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Race Relations en France


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For a study about the complexity and poignancy of race relations in general, between individuals as well as within a given individual, see  "Crash" ("Collision" in French), recent movie by Paul Haggis (of "Million-Dollar Baby" fame). I watched it again yesterday, and found it as haunting as the first time. Although it takes place in Los Angeles, the conflicting emotions and prejudices within the characters (Black, white, Mexican, Iraqi, Chinese, Thai, etc...) are universal  - if there is such a thing. Of course it's only a movie, but nevertheless...
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In response to dogs message: I think whats tragically forgotten in British History is the fact that over 2 and a half million Indians fought as volunteers during the world wars and over 90.000 Africans. Yet we rarely see their images in films about the war. Infact there were more Asians fighting for Britain than Scots. 

There were also facists in many countries including our own remember Mosley!

Heres a link that may inform you from the imperial war museam:  www.theirpast-yourfuture.org.uk/upload/pdf/World_War-_Global_Participation_3_Mar_06.pdf -

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Glad you brought up Crash (2004) I watched it for the first time the other night and it is a very well made film - horrifyingly clever, disturbing, accurate and well worth watching. Certainly shows the complexity of modern society and the relationships between different peoples.
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Ah! Somebody else who saw Crash.

Last night on the news (TF2), an item about some small town in Alsace, where a (white) couple had adopted a brother and sister from Congo some years ago - and how the family is the subject of harassment and worse. Svastikas and  vile graffiti daubed on the house, some kids at school even tried to set fire to the 10-year old boy, etc... The locals don't have much to say, one woman shown barely able to utter the word "racism" when interviewed. The family concerned have lodged a complaint, bravely - but it is clear they are being persecuted! At least, it was considered newsworthy enough so in this particular case, something might be done. Nevertheless, it does say a lot about mentalities....

Of course traditionally Alsace is a bastion of extreme right-wing and ultra conservative values.

I have a French uncle who has lived in Alsace all his life, right-wing ex-army officer, devout (!) Catholic or so he believes, and from the moment his younger brother went to live in Israel (1946) and married an Israeli woman, the younger brother was as good as dead, with interdiction to ever mention his name again. This has even continued since the younger brother's death!

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Interesting posting from PG.  I have friends who live in NC tho were both born and raised in New Orleans, he from working class stock, she from rather shabbily genteel white plantation stock - both in their 70s and he was a career West Pointer.

We met them a couple of years ago in NC and were appalled by her racism - niggers this and niggers that, appalling attitude, Daughter of the American Revolution, Daughter of the Confederacy etc - which was absolutely dreadful to try to deal with as we're both very-anti that sort of thing (J being of the brown, Asian persuasion) but we were guests in their house so had to somewhat grin and bear it.  Interesting tho that we were regarded by them as Democrats (she was signed up Republican, he had just left party because the though GWB II was completely daft) - but it was the shock of hearing the racist language so openly and in everyday use.

Seperate message - the leaders of the Indians who fought for the Japanese against the Brits - The Indian National Army under Subdas Chandra Bose - were tried at the Red Fort for treason and they were acquitted by an all Indian jury.  Interestingly about 10 years ago, the descendants/families/survivors of the INA were given state pensions in India, giving them the same rights as those Indian survivors etc who received a UK pension.  Another one of my research interests, my Dad was guarded by some INA soldiers in Farrer Park, Singapore after Singapore fell.  

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Tony - things haven't changed in two years in NC (they haven't really changed in a 100 years IMO).  If you had spent even more time and gotten to know more people, you might have wondered if you'd landed on another planet.  I lived in SC and Tennessee too in my growing up years.  In many ways, they were worse - if you can believe that.

Makes any French racism look like a drop in a bucket. Not that I am condoning it, I'm not.

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Lori, when we visited friends in SC, who had moved there from California, I was shocked that EVERY conversation wound up being about race!  "This is a black college;" "This is a black town, but they're really very nice," etc.  They hadn't been that way before they moved there, although perhaps they were but had kept it hidden.

Mr. Possum and I were VERY uncomfortable.

PG

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Yes, for me, it was the opposite way around.  Born and raised in the south, left at 19 for Chicago, then moved to California where I spent all of my adult life.  It was SO refreshing.  I loved how open people were in CA.  My first 5 years were spent in San Francisco.  They were some of the best years of my life.

Compared to the U.S. South, California was a new world.  BTW, most Southerners think of California as a foreign country with very "abnormal" people living in it.  Much like they think of the Northeastern states too.  I'm sure I've offended someone by now.  Really not intended, just noting how very weird the U.S. South is.

 

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I'm from Philadelphia originally and I thought of California as a foreign country when I moved there!  It was so wonderful and open.  In fact, it really deserved its reputation as the "Golden State." Sadly, that changed as the population grew and services and budgets shrank. 

I'm always amazed here at how quickly the pot holes in the roads are fixed.  We had some in L.A. that would practically rip the bottom out of your car and it took ages to get them repaired.

To get this post back on the subject of racism; there is huge anti-immigrant feeling in most of the South West, including California.  However, there was an article in the L.A. Times over the weekend that farmers in Northern California were having the best pear crop in decades; they were counting the money in their dreams.  But, all the crackdowns on the border are keeping migrant workers out of the country and the crop is dropping to the ground and rotting because there is no one to pick it!

California would probably starve without migrant workers, as no American wants to do that job today.

PG

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