Microblog Memes

One thing I love about France is how they number their republics. This is now the fifth one. Some people are talking about abolishing it for a sixth. So, even Constitutional authority is subject to occasional "fuck this shit we can do better", and the idea of abolishing the Constitution of the Fifth Republic for a better one is nowhere near treasonous but honest democratic-republican politics. Compare that with the American dysfunction of having a document written 200 years ago as a snapshot of an expedient compromise between fops being vested with semi-divine aura.

In the Netherlands we got all cuts for social services off the table by the left parties working together with working unions who striked untill we got our way :3

They really do. 3 years ago my daughter was getting ready to take a school trip to France when protests broke out over something. I was worried about the trip and ended up learning a lot about how France protests. Here are some things I learned:

Protesting is considered important and this is taught to kids in school.

It's often a family affair, grab the whole family and go protest.

Protests are a happy, party-like environment with music and vendors selling food to protestors.

Leaders actually listen to some.extent.

Americans storm the capital building. "Worst event in American history"

I wonder why people don't revolt in the US? Maybe because people get upset over politicians feeling scared.

Even if you don't like the exact reasons why they entered, or had cops opened doors for them, it did have one effect. Politicians now know people can come through those doors on any other day over any other issue, so they better not make it worth it in general.

I live in very, very rural France. Country-wide protests are happening because high-school students demand better... Well, better everything.

Yesterday I carpooled with my kid's teacher to protest in the "biggest" town (pop. 9,000) in the county. 700 people marched. Some drove over 60 miles one way to be there, when gas costs 2,35€ a liter.
In the past week two kids lost an eye, one an arm, one their lower jaw, because of police violence. (The eyes might not be beyond saving, I'm not sure.) Even middle-schoolers fight with their parents to be allowed to protest.

Country-wide headcount was 400,000. Our tiny march, every tiny local march did its part.
And that was a weekday, small protest. Saturday after next is a big one.
I'm really proud of the kids.

I did have this discussion with the wife earlier today. She was saying good on the French for protesting. I agreed but said at the same time is there any significant differences between how good people have it in the UK and in France? We were just in France recently and I didn't see any evidence that protesting so much has resulted over time in France actual being measurably better to live in than the UK with all its infuriating apathy.

I guess but France is still bowing to Zionist interests and their retirement age remains at the new older age

American government: we're deporting your friends and neighbors to third countries, burning your crops, poisoning your water supply, and delivering a plague unto your houses

Americans: What?! You can't do that! I'm going to write angry social media posts and participate in a quickly-forgotten weekend protest that disrupts little to nothing! Not this weekend though, I have work in the morning.

And then the Brits hang this poster on their windows unironically

Wish the rest of the world was more like the French. We'd be able to achieve so much change.

I mean, right now there are students protests in France.

One student had his hand blown off by a police grenade launcher, and something like 50 officers were injured.

They don't fuck around