I think the problems going on in France are a result of that country's attitude culturally. The French are very anxious to preserve their culture. They have a commission there that is supposed to change imported English words and acronyms (like CD-ROM, RAM, or "blog") into French ones to preserve the language, for instance. It basically comes down to a cultural chauvinism, that defines what is "French" and what is "foriegn." Problem with that, you inadvertently define WHO is "French" and who is "foriegn." They are in a sense reaping the benefits of that now, becaue they have culturally isolated whole segments of what is increasingly an indigenous poplulation within their borders.
There society is also crystallized into very fixed interests. Watching French farmers go on strike and shut the south of the country down with roadblocks and their own version of rioting over something as mundane as watermelon imports from Chile is an interesting example. All developed countries are like that to some extent, but France takes it to the next level, and there society at that point deprives big chuncks of the population from any social mobility, up or down via such crystallization.
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Originally Posted by maxSaleen
No, eventually we won't be able to hire enough police. The NRA will have its way and everyone will have a gun.... the people with the biggest guns and the best aim will win. Free for all. At least that's what a Marxist would like to see. After all the rich have been killed off, the rest get together and form a Soviet Union.
Bah, rambling again. Sorry.
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I don't think its a European problem per se. If you look at Germany, they do much better with a sizeable Turkish population that is very Muslim, (and the Turks do much better in that society than all those Algerians in France) despite that country's historical pre-disposition to chauvinism. Ditto for the Brits as well, who have obviously some fringe elements with their Muslim populations, but for the most part that is a very integrated, egalitarian society as a comparison to France.
If anything, I hope Europe continues to evolve as a society where religion is compartmentalized and closed off from temporal power, no matter what the religion is. If there is a threat to Europe from all of this, it is the slow erosion of the most secular society in the world. Holy Rollers of any kind are bad news when they get to be the cops.