Political Journal Report
Nobody Ever Talks About One Of The Biggest Problems in France
by Robert Marquand, May 1st, 2012
Summary
The suburbs in France, or the banlieue, are often dubbed as "zones of banishment," or "the lost territories of France." There are about 731 of these places, and it's where the non-minorities of Europe live. Earlier, a reform plan had been made to turn these suburbs into a better place, but it only lasted for a few days. An Islamist radical murdered soldiers, children, and a rabbi. This placed a negative feeling towards the reform. "The suburbs have no place in the politics of France," said Abdel Elotrani, who helped lead the a ministry. The suburbs keep getting bad media. The people who live in the suburbs are by majority Arab or African immigrants or children of children of children of immigrants. The unemployment rates for young adults reach thirty nine percent, and the even younger population's unemployment is around forty. (The average is about twenty-ish.) This type of France is completely different from the other, and their government can't relieve the tension in that area or be able to fix the housing and employment issues in the area.
Thoughts
I didn't realize that there was such a difference in the places surrounding France. When I hear France, I typically think, beauty. Paris. But these slums and "suburbs" are called the "zones of banishment." or the "lost territories," which is such a different thing to hear about such a highly thought of country. I think a lot of people do this too - jump to conclusions about European cities and assume that they're perfect?
Tying Into France's Political Life
This ties into France's political life through their elections. It was their 2012 election that started the adding of negative media towards the suburbs. France says that they have social equality and does not have any prejudice towards their elections but "it also gave its far-right party 18 percent of the vote (its highest vote ever) in recent presidential elections. Much of Marine Le Pen's campaign targeted minorities, implying they were unwanted and un-French." I think that the suburbs and those minorities who are in it won't be able to have proper say in how their towns and cities will be fixed, or how to fix it since the majority of those in office aren't able to keep away the bad media surrounding it?