Black France is made up of all the people who live in the European part of France (as opposed to the French Caribbean) who are at least part black African by blood. Just like Black America is made up of the black people in America.
Sounds simple except for one thing: it is an American way of looking at France.
Sure, there are black people in France. In fact, France has more black people than any other country in Europe, even more than Britain, something like 2.5 million. So in that sense there is a Black France.
But unlike most blacks in America, they do not have a common culture of their own. They do not even have a common history: some come from Africa, some from the Caribbean and some grew up in Europe. Some are mixed and do not see themselves as black. And even if you just take those who come from Africa, they think of themselves mainly as Cameroonian or Malian or whatever, not as “black”.
All of which is a bit strange because the idea of “negritude”, of blackness as being something good and powerful and true, started in France in the 1930s.
It has only been since about 2005, when the black ghettos of Paris burned, that some blacks, mainly the young who grew up in France, have begun to see that despite whatever country their parents came from, they share a common black experience and destiny shaped by the racism of France.
On paper France is not racist. Few talk about race or blackness. The government does not even count people by race. France is supposed to be above all that, colour-blind, universal and post-racial: so long as you speak French and take on French ways you are French. It does not matter what you look like or where you came from. Like Josephine Baker. Culture comes first, not the colour of one’s skin.
It sounds good, but in practice it does not always work out like that.
For example, about 37% of the French have a university degree, but among blacks it is 55%. Yet while 34% of the French are working class, 45% of blacks are. So French society is clearly racist against blacks – even if more hatred is directed against Arabs.
Or: despite the two million or so blacks who live in European France, the only blacks in the National Assembly are those from overseas, from places like Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Or even take Josephine Baker herself. She felt accepted and at home in France in a way she never could in the land of her birth, America. And yet think about how she became famous: by dancing wild and free and almost completely naked. She was acting out a stereotype that whites had about blacks as exotic, naked savages, even though she herself was a washerwoman’s daughter from St Louis in the middle of America.
- blogs:
- France
- Josephine Baker
- black ghetto – the ones in America, that is
- black
Abagond 
I love how the French culture think that they are so forward thinking but are succumbed to the problems other cultures have. They are just as screwed up as we Americans are!
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There is a certain satisfaction in that.
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scratch the surface of any country and you will find the same mess. Sickness of the human race remember. it taks on different forms, but we all have one symptom or another.
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Racism is in one form or another in all countries, but at the end of the day, for most of us, whose parents come from the Caribbean, Africa and South America, it is a better standard of living, my father has been in Uk for so long and he would not be going back to Guyana. Josephine Baker did more than just dance naked wildly, she was just more than that. For women like Josephine Baker and others, France gave them the freedom to express themselves, be wild. That was a period in her life, but she was so much more. We don’t have to dance naked and look at MTV base and the rubbish, they are putting on. Things haven’t changed in that department, the Video vixens are all the range now! they are still shaking their breasts and bottoms and every ever, but not we have magazines dedicated to them. King and X to mention, so why are they doing it, because they love money and they are aware of the history, but they simply don’t care, but they have large house, jewellery, the lot.
Josephine Baker and many others paced the way for Sade, Beyonces of the world. Black people need to concentrate and become rich, so that they can help themselves and help their countries.
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True, living with racism is better than living in poverty. Which is why blacks come to France, America and so on. But that does not excuse racism.
My point about Josephine Baker is that even though she experienced less racism in France than in America, that does not mean France is not racist – just less so.
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True, living with racism is better than living in poverty.
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Racism is correlated with poverty especially in America.
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I have been to France 3 times, Italy, 11 times, and lived in Germany for 2 years. America is the most racist country of all.
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Ok, now what?
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AISSA MAIGA, THE FAMOUS FRENCH BLACK ACTRESS: SHE WOULD NOT HAVE THIS STATUS IN AMERICAN BECAUSE SHE IS TOO DARK. SO I THINK FRANCE IS FAR AHEAD OF AMERICA WHEN IT COMES TO RACISM.
OUTSIDE OF THIS WEBSITE, ONLY LIGHT SKINNED BLACK ACTRESSES ARE MORE POPULAR AND CONSIDERED MORE BEAUTY IN AMERICA – HALLE BERRY.
MOST AMERICANS ONLY THINK STRAIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING MONEY. ANY OTHER SUBJECT MATTERS, THE THINKING IS DYSFUNCTIONAL.
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Actually for Aissa Maiga is quite hard for her to find work in France.
She mostly have stereotypical small roles and in all she’s only dated white men.
Her most interesting work was in African Movies, by the way she an African-French.
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i heard that in europe blacks from america born and raised, are treated better than blacks born within europe…i dont know if it was ever true, and if it was i doubt it now since all the damage bush and the republicans have done.
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Always101,
you quite right,
in France where American culture fascinated some French Folks.
some will treat better a Black American than Black French or African etc…
that remind me when I am aboard people in general treat me differently (nicely than they do in my homeland) only because I have a french Passport (so speak french).
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As a Black woman from America, but still the diaspora , nonetheless, I find it so strange that many of the same issues tend to plague us all, whether they be in America, France, Germany and so on. Josephine Baker was before her time, and that was a very good point about her dancing naked and it being no different than now (with perhaps more class than now).
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As someone whose father is afriacn american and french and whose mother is french I resent the statement about La Baker as she is called in France. She did more then dance wildy she was an idol in her time.She was the first african american to star in a motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer. She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and was eevn asked my Martin Luther King’s widow to head the civil rights movement but turned it down. She is also the first American born woman to to receive the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre for acting as a spy for the french resistance during WW2. While in Amreica in the 50’s she accused a night club of descriminating against her, which they did, and Grace kelley came to her side left with her and vowed to never return(and she kept that promise) and that satrted a friendship that would last until Baker died in 1975. W
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As someone whose father is afriacn american and french and whose mother is french I resent the statement about La Baker as she is called in France. She did more then dance wildy she was an idol in her time.She was the first african american to star in a motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer. She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and was eevn asked my Martin Luther King’s widow to head the civil rights movement but turned it down. She is also the first American born woman to to receive the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre for acting as a spy for the french resistance during WW2. While in Amreica in the 50’s she accused a night club of descriminating against her, which they did, and Grace kelley came to her side left with her and vowed to never return(and she kept that promise) and that satrted a friendship that would last until Baker died in 1975. When Baker died she was given a traditional French military funeral and so many came to see that the streets of Paris were backed up.
Yes there are some race issues in France but what country doesn’t? The fact is France has always been pretty forward thInking compared to other countries like the U.S. In the years that I have lived in the states I have felt and expreiecned more racism then when I lived in France. Even when vacationing in the mosr rural parts of France I did not experienec racism amybe that is because I was raised in france until I was twelve and so I was a part of french culture and understood it. Many black people i France consider themselves french just as black people in America consider themselves American and belong to the Amrerican culture. It is true there are not many black people in the french media but that is changing and ir will take some time. In America the africans were slaves up until the 1860’s and it wasn’t until the 1960’s that many were allowed to even vote!
I am not saying france is some utopia and the states is this horrible racist country just saying there is good and bad everyone and that uncludes both france and the United Sates
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I’m a French Chinese, was born in China and moved to France at the age of 6. At school, I studied English (it’s compulsary in France) and German; therefore I had to go with my school, once to England, several times to Germany. I also visited the USA and Italy.
I can sincerely tell you that France is the LEAST racist among all of them.
In England, I was in a school in London and the oldest pupils kept on shouting “ching chong” in the corridors. They must have been almost 18, whereas this happened to me in France only one time and I was in primary school! In the streets, I had to go on the other sidewalk because of hooligans whenever I took the bus back home.
In Italy (Naples) and Germany (Berlin), many many people pulled the corner of their eyes to make fun of me. In the main station of Berlin, some people called me saying please with an innocent voice and when I turned back, they were all pulling their eyes again and laughing at loud. Incredible. In Naples, I clearly heard a group of youngsters shouting “bastardo” from a roof when I was close to the see and I saw them staring at me!
In the US, I was in a bar and had to wait to see the waitress. She ignored me on purpose for almost 20 min and served directly the Whites who arrived after me, and as by a chance I was the only Asian there. This was in NY. Then I went to Atlanta and I saw some people wearing Hitler’s crosses on their t-shirts and the police said nothing nor ordinary people. I swear you : in France, we’d lynch them!
In France, the only racism I recall encountering was in the primary school with the others calling me “chinetoque” and it only happened when they were somehow angry to me.
In my heart, I feel rather Chinese because my parents always insisted on it. But as I must live in the West, I definitely prefer France, where the Asians have a good reputation and you’re not made fun of owing to your origins.
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Le Pen ? you should ask a Frenchman with roots; i don’t feel concerned about him. Moreover, I’ve seen today on the newsbroadcast that he retires from his party and his daughter takes his place.
In France, the nationalist (racist) party is legal; they say it’s due to the freedom of speech but I personally think they exaggerate… on top of that it contradicts their own conception of liberty.
Knowing many western countries, I do think France is less racist. But true that I don’t know Canada nor Sweden or Finland. As for Eastern Europe, not even in my worst nightmares!
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Le Pen is an idiot pure and simple. France has its share of idiots as do countries like the U.S, rush limbaugh is a good example, but the party he belongs to has no real power. It has been awhile but if I remember right his party got less then 5% of the vote, clearly the French voters do not care for their views.
As I have said before France is not perfect but in my heart of hearts I do belive it is one of the least racist countries.
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As dizziz said you wanna see ugly go to East Europe. That is where you may get spat on or physically assaulted. I actually found Germany to be nice but that could be because I was only in the largr citys. I should note that in Germany they do stare, even at other white Germans; its not considerd rude but part of how they are.
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J.-M. Le Pen’s party scored 11,7% at the latest regional elections in march 2010 (not 5% despite what alizee_love seems to think).
This may seems relatively low, but it was enough to make Le Pen’s party the 3rd political force in the country, behind “L’Union de la Gauche” (46,40%) and the “Majorité Presidentielle” led by governing party UMP (35,38%).
11,7% is the average score. In the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the Front National scored 22,87%. In the region of Pas-de-Calais it scored 22,22%.
More importantly, the relatively low scores of the FN are deceptive because its xenophobic rhetoric and systematic scapegoating of blacks and North Africans have been taken over by Nicholas Sarkozy’s UMP.
Racism in Fance is of a more hypocritical kind than the one in the US, but it’s still racism. And it’s everywhere. The only ones who don’t seem to notice it are (surprise!) the white french folks. And if by chance they happen to admit its existence it’s usually to better minimize it…
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As I said I had not ben to france in a very long time so I was not sure of the percentages.
Xenophobia is an issue in France but well you will find racist anywhere but I wouldn’t say france is a very racist country for the simple fact I do not know every person in France
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France over Usa hands down.
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Facts:
USA- say French are ‘socialists’.
African American community disillusioned over African roots and colour tone of skin e.g light skin= beauty. More internal racism ‘limbaugh’, fox news etc. Universities produces consumers. USA are in their empire stage luckily siding with european weak UK. Although an apparant nation for good wants Iran oil and people in USA are sadly too dumb to realise that USA is just as bad as Israel, Saddam Hussein Iraq etc…
France- A progessive nation. Black French represent national football team. Tone of skin does not matter. Racism does exist but similar to UK institutionally. Universities produces citizens. France no longer empire but as a middle power wants a better world… seems USA could provide it but they cannot, wants EU to counter balnce USA. Better culture, understanding of world in music than USA just MTV. French people in general treat black people.
France hands down.
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I don’t understand how someone can use the fact that black people are on the French football MNT as a way to say that the French are less racist…
After all, that’s the reason that Thierry Henry left France to come play in New York. There are so many videos showing the onslaught of racism that he was shown by idiotic fans on youtube.
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ok personally …i think USA is one of the most racist countries…of coarse not everyone there is because u cant judge a whole country by itself but saying that have you noticed that in almost every singel American movie the black person always has to have the ghetto temper and talk like they never went to school, and they always have that ghetto attitude. only of they are a little lighter in skin tone, and prettier then they are a little less ghetto.
and they think just cuz u fromr south africa (africa) it means you ride elephants so school, and have pet cheetahs in ur back yard, and wear animal hide for clothes (which is not true) then they act sooo surprised when ur english is perfect (and you almost sound British) n when you are wearing normal clothes
the Americans are just……anyways i think even though the french might be racist …i dont think they are that racist …
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ok guys, i’m french and i found this article on the net. sorry my english is not very well but i’ll try to get understood by you.
I was born and Im living in france and im from a polish family. my girlfriend is black, and i’ve never had any problems with that, i know a lot of couples like us, “mixed” .
Everyday i see on the TV some stupid guys telling that France is racist and some stupid things else. That’s an idea that i know only by the tv but i’ve never met some problems in my real life.
The most stupid thing was told when obama became the president of usa. I saw on the tv the same stupid guys, explaining us that we never will see a black president in France.
I know the history of my country, and i know for example that when the black president of Sénat in France for 22 years (1947-1969) visited usa in 1950’s, the american authorities refused to speak with him or to touch his hand beacause he was black: France was early with those topics.
But today, there is a doctrine, which explain us that America is the model to follow.
As a french, I love America for the symbol (a country-friend for France), but i cant let such stupid things to say.
Common in France guys, learn some sentences in french , the french people love that when american people use every effort to speak in french.
And try to understand the real problem. Dont read some stupid things of people who’ve never benn in France.
few years ago I was in London and somethings shocked me: there are some gangs organized by color of skin (black, white and indian), and the second thing was that if you want to enroll for something, you have to ennroll according to your race.
But the english people are jerks and that’s a topics that reconciliate usa and france (i’m kidding)
Last thing: the thing that shock me in france is not that the Assemblée Nationale has not a lot of black people or arabic or asian. The thing that shock me is that there is almost no poor-people. That means that the possibility for poor people to be represented doesnt exist! That’s the problem! Read Marx and have an other view on the world
Ok sorry for my mistakes, i tried to speak in the best english i can lol
best regards my friends
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and Adamson: Thierry Henry came to NY to make money, he doesnt care, the american league sucks but there is the place where there is money
The french team include almost only black people and there was never a problem.
Again: Come to France and see with your own eyes and dont tell some stupid things!
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What I can say is that a most white countries are racist, America is by far the most racist country and continent in the world I’ve ever seen and experienced, so there’s no way you can compare France or UK racism to America racism. The only European country for me that racism is the same level to the American one is Spain.
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I just stumbled across this one. Interesting view but not surprising really.
First of all I’m actually half French, half British through my parents but ethnically a 4 x 1/4 mix.
As for our “honte nationale”, le FN et Le Pen. I think outsiders, and first of all those who have never lived in France and don’t even speak French should keep in mind that 33% of what you hear and read abroad gets lost in translation plus certain semantics that need to be read between the lines. Things you only catch if you have lived them for at least a few years in a row. Then another 33% is taken out of context and presented as uncontested statements. It often reads like a huge headline “the French are fed up with immigrants” and then somewhere at the end of a paragraph in fine print you find out (overlooked?) that the article is about just another tirade of the Front National. The devil is in the details.
Outsiders, especially Anglophones, should keep in mind that the French don’t avoid open and passionate verbal confrontation. There is a lot of controversy in public, in the media. There are a lot of heated debates about all sorts of political and social issues. That is, without having to be afraid to get sued or shot.
Le Pen and his ilk always had around 10-15% in elections as long as I can remember from when I first started to discover some interest in politics. That’s no news to us. What might be news to outsiders is that his lowest-common-denominator-hitting statements will always face fierce opposition or roaring laughter. One demagogic phrase from the FN = at least 10 intelligent counter-arguments in a heart beat. The French are more political than Americans. We grow up debating all sorts of issues of public interest while certain Americans (not all of course) might go out in the streets demonstrating passionately against the discontinuation of a thrill ride in Disneyland.
Last but not least, according to many of his persuasions you can safely put Le Pen on level with Sarah Palin and definitely Dick “Head” Cheney. In some issues also with Dubya. The difference is that Le Pen speaks out loud in public what a lot of US politicians most likely also think but only dare to say in the comfort of their homes.
I’ll get back on the racism issue later. Just briefly, I did experience at least some form of fairly open discrimination throughout my life. Looking like a “beur” in France, that comes to no surprise. However, and that’s the point I could also be quite sure that I could always get some backing from somebody else, irrespective of their origin (mostly white European though). I never had to “wait” for backing from a maghrébin or someone else who looks a bit like me and who might think that we are of the same “brand”. Btw, I’m not North African but 25% Cameroonian. Anyway, the point is that I (and my mother and siblings btw) learned to cut the crap and differentiate between bigots, just idiots, naive clumsy people and decent people of any origin.
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Since France doesn’t keep track of ethnicity, the estimates of who could be considered “black” (then again, by whose standards?) vary from 2.5 million to 5 million. That’s a deviation of 100%. There are lots and lots of different mixtures too.
It depends on your viewpoint and on what you define as “black”. In the USA you have one arbitrary definition. In the UK you have a different one. By US standards, in France you’d have to bunch people together who couldn’t be any further from each other culturally. You can only consider the attribute black (or with roots on the African continent) if you assume that the biological concept of a handful of “races” exists. This is not proven, although some supremacy groups state that they have proof.
Where do those figures come from? When you see stats like “37% of the French have a university degree” that englobes all French, black, white, métisse you name it. Since statistics on ethnicity (let alone “race”) don’t exist in France you will never get to any meaningful figures, not even an approximation. Apart from that, what or who would those statistics be beneficial for? Certainly not for the minorities. We already know that there are inequalities. The disparity might even be higher than that. Putting those into numbers wouldn’t be an amazing revelation. We have to work on the roots of the inequalities, not on juggling with numbers.
Or is it again just another American way to justify that they are yet the greatest nation in the world and others are wrong, especially France?
To make a blanket statement about a direct correlation and clear evidence for racism in those figures is a very US-centric assumption. Most of the economical and social inequalities in France are based on elitism, like in most European countries. France is not free from nepotism and favouritism either. Many youths get education (which is free) and then run against walls finding a job that does justice to their potential. Labour laws are very strict in France so companies are careful and actually unrealistic in hiring young managerial staff. US-style hire and fire doesn’t work in France. So they expect you to have a masters from a reputable school, 3 years work experience, be very flexible and docile, work more hours for less salary and be 23 years old 😀 An exaggeration, but not so far off the mark.
On the other hand, you have daddy or uncle rubbing elbows (play golf?) with the big wigs and pushes his kids into managing positions. It also has a lot do with which school you went to. There are some prolific universities where the head hunters are literally circling like vultures in front of the auditorium on graduation day. Then there are other schools which require either somebody you know to kick the doors open to interesting jobs or you go through interview hell for months. A lot give up prematurely and take on any small job to make at least some money, not seldom to also support their parents and siblings. I was one of those who went through interview hell but was lucky enough to have parents who would encourage me not to give up. I wasn’t expected to contribute financially to the family right after graduation. At some point I also gave up on sending countless CVs to companies and this interview malarkey. Eventually I was lucky hooking up with an old mate (white French btw) who just started his own small company and pulled me in as a partner right away. Some of my friends, (some African French and some whites) weren’t that lucky and worked as taxi drivers, post office staff, sales etc until they became so estranged from what they once studied that they would have to start over from scratch to have just a shred of a chance on the job market. Most went “ah screw it!” and lost their motivation or even truly liked their working class jobs. Some of my old mates say today that sitting all day in suit and tie in some air-conditioned office is their nightmare. I can relate to that statement…
That is again a very US-centric view. There is no such thing as “black ghettos” in Paris. Sticking to the terminology, there are “poor ghettos”, “rich ghettos”, “artist ghettos”, “gay ghettos”. All of which are ethnically mixed, not all in even fractions but potentially they all are. The riots in the poor suburbs were perpetrated first of all by mainly unemployed, frustrated and disillusioned youths, a lot of them driven by political activism and making themselves heard to the public. A forgotten youth, driven by the fact that the égalité and fraternité parts were slowly taken away from them by their government. And then to be publicly called “racaille” by their minister of interior made matters worse. Among the youths rioting were not only from subsaharan African origin but also to a large part Maghrébins, other (mainly Eastern) European immigrants and white French. The majority though came from families who are fairly recent immigrants. Poor immigrants. You would never see the kids of rich industrials or diplomats from Gabon, Cameroon or Bénin from the 16th arrondissement rioting in the streets. You can be sure about that.
A lot of the Western media, especially in the US, chose to selectively focus on the black faces in the crowd. The cynical part is that the Paris riots were apparently a welcome pretext to twist a fundamentally social problem into a “racial” one. Perhaps to point fingers and make them feel better about their own “racial” issues. Maybe also because Americans, having an irrational fear of anything ever so slightly socialist, have difficulties grasping the advantages of more social equality, they might not understand that people in other countries are ready to riot for it in the streets. I don’t know. Fact is that there have been massive social problems creeping in for the last 10-15 years or so, with the government cutting corners everywhere. Something that was never that extreme under Mitterand and the socialists.
When Americans look at other countries, they have to forget about their own concept of white trailer trash in one part of the city and black ghettoes in another part, neatly separated. Paris and all of Europe actually have their poor “ghettoes” but the people who can’t afford anything other than a council flat can be of any “race”. They all share a common poor experience and destiny shaped by years of mediocre politics.
France is not “post-racial” since it never was institutionally “racial”. It’s not colour-blind either. At least not in areas, usually larger cities, where you have people from all over the globe living together. Kids do recognise physical differences from an early age on and start to ask questions. Why do his eyes look so different, why is she so dark, why is his hair so light etc… Those things are discussed, at home, in school, among mates. I was a kid in the 60s/70s and in essence, we were taught that despite our differences we have to respect each other. That was the bottom line. Everybody has personal qualities and weaknesses but the way you were born is not your fault. Then of course you always have a few who will never learn it as they refuse to learn it.
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France is rioting again…
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Hmmm…I think it’s a matter of dealing with self-esteem issues when a person looks at another human being and assigns that human being a “status” lower than him/herself. This is in order to at least feel better. This also happens regardless of race also.
As an American, I have found through personal experience that the most racist people here are the poor whites. Yes, there is institutional racism in place to ensure that the majority are more able to have access to better jobs, housing, health care, etc…but that’s a debate for another blog. I’m specifically speaking of poor whites. They are the ones in America who spout more racist rhetoric than the norm. Why? Because they have to at least feel as if they are better than “some people.”
To be honest, I can’t understand how whites can be poor in America when ALL laws and opportunities were made to ensure their success. Someone mentioned that slavery ended in the US in the 1860s and Civil Rights brought about a measure of change in the 1960s. Now, in fewer than 50 years, quite a few Blacks in America are multi-millionaires. How did this happen? It’s undeniable that there are intrinsic talents among Blacks of all nationalities that cannot be denied or that will not remain latent. Over 400 years of maltreatment of people of African descent in America, and now I’m able to afford a house in your neighborhood when your race had a 400 year headstart on me. Go figure…..
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I am black French women sometimes reading your blog, even if im not agree with all I have to respond to your both posts about France and Black France. First of all in France, most black people who were born here or immigrate in France see themselves as black French and African at the same time. I personnaly don’t believe in existense of a french black community but my thoughts are not shared by everyone. wich bring to my the second fact that we certainly didn’t wait 2005 to release that we share a common black experiences and destiny. All the blacks people I know, immigrants, Caribbeans, or just people who grown up there, rich poor educate or not share common black experiences, such as racism, discrimination but also the need of suceed and being seen as able people (juste like we are) not just black criminals etc. I admit they had some tensions beetween Carribean and Blacks immigrants.
Secondly the riot you’re talking about, was “Emeutes des banlieues de 2005”. It’s start because of the death of two young boys Zyed and Bouna (one black, one arab), who tried to escape police by hiding in a transformer and were electrocuted. You perhaps know there are a lot of arrestations of people from ghettos, identity checks, some were beat up and some even died in dark circumstances. That was to much to support. That was not just blacks but really young people of Ghettos (mostly blacks and arabs but not just), who violently protest against police, unemployement, humiliations etc…
My last talk is about muslims in france, they don’t refuse to be French this is absurdity, they don’t all make kids every six minutes. They want to be French and muslims, there’s always fanatics in every religions, you don’t want to be French and want to turn France muslim etc… But in my point of view (as I can see in my country) this is some voices of government and “l’éxtreme droite”, want people to believed, some politics even explian unemployement by the numbers of babies that have immigrants. The reality is just that some politics just totaly screwed up and need, to make none- white people responsible of that, to not take the blame and keep people trust for next elections which work really well in crisis time. The fact is that, some members of our governement (ricist stream) and racist party just don’t want to admit that a French can be a muslim. http://fr.vikidia.org/wiki/%C3%89meutes_dans_les_banlieues_fran%C3%A7aises_en_2005 (FR)
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France is turning to Nigeria and Pakistan.
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I think that black people in America are very raciest ,especialy in the south of America they try on kkk costumes the very fabrics that used hang some of them and put out ads in the paper like whites only, I think they got there butt whipped good.
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First thing, do not compare some new world multicultural cesspit to anywhere in Europe. America was BOUND to become what it is. America never had an identity and it never truly had one culture. You are simply a nation colonized by many. Hell even your Caucausians are all basicaly Anglo washed without an identity this is why it was so easy assimilate them all under “White”. You are all cultureless. The only bit of culture you have is that crap pop culture garbage.
Again do not compare a nation in Europe who has remained European for thousands of years to some new world nation European colonizers stumbled upon. You’re not the same. Your new world idea of “White” does not apply to the rest of Europe, An ethnic Swede is a Swede first, an ethnic English is and English first, an ethnic French is a French first. Personally i wish America would just fuck off already. Its done enough damage to the world with its mainstream garbage trying to make the youth of the world as dumb as the average American youth.
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I have a feeling Jess and White are british and american 😉
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Some of what the French commenters say is true. Still France is a racist country. Numerous tests of anonymized job applications show that with identical qualifications applicants with African sounding names don’t get called in for interviews as much as white applicants. Real estate agents state that white property owners say they don’t want black tenants. Oh, and when did the first black news reader appear on the evening news on a major French network?
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France is definitely the least racist country in Europe, probably in the world, it does not matter to people of French ancestry what race you are from, in their eyes the only thing that matter is whether or not you agree to the rules of the Republique such as “no religious signs at school” hence the ban or the burqa, christian crosses are also banned for e.g., what native French people can’t stand is communitarianism, they want immigrants to assimilate and live among white people, they don’t want Black districts, Asian districts, … like in the US. My family is of Chinese ancestry and here in France I have friends from every races, it does not matter if they are asians, whites, blacks, arabs or else.
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I’m a French black girl and France is as racist as the US, they just hide it better as they are more hypocritical.
It’s hard for non-whites with ethnic family names to find a job, even with a college degree.
When I lived in California one of my best friends was French. He graduated from UC Berkeley but he couldn’t find a decent job in France because of his Arabic full name. He went back to the US a few months later where he was offered a decent job. He went back to France a year later but he still struggled to find a decent job. Luckily, he found a job overseas so he left France for good now.
The most likely way to find a decent job if you have an ethnic name (or appearance) is to know someone that knows somebody that has a high position in the company.
Also, about Black people in France, they mainly come from Africa and the French Carribean. Our black community in France is not as strong as the black community in the US because Africans and Carribean people are divided culturally but it’s not the only reason for our division. Some people from the Carribean think Africans envy them and Carribean people sometimes don’t want to acknowledge their African roots. Some Africans do not view people from the French Carribean as real blacks.
Some Muslim black Africans feel closer to North African arabics because they share a common religion.They even call eachother “cousins” at times.
But I think their unity is an illusion and the only thing that really bring them together is the discrimination they face in France because in Northern African countries, black people are treated like less than.
Joséphine Baker’s banana dance and twirk originated from an African dance (in Ivory Coast) called Mapouka:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDL7bCdWwqw)
(Warning: the content is very explicit)
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Who is Afraid of Blacks in France? The Black Question: The Name Taboo, the Number Taboo
Author: Tin, Louis-Georges
Source: French Politics, Culture & Society, Volume 26, Number 1, Spring 2008, pp. 32-44(13)
“In 2005, black people in France decided to create a national organization: the CRAN. The country had lived for decades on the myth of human rights and equality, and as a result, minorities were invisible, and were expected to remain so. Therefore, the two most important goals of the CRAN have been: to give a name, to give a figure. The taboo of the name was broken when black people decided to stand up for what they are, to call themselves “black,” however unusual this might sound in French public discourse; the taboo of the figure was also broken when the CRAN decided to launch the issue of ethnic statistics in France. Until then, blacks would not exist as such in this country, and racial discrimination would remain ignored for the most part. But since this campaign was launched, ethnic statistics have become an important issue. The debate is still going on.”
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I don’t know how living conditions are for most blacks in French-speaking Africa or the Caribbean; but I’d rather have access the running water and electricity 24/7 which alot of Africans (i.e., Niigerians) do not have. On the surface, France may appear to be less racist; but that is an illusion. I know a black man from the Ivory Coast who got his Ph.D in France and couldn’t find a ob while his white classmates had no problem. France and America have been long on rhetoric which doesn’t meet reality. Josephine Baker was trying to make a living. There are lesbians who fuck men as prostitutes to survive. So, one does what one has to do. The thing about an African or Arab sounding name regarding jobs and housing is as true in France as it is in America, not to mention the discrimination in education and housing in North Africa against sub-Saharan Africans. No one has a monopoly on discrimination; and I won’t hold my breath until the day comes when appearance is reality and everybody does the right thing.
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Black France is not new: there were black soldiers in Napoleon’s army
https://www.europenowjournal.org/2018/01/31/nationalizing-frances-army-foreign-black-and-jewish-troops-in-the-french-military-1715-1831-by-christopher-tozzi/
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They shouldn’t be in Europe. It’s not for them.
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You shouldn’t be in Africa. It’s not for you and yours.
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