On the 'French imagination,' American guns, and varieties of Euroskepticism
Three mostly unrelated news items:
France's Burning
Business columnist Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post has some thoughts on what's wrong with the French economy:
What's so galling about the French is that, in the name of equality and solidarity, they are well on their way to creating not only one of the least vibrant economies in the industrialized world, but also one of the least equitable.
And of course:
This sort of calculated hypocrisy among the French political elite, which likes to "talk left, act right," has now completely undermined support for market capitalism.
Guns of Milford
One of the top stories on the (UK) Guardian's web site today caught my eye because it's about a murder in a boring Midwestern suburb about 20 miles from where I currently sit. I went to school in the same town, briefly.
I didn't think it was big news, but I guess the story of a 66-year-old man fatally shooting a teenager for cutting acrosss his lawn plays into several stereotypes of Americans.
One good thing about the international coverage is the Brits printed the curse word that the local paper did not:
"I just killed a kid," Charles Martin told the emergency services operator. "I shot him with a goddamn 410 shotgun twice."
It's still an untamed wilderness over here. What can you do.
Safe European Home
A recent post on the EU Referendum blog reminds me there are (at least) two types of EU-hater:
1. The paranoid kind who suggests that the EU it shouldn't be underestimated because even though it appears benign, it will all of a sudden reveal its froth-covered fangs - and then it will be too late to stop it.
2. The more traditional Euroskeptic who doesn't believe the EU could become supranational power if it had a magic genie and a popular mandate.
France's Burning
Business columnist Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post has some thoughts on what's wrong with the French economy:
What's so galling about the French is that, in the name of equality and solidarity, they are well on their way to creating not only one of the least vibrant economies in the industrialized world, but also one of the least equitable.
And of course:
This sort of calculated hypocrisy among the French political elite, which likes to "talk left, act right," has now completely undermined support for market capitalism.
Guns of Milford
One of the top stories on the (UK) Guardian's web site today caught my eye because it's about a murder in a boring Midwestern suburb about 20 miles from where I currently sit. I went to school in the same town, briefly.
I didn't think it was big news, but I guess the story of a 66-year-old man fatally shooting a teenager for cutting acrosss his lawn plays into several stereotypes of Americans.
One good thing about the international coverage is the Brits printed the curse word that the local paper did not:
"I just killed a kid," Charles Martin told the emergency services operator. "I shot him with a goddamn 410 shotgun twice."
It's still an untamed wilderness over here. What can you do.
Safe European Home
A recent post on the EU Referendum blog reminds me there are (at least) two types of EU-hater:
1. The paranoid kind who suggests that the EU it shouldn't be underestimated because even though it appears benign, it will all of a sudden reveal its froth-covered fangs - and then it will be too late to stop it.
2. The more traditional Euroskeptic who doesn't believe the EU could become supranational power if it had a magic genie and a popular mandate.
posted by bp at
5:16 AM
3 Comments:
That gun story is something completely different. Oy vey. Sounds like my dead grandad.
By
t'su, at 8:10 PM
While I am quite sure that the British were happy to publish a story that portrays the U.S. as an untamed land of violence. I disagree with your analysis that a man shooting a young teen simply for crossing his yard is not big news...to shoot someone for crossing your yard is in many ways like shooting them for no reason at all.
By
Josh, at 10:19 PM
Yeah, I had a grandfather like that, too.
Josh, it is big news. I just meant that on the international scene, I was surprised a British newspaper would have that as their No. 1 "world" story of the day.
By
bp, at 9:23 AM
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