Discussion
A few US-based people have reached out, concerned about the "violence" in France.
It's important to realize that French citizens have rights because they are never satisfied, and they protest.
Americans are losing rights because the status quo is "it's the freest country in the world," and they'll go to a no-kings march if it lands on the weekend, the weather is good, and they have no other plans.
Convincing people everything is "exceptional" leads to complacency.
Complaints lead to action.
@estelle One of the lessons advocacy teaches is that progress rarely happens because problems solve themselves. Whether we're talking about health, social inclusion or civil rights, change usually happens because people continue to raise issues long after others have moved on. Public pressure doesn't guarantee progress, but the absence of public pressure often guarantees stagnation.
@estelle I'm going to guess the issue is less the protesting and more the burning, looting and pillaging taking place.
@estelle The only violence in France that concerns me is the violence being committed by the state against the citizens who tolerate the state's continued existence.
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@estelle yes. exceptionalism is a foundational part of settler colonialism, canada is the same...