France-deporting-scads-of-Roma thing, but what with all the mucus and the fever, world news was not high on my list of priorities the last couple days.
Consequently, tonight on the PBS NewsHour was the first time I saw Nicolas Sarkozy standing behind a microphone in front of TV cameras, giving a rationale that pretty much boils down to "They corrupt nice white men and steal children ZOMG!"
WHAT THE WHAT WHAT WHAT???
Mr. President? Just because Granny threatened to sell you to the Gypsies when you were naughty doesn't mean they were actually buying. Or stealing. Or whatever.
Also, the Roma do not in fact originate in Romania. The names are false cognates. Anthropology FAIL. If you really want to deport them to "where they came from," take it up with India. And good luck with that.
I just can't even what the what what ARGL.
Okay, I had heard in passing about the whole Consequently, tonight on the PBS NewsHour was the first time I saw Nicolas Sarkozy standing behind a microphone in front of TV cameras, giving a rationale that pretty much boils down to "They corrupt nice white men and steal children ZOMG!"
WHAT THE WHAT WHAT WHAT???
Mr. President? Just because Granny threatened to sell you to the Gypsies when you were naughty doesn't mean they were actually buying. Or stealing. Or whatever.
Also, the Roma do not in fact originate in Romania. The names are false cognates. Anthropology FAIL. If you really want to deport them to "where they came from," take it up with India. And good luck with that.
I just can't even what the what what ARGL.
- Current Location:living room
- Current Mood:
nauseated
- Current Music:Project Runway
Comments
If the EU doesn't somehow prevent this, the whole institution will be shown to be a sham.
Grrrr.
I'm just baffled. Not that I've ever been the biggest fan of the current French government (or the previous few, for that matter) but WHAT.
Y'know, unless you're a shameless bigot. Ugh.
The Roma individuals who are being deported are reported to be citizens of Bulgaria and Romania. Mr. Sarkozy is not deporting western European Roma, as far as I have heard. Have you heard otherwise? This is not a justification in any way, but merely context: my understanding is that except for some Travellers, western European Roma are highly integrated, while eastern European Roma have maintained much independence from the dominant culture.
It does appear to be mostly those who migrated most recently from Central and Eastern Europe, yes, and who are living in traditional (and allegedly illegal) camps. As far as I've been able to determine, that's the only legal grounds the French government actually has for deporting EU citizens who are supposed to be able to move freely between EU nations.
Mostly it's just the shock of actually seeing the man stand up in front of the media with absolutely no apparent shame and say what he said. I seldom watch any TV news anymore, but the PBS NewsHour always seems to have something eye-opening when I do.
From what I've read, outlawing "camping" was a primary strategy used on both sides of the Iron Curtain to suppress Roma traditions during the twentieth century. (Granted, the spectrum run was from Britain mostly fining people, to some of the communist countries forcing people into horrid state-built accommodations that directly conflicted with cultural norms and then being furious when that didn't magically assimilate them.)
When I'm spending money again, I'm planning to buy one of the few books about North American Roma history (library doesn't have them). Amazon lists one about California Roma dating to the '70s that looks to be the most comprehensive, which is weird -- no new scholarship in forty years?
>"but the PBS NewsHour always seems to have something eye-opening when I do."
They're the best! My local NPR station airs the audio of the PBS NewsHour at 3 PM local time; sometimes, in my current circumstances, I go for a walk with my walkman then. You can tell that it's very serious journalism and scholarship when the audio alone is complete, clear and thought-provoking, with little to no loss from omitting the video.
I have a lot of large, angry ??????? floating over my head right now.
It makes my head hurt.
-J