French racism...

As the recent riots have shown, France has an enormous problem with assimilating its immigrants. Presumably a country that opens its national doors to foreigners actually wants people to move there from abroad.

However, in France, the socio-economic strata are set up so rigidly as to restrict assimilation once the immigrants have arrived. While first generations of foreign-born "Frenchmen" accept the social safety nets and lack of upward mobility, we now see subsuquent generations growing tired of being excluded from the opportunities afforded to native-born Frenchmen.

When government and social policy create artificial glass ceilings, those wishing to rise up above them will inevitably try to break through. We've seen the same forces at work in America, first with the rise of women, and then with the rise of black people.

Ultimately, one must conclude that the French government and the French culture has been built on a deep-seated sense of racism, as its structure assumes that immigrants do not wish to improve their lives, instead choosing to live in housing projects and accepting unemployment for generation after generation.

Frankly, I cannot place all blame for the riots on the teenagers doing the damage night after night. When young people look into the future, and see nothing but despair and struggle, it is not inconceivable that some may turn to desperate acts to call attention to their own plights.

I can only wonder how long America will avoid a similar scene, given the large numbers of people trapped in the inner city schools and housing projects, large numbers of Mexican and South American immigrants told they are only here to do jobs Americans "won't do", and the reality of our nation's coming economic collapse.

Combine that with the dire predictions of the 9/11 Commission, Michael Chertoff, Condoleeza Rice, President Bush and many others as to the virtual inevitability of a terrorist attack being carried out again in this country using a WMD device, and I see a recipe for terrible disaster.

Of course, many will only blame the lawbreakers, to which much blame will be due, however, the socio-economic policies shoveled down onto the masses by our government will also be to blame in large measure for having contributed to, instead of rectifying, pre-existing societal problems. People who feel powerless to exert significant control over their own lives will inevitably rebel. It has happened time and again throughout history, and only a racist could convince himself that certain groups of people don't wish their children opportunities equal to those of their neighbors.

Check out this column by James Antle III on French racism that got my mind churning this morning.