November 16, 2005
More on French Rioting
How's this for a theory?
PARIS (Reuters) - Polygamy may have been a factor behind the unprecedented wave of riots that swept France over the past three weeks, senior conservative politicians said on Wednesday.
Bernard Accoyer, leader of the Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) in the National Assembly lower house of parliament, told French radio that children from large polygamous families had problems integrating into mainstream society.
The Financial Times quoted Employment Minister Gerard Larcher as saying large polygamous families sometimes led to anti-social behavior by youths who lacked a father figure and made employers reluctant to hire them.
And I thought it was the failed socialism model. You know, when employers hire as few people as possible because of the tremendous expense involved if they end up letting them go...and so those at the bottom of the skills and economic ladder (i.e. Muslim immigrants) are passed over.
But what do I know? I'm just a dumb American.
Meanwhile, it seems that the Muslim rioters were integrated a little more than we thought:
PARIS (AP) - The torching of thousands of cars by restive suburban youths across France in the last few weeks has drawn worldwide attention, but it's a tactic with a long tradition in this country.
Whether for revenge, crime or simply for sport, French youths have been setting cars aflame for decades.
...
Setting cars afire has a symbolic impact, [criminologist Alain] Bauer said.
"In France, a car is like a jewel," he said. "You use it not only to work but as a representation of your social status."
There's nothing like absorbing the best of what a culture has to offer.
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