Wake up to the old reality
By Daniel Ben-Simon
Those poor French; they were counting so heavily on winning the World Cup final and letting it carry them beyond the grim reality that envelops them. How fervently they wished for it to make them forget - if only briefly - the malaise affecting their political situation, the sad decline of President Jacques Chirac, the brutal infighting of his potential successors, the impotence of the government, the endless arguments dividing the Socialist Party's leadership, the continuing unemployment, the increasing ideological radicalization of the extreme left and the extreme right, as well as the threatening rise in the popularity of Jean-Marie Le Pen and the polls showing that 50 percent of the French believe that his population transfer ideas are legitimate.
The French are guilty of a certain naivete, of hoping that soccer would perform miracles in an area where the state failed. Soccer in France has been held out as a symbol of the success of the social assimilation that has not taken place beyond the playing field. If French society looked like its national team, it almost certainly could have avoided the terrors of last fall and other troubles. For three weeks back then, the immigrant-filled suburbs boiled, threatening to affect the quality of life of French city dwellers who may be geographically close to the poor neighborhoods but who feel alien to them, as if they were on another planet.
Liberacion, the newspaper of young leftists, said yesterday that cultural historians analyzing contemporary times would explain that the descendants of the Gauls found their sole common denominator in their national soccer team, the stars of which were second-generation immigrants, mainly from Africa. This has not stopped the French from being drunk with emotion for the past month.
While the first, Gallic, France reveled in the achievements of the national team, the second France was focusing on the players who gave them pride in their ethnic origins. For years, the image of Zinedine Zidane, gazing toward Algeria, has graced the port of his birthplace, Marseilles. The image became a pilgrimage destination for young, second-generation immigrants. About 40 percent of the population of the southern port city immigrated there from North African states.
The players on the national team symbolized something at which France has failed. Zidane and his teammates symbolized the ability of these young people to dream, and to realize their dreams. The state was closed off to them, and they had to find solace in the players, who in their eyes had become a symbol of successful integration. In recent years, all types of sports have become a refuge for the children of immigrants - tennis, track and field, boxing, basketball and, of course, soccer.
But the success in sports did not prevent the riots of fall 2005, and it can be assumed that it will not prevent such outbursts in the future. Since the start of the World Cup the troubles have been put aside as everyone united around the common goal. There was a feeling of national unity, and hundreds of thousands of people poured into the Champs-Elysees to embrace and kiss and feel that life is good. France became a unified country. For over three weeks, the French went to sleep hugging Zidane and the sweet dream he gave them; but yesterday morning, they awoke with Chirac and their distressing reality.
Had it ended differently, the victory would certainly have affected the national mood and would even have softened the polarization between left and right and between the "French" and the "immigrants." But soccer did not meet the enormous expectations that were invested in it. The saddened face of President Chirac at the end of the game were testimony to the fall facing the French.
Above all, they were paralyzed and bewildered by the sight of Zidane losing his cool. This man, who had been elevated to sainthood and symbolized success and salvation, fell at the most important moment of his career, staining the dreams of millions - many of them "immigrants."
haaretz.co . . .
By Daniel Ben-Simon
Those poor French; they were counting so heavily on winning the World Cup final and letting it carry them beyond the grim reality that envelops them. How fervently they wished for it to make them forget - if only briefly - the malaise affecting their political situation, the sad decline of President Jacques Chirac, the brutal infighting of his potential successors, the impotence of the government, the endless arguments dividing the Socialist Party's leadership, the continuing unemployment, the increasing ideological radicalization of the extreme left and the extreme right, as well as the threatening rise in the popularity of Jean-Marie Le Pen and the polls showing that 50 percent of the French believe that his population transfer ideas are legitimate.
The French are guilty of a certain naivete, of hoping that soccer would perform miracles in an area where the state failed. Soccer in France has been held out as a symbol of the success of the social assimilation that has not taken place beyond the playing field. If French society looked like its national team, it almost certainly could have avoided the terrors of last fall and other troubles. For three weeks back then, the immigrant-filled suburbs boiled, threatening to affect the quality of life of French city dwellers who may be geographically close to the poor neighborhoods but who feel alien to them, as if they were on another planet.
Liberacion, the newspaper of young leftists, said yesterday that cultural historians analyzing contemporary times would explain that the descendants of the Gauls found their sole common denominator in their national soccer team, the stars of which were second-generation immigrants, mainly from Africa. This has not stopped the French from being drunk with emotion for the past month.
While the first, Gallic, France reveled in the achievements of the national team, the second France was focusing on the players who gave them pride in their ethnic origins. For years, the image of Zinedine Zidane, gazing toward Algeria, has graced the port of his birthplace, Marseilles. The image became a pilgrimage destination for young, second-generation immigrants. About 40 percent of the population of the southern port city immigrated there from North African states.
The players on the national team symbolized something at which France has failed. Zidane and his teammates symbolized the ability of these young people to dream, and to realize their dreams. The state was closed off to them, and they had to find solace in the players, who in their eyes had become a symbol of successful integration. In recent years, all types of sports have become a refuge for the children of immigrants - tennis, track and field, boxing, basketball and, of course, soccer.
But the success in sports did not prevent the riots of fall 2005, and it can be assumed that it will not prevent such outbursts in the future. Since the start of the World Cup the troubles have been put aside as everyone united around the common goal. There was a feeling of national unity, and hundreds of thousands of people poured into the Champs-Elysees to embrace and kiss and feel that life is good. France became a unified country. For over three weeks, the French went to sleep hugging Zidane and the sweet dream he gave them; but yesterday morning, they awoke with Chirac and their distressing reality.
Had it ended differently, the victory would certainly have affected the national mood and would even have softened the polarization between left and right and between the "French" and the "immigrants." But soccer did not meet the enormous expectations that were invested in it. The saddened face of President Chirac at the end of the game were testimony to the fall facing the French.
Above all, they were paralyzed and bewildered by the sight of Zidane losing his cool. This man, who had been elevated to sainthood and symbolized success and salvation, fell at the most important moment of his career, staining the dreams of millions - many of them "immigrants."
haaretz.co . . .
