Un trop vert timide

Thank you, but the pessimist I am cannot reassure you on this point.

Currently France and most of its population are very far from that fierce image, and that’s not new.

Our so-called “leaders” follow objectives and methods similar to their U.S. counterparts, with an apparent lag / delay. Our ten years president is a neo liberal with also some traditionalist catholic views on social norms. The asymetry in apparent power is such that those politicians don’t have too much to fear from the general population. (For now at least.) They just have to get enough people to vote for them once in a while, and manipulative communcation campaign do the job real fine.

Demonstrations and strikes don’t often work: they are generally ignored, circumvented, or smeared, criminalized, and sometimes violently repressed. (With accusations of terrorism). We even have a very violent “police” unit seemingly fully dedicated to beat up demonstrators. (The “BRAV-M”.) More powers, more tools, more weaponery and legal protections are given to the police (or similar) forces.

The fatigue and discouragement from our worsening living conditions depowered the fights for general interest causes. (against domination and exploitation systems, for example)

But !.. the same worsening living conditions are becoming bad enough that people become more afraid of being passive than of the consequences of opposing the “elites” and their goons. I sure hope the balance will tip in favor of those who fight for a better life before the faschist-style authoritarism is fully installed.

2027’s elections will be quite a battleground, but honestly we’re in need of more than some “providential” elected president with a good program. The framework of our current institutions system is rotten, focused on presidential power, and must be discarded to a framework based on equality of rights, equality of opportunities, solidarity, freedom, respect, compassion.

TL;DR:

France is currently not as much a land of rights and successful social fights as some believe or claim it is. It is also not a land of freedom anymore. (See freedom of press rankings, for example.) It’s rapidly (d)evolving into a fully fledged capitalist owned, highly repressive, police state. There are reasons for despair, but also some reasons for hope. All is not lost, but the fight will be arduous.

The same strategy is used in France. Our social welfare, including retirement funding and medical care, is being dismantled this way.

I use

1. sublime-text when not confined to a terminal
2. nano for example with git’s CLI
3. vi/vim when the others are not available.