the most conditioned to buy and consume, and buy and consume, and buy and consume, and then throw it all away and start over again, as we twitter and tweet, as the ultra nec plus of existence.  I'm not sure that that is something to be actually proud of, even as we export democracy and our cherished "way of life"--there's always a catch--around the world.

We invent more stuff because we [are encouraged to] want more stuff.  We are a restless people...in search of...the stuff of which [American] dreams are made of.

You know, if it's BIGGER and FASTER (some would add "badder"), it's gotta be better.  Our recipe for happiness.

(And know the Chinese, Indians, Brazilians, Russians, Africans, etc. want to get in on a piece of the 'action').

When Kris Kime was stomped to death [in Seattle, WA], I said that this could have been my son." -a hypothetical statement from former President George W. Bush

Yes, Kris Kime looks indeed as though he could have been the son that George W. Bush never but wished had had.

"You know, when Kris Kime was stomped to death [in Seattle, WA in 2001], I said that this could have been my son.  Another way of saying that is Kris Kime could have been me 35 years ago."

-Former President George W. Bush

What if George W. Bush had issued such a statement after the killing of Kris Kime during the Mardi Gras riots in Pioneer Square in Seattle in 2001?

Everyone knows how much I despise GWB, yet I deeply resent the hypocrisy of certain liberals who refuse to recognize there are at least two sides to the story of Travyon Martin and George Zimmerman, much less consider any side other than the other they are so adamant of.

President Obama is the president of the United States and that includes not just African-Americans, but whites, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, private-school and public school graduates, rich, poor, gays, straights, women, men, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, and Muslims.   He should not be partisan and selectively favor one group of Americans over another just because he shares a common background with them.

I never heard the White House issue a statement of concern and solicitude for the family of Edward McMichael ("Tuba Man"), whose youthful killer served a year-and-a-half in prison.  (But then, there were not nation-wide protests, either).

We liberals can do a better job of being fair and compassionate towards all.