Crisis in France

On a bien ri avec les cartes de CNN... OK le smédias américains peuvent apparaître ridicules dans ce cas-là, mais est-ce que cela ne permet pas aux médias français, donc aux Français, de se voiler la face et colporter cette fausse bonne idée : "puisqu'ils ne savent même pas placer nos villes sur une carte, comment voulez-vous qu'ils comprennent nos particularités sociales à la française ?"

Pour une analyse un peu plus factuelle (et somme toute raisonnable) de la situation, je trouve que l'article de Business Week est plutôt bien fait.

On peut y relever (dur de faire une sélection sans remettre tout l'article en ligne...) :

For years, France was warned that economic and social neglect of its large ethnic-minority population would produce an explosion. The surprise was that it didn't happen sooner.

But without more sweeping economic change, it won't be long before unrest flares anew. [...] For decades government policies across much [...] have put a higher value on social protections and job security than on growth and job creation.

France's economy has grown an average 1.5% annually for the past four years and is set to grow only 1.2% this year. Unemployment is nearly 10%, and among those under 25 it is nearly 22%, about twice the U.S. rate. Youth joblessness runs over 50% in the suburbs

Moreover, France has long opposed affirmative action on the grounds that -- since the constitution requires everyone to be treated equally, and since everyone is fully French -- no such programs are needed. A beautiful idea, but it ignores the reality of the ghettos, which impede assimilation. One result is that unlike Britain, the Netherlands, and Germany, France has no Muslims in its Parliament.

A résumé with a classic French name received more than five times as many positive responses as one with a North African name, though both listed identical qualifications.

The rising anger of minority groups poses another risk for Europe -- the possibility of xenophobic backlash.

Some countries are changing. Denmark has largely done away with rigid work rules and now has youth unemployment rate of only 7.5% -- below the U.S. level -- even though it offers relatively generous social protections. Italy provides education, job training, and health programs for immigrants -- even though many work illegally in the underground economy. The result is that many immigrants to Italy find a path to upward mobility. Last year, 67% of business startups in Italy were created by foreigners, notes Luca Visconti, an immigration expert and professor at Bocconi University in Milan.

Quand à ceux qui se plaignent de la vision donnée de la France dans certains médias étrangers, peut-être devraient-ils se demander si nos médias Français ne pratiquent pas les mêmes raccourcis lorsqu'ils traitent de l'interntional (cela arrive parfois).