French racism

Sacre bleu! France, which has roundly alluded to American racism and primitivism, is highly racist in its housing policies, according to this AP dispatch. Time for a French Fair Housing Act? Time to stop the finger—pointing at us?

PARIS —— An undercover test found discrimination in France's housing rental market, with 75% of white candidates of French origin offered an apartment compared with 17% of applicants with North African roots, a government agency said.

The High Authority Against Discrimination and for Equality said it was examining the results to decide whether any of the cases in the study merited being sent to the prosecutor's office.

A similar series of tests to measure discrimination in job recruitment showed bias against those of North African origin but with a spread too weak to pass for discrimination and insufficient responses to draw conclusions. Advanced age appeared to have a negative effect for top job categories. Riots last year in the poor, largely immigrant suburbs surrounding France's big cities made the subject an affair of state.

An equal—opportunities law passed in April made undercover testing a legal means to determine discrimination.

Ed Lasky 7 6 06

Update: Patricia Allison writes:

For years Americans have tolerated the mounds of abuse from the high and mighty French people, about how racist and hard hearted we are. I lived in Paris and other cities in France for 6 years and that experience has caused a 180 degree turn around in my respect and admiration for my country.

I expatriated because while living in Berkeley California, I heard only criticism of the U.S. and little by little, I began to hate my own country. However, I soon realized that life in the U.S. is so much better than in other countries, so much more fair, so much more equal — of course we have a long way to go, but at least we are trying. In Paris, it was always the poor African men sweeping the streets with primitive brooms and of course they were totally invisible to the well dressed and snobbish Parisians.

I soon learned that society was made up of haves and have nots and you were only acceptable if your parents were 'somebody.' The lower classes had no power and had to wait forever, while those who could bribe the officials were moved to the top of the list for phones and other amenities. The 'franc' spoke loud and clear. Police were feared and treated the powerless underling class with fascist disdain.

Coming back home for the first time after 10 years in Europe really opened my eyes and showed me what hypocrites Europeans are and how they love to make us look bad at any opportunity.

I'm glad those of you who write are finally catching on so Americans can start to stand up to the garbage spewed against them daily by envious resentful people — who only respect us when they need us for something.