From: "Dave Coull" <coull2-AT-btinternet.com>
Subject: RE: History, Curious, eh wot? 
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 00:26:46 -0000




I sent an editorial from "Liberation" which discussed
the curious fact that the French seem reluctant
to take to the streets in opposition to war, 
and asked Patrice what he thought about Liberation's
explanation for this. Patrice replies

 
> French just don't care or are sheeps.  


If Carp said something like that, he would 
be accused of being prejudiced!

Anyway, I don't believe French people are always sheep.
What about the French Revolution? What about the Paris
Commune? What about May 1968? I remember that one well.
The students took over the Sorbonne, there were ten 
million workers on general strike, and a million 
workers were actually occupying their workplaces. 
Okay, so in the end the revolution wasn't carried
through, but at least it shows that French people 
aren't always sheep. 


> We are far away from the anarchist way of mind. 


Well, most people in  _any_  country are far 
from the anarchist frame of mind.


> French walk in the street because they are  
> told to do so


Nobody told them to do so in 1968. It all happened
spontaneously. The trade unions and the political 
parties first tried to cool things down, then
struggled to put themselves at the head of 
the strikes and demonstrations that were 
happening spontaneously. 


> unless the problem is at their very door, 
> French won't move that much. 


In 1968, students were being attacked by the CRS
riot police. French workers spontaneously took 
strike action in protest against this. 

Okay, so French people may put a lot of faith 
in their government today, but they were not 
always so keen to put a lot of faith in their
government. French people may seem like sheep 
today, but French people have not always been
sheep in the past, and they will not always
be sheep in the future.


Dave Coull