3 ms·

I'm American, and all but aren't riots/strikes etc examples of how France's political life enjoys a much higher per-capita rate of material participation than U

I'm American, and all but aren't riots/strikes etc examples of how France's political life enjoys a much higher per-capita rate of material participation than USAns are accustomed to seeing?

mcintyre1994 11y ago
Absolutely serious question - are riots considered part of political life in the same way protests are? If they are politically motivated, what sets at least these riots apart from terrorism, defined in Oxford Dictionaries as "use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims"?
- fennecfoxen 11y ago
  Some measure of dramatic violence is a routine part of "industrial action" (i.e. strikes) in France, at least when those strikes are considered to be targeting multinationals. In the past, management officials of 3M and Goodyear were kidnapped. Burning tires and the like are common as well (especially at Goodyear). More generally, France is notorious for being suspicious of foreign influences (international Communism, globalization, Islamism -- heck, even Catholicism, though most of them still practice it at least nominally.) Terrorism... I dunno, terrorists in small groups tend to blow up or gun down people unexpectedly, whereas these protestors in large groups don't generally try to kill or to hide.
- pmalynin 11y ago
  <sarcasm> Terrorism is reserved for perpetrators with Islamic beliefs. </sarcasm>
  - woah 11y ago
    Not true. Terrorism is only done by those who are opposed to US foreign policy.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
yummyfajitas 11y ago
In the relatively recent past we saw a lot more of this. For example, Bombingham: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3326 http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&p... https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Ku_Klux_Klan#Later_Klans:_1950.E2.80.931960s https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Ku_Klux_Klan#Later_Klans:_19... Much like the current situation in France, the police were generally complicit and did very little about the terrorists.

I'm American, and all but aren't riots/strikes etc examples of how France's political life enjoys a much higher per-capita rate of material participation than USAns are accustomed to seeing?

mcintyre1994 11y ago

Absolutely serious question - are riots considered part of political life in the same way protests are? If they are politically motivated, what sets at least these riots apart from terrorism, defined in Oxford Dictionaries as "use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims"?

fennecfoxen 11y ago
Some measure of dramatic violence is a routine part of "industrial action" (i.e. strikes) in France, at least when those strikes are considered to be targeting multinationals. In the past, management officials of 3M and Goodyear were kidnapped. Burning tires and the like are common as well (especially at Goodyear). More generally, France is notorious for being suspicious of foreign influences (international Communism, globalization, Islamism -- heck, even Catholicism, though most of them still practice it at least nominally.) Terrorism... I dunno, terrorists in small groups tend to blow up or gun down people unexpectedly, whereas these protestors in large groups don't generally try to kill or to hide.
pmalynin 11y ago
<sarcasm> Terrorism is reserved for perpetrators with Islamic beliefs. </sarcasm>
- woah 11y ago
  Not true. Terrorism is only done by those who are opposed to US foreign policy.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

yummyfajitas 11y ago

In the relatively recent past we saw a lot more of this. For example, Bombingham: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3326 http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&p... https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Ku_Klux_Klan#Later_Klans:_1950.E2.80.931960s https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Ku_Klux_Klan#Later_Klans:_19... Much like the current situation in France, the police were generally complicit and did very little about the terrorists.