The society of the spectacle or rather of celebrities, as it should be called today –
Is very strange and full of contradictions. In a petition published on February 14 by Libération, a few dozen artists, rightly moved by the Théo affair, are protesting against police violence and making their own small demands: they are demanding, in particular, “that the formal “vous” be systematically used during checks,” that “the receipt be introduced to combat racial profiling, as well as body cameras on officers,” “better training for our young police officers, and the return of community policing,” “that an ethics committee be established and that sanctions be final when police officers engage in racist and violent behavior,” but also “increased vigilance during recruitment because the racist police officers who pose a problem [are] most often young activists from a well-known political party.” We’re saving the best for last: “that the provisions that relax the legal regime governing the use of weapons be abandoned.” In short, “our police must be exemplary!” they conclude. We fervently hope that they will contribute their share to the financing of this costly program, which they imagine with touching naivety will allow us to “rediscover a just and peaceful Republic.”
We can already picture the scene between the suburban cop, exhausted from arresting thugs immediately released by the courts, who stumbles upon a drug dealer on the corner of a drab street brightened by lush, colorful graffiti.
We can already picture the scene between the suburban cop, prematurely worn out from patrolling “sensitive” neighborhoods and arresting thugs promptly released by the courts, who stumbles upon a drug dealer on the corner of a drab street brightened with lush, colorful graffiti:
“Hello, sir, could you be so kind as to show me your papers, please?”
“Shut your mouth, you, I have my receipt!”
“Perfect! In that case, have a pleasant rest of your day!”
But make no mistake: our artists also “strongly condemn rioters and thugs,” just to make us believe that they feel a little concerned by the trivialization of urban guerrilla warfare and the increasing attacks committed against police officers, firefighters, teachers, bus drivers, medical personnel, and ordinary citizens. Not to the point, however, of signing petitions for this, nor even to protest against the impunity of rapists in general, of whom, incidentally, only 1% receive a conviction in a criminal court. And where we really don’t get it anymore is that we vaguely remember that this society of spectacle, of celebrities, of showbiz, of the jet set, which claims to be so concerned with equality, respect for rights, and fairness, signed, seven years ago, the petition of a certain BHL (the benefactor of libertine humanity) in order to shield from American justice a prestigious filmmaker prosecuted for an old “morals case” (media newspeak for “rape of a minor”). Now 83 years old, Roman Polanski was due to preside over the César Awards ceremony on February 24. But faced with the controversy, he preferred to withdraw. Proof of the abysmal gap between public opinion and the intellectual-bobo-cultural castes, who readily free themselves from the fine principles they seek to impose on ordinary mortals. Equal rights or ego on the left, you have to choose.
The people are not indifferent to Théo’s fate. But they are even less tolerant of the decay of a living environment that overwhelmed law enforcement can no longer pacify.
And they know a thing or two about demands, the celebrity society: platforms and mobilizations in support of migrants in Calais or for a better reception of “refugees” arriving in Paris; calls for a roadblock against the National Front during the regional elections; and the cherry on top (we won’t tell you which one), a petition against Hollande-bashing. But it turns out that their perception of reality is increasingly out of step with that of the people, who grapple with the consequences of this worldly humanism on a daily basis. The public is not indifferent to Théo’s fate or to the actions of certain “black sheep” in the police force. But they are even less tolerant of the decay of a living environment that overwhelmed law enforcement can no longer pacify. It is not the celebrities who suffer the misdeeds of illegal immigrant camps or the insecurity of the suburbs, where scores are sometimes settled with Kalashnikovs. “This is a platform for bourgeois bohemians, for people who don’t know the reality on the ground, because today the only ones who enter these housing projects are not artists, but police officers,” reacts Patrice Ribeiro of the Synergie-Officiers union.
On Wednesday evening, riots broke out in Paris’s Barbès district, the scene of dumpster fires, the throwing of projectiles, and clashes with the authorities. Among the protesters are the inevitable far-left groups, anti-fascists and anarchists, always ready to vent their anger. If the insurrections spread to the wealthy neighborhoods, a little further west or to the center of the capital, then we will be watching with interest the reaction of the celebrities. We will see if they are still as convinced that the urgent need for polite phrases, receipts for identity checks, ethics committees, and the disarmament of police officers is to “rediscover a just and peaceful Republic.”
