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[–] 45 points 1 week ago (31 children)

This criticism would hit so much harder if, say, the people of France would do something about the hard right, but, oh look, Marine Le Pen can run for president again? Sounds familiar.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

    I agree with your sentiment but knock it the fuck off. Those protesting in France and those protesting and fighting back how they can in the US are n the same team.

    As are many people here and around the world. Let’s acknowledge and uplift each other when we’re all striving for the same goal. You can still call out people who are building themselves up by denigrating others but don’t do it by behaving the same way.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 week ago (4 children)

    Yes, that is my point, too. Notice how the excuses start to fly when I apply the same (warranted) criticisms to other countries that so many non-Americans lob at the U.S. It doesn't feel good, and doesn't help anything, does it? Everybody should knock it off, and work together instead of basking in self-righteousness.

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  • [–] -4 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Notice how the excuses start to fly when I apply the same (warranted) criticisms to other countries that so many non-Americans lob at the U.S.

    You mean when you engage in whataboutism?

    Yes, that is my point, too.

    Really shitty way to make it by feeding right back into it. Notice I didn’t have to do that to make the point?

    It doesn't feel good,

    I’m not from France. I just saw an American acting like an ass and decided, as an American as well, to call it out.

    and doesn't help anything, does it?

    Nope, yet you fucking did it anyway?

    Everybody should knock it off, and work together instead of basking in self-righteousness.

    How did you not drown in the irony typing this out?

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 week ago (2 children)
  • [–] 4 points 1 week ago

    And this happened in the US too, except 5 million people, not thousands.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Kings_protests

    We here in the EU love to shit on Americans because they are stupid. We are just as fucking stupid or even stupider because we are repeating the exact same mistakes less than 2 years after America broadcasted theirs.

    Here in the EU, literally exactly the same thing is happening. Corporate sponsored fascism. It is all in our Parliament and Comission at around 26% representation (chat control, fascist policies, even gaming holidays with racist tricks like "must be an overwhelming majority against to NOT pass, while everyone is on holiday").

    Italy is controlled by a fascist party, luckily the Dutch fascists just lost control because they did such a spectacularly bad job, Germany and Belgium fascists are reaching almost a quarter general support, Austria has fascists winning a plurality, Croatia, Czechia, Slovakia, all have fascists in the controlling governments.

    France's fascist party with Le Pen literally has more support in France that America's MAGA fascists.

    France is the only one doing anything as far as actual protests, and they are getting shit on by every country's media the exact same, even the 90% identical talking points as how American media shit on BLM and No Kings protests.

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  • [–] -5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    Also, these protests are likely to contribute to her getting elected.

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  • [–] -4 points 1 week ago (14 children)

    What should they do about Le Pen? Protests the courts that overturned the ruling that restricted her from running for 5 years or simply not vote for her?

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  • [–] 18 points 1 week ago (13 children)

    We're told to "do something" about our President constantly. Do that.

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  • [–] -3 points 1 week ago (12 children)
  • [–] 17 points 1 week ago (11 children)

    "Something." Whatever it is we're supposed to do, do it, so she doesn't get elected.

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  • [+] -7 points 1 week ago (10 children)

    Okay, so now I see the issue.

    Americans have no idea how political systems in other countries work. If they did, I don't think they would be so fanatical about defending their own.

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  • [–] 16 points 1 week ago (9 children)

    Funny, though, I'm just repeating back word-for-word what other countries tell us Americans.

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  • [–] -5 points 1 week ago* (8 children)

    Yes, but if you understood the office of President in France and the office Le Pen currently holds you'd realize how bizarre of a choice this comparison is.

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  • [–] 16 points 1 week ago (7 children)

    But she holds national office. Why don't French people "do something" about it?

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  • [+] -6 points 1 week ago* (6 children)

    Do u know what a parliament is

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  • [–] 8 points 1 week ago (5 children)

    I do, it's a legislative body comprised of elected representatives from geographic areas, often based on proportional representation. But that shouldn't prevent the French people from doing something about right-wing populism, and Le Pen in particular, any more than the U.S. system prevents Americans from doing something about it.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 week ago (4 children)

    You can give me a dictionary definition but I don't think you understand it. Parliaments don't prevent people from "doing something", they make it easier to prevent an individual like Le Pen from being in power even before looking outside of formal processes. Which is why she isn't in charge of the country's nukes, unlike trump.

    She has run for the presidency and lost three times. What more do you want the french to do?

    I can break down her current positions if that helps

    • Leader of the National Rally National Assembly Group - this is an alliance of political parties that vote in a block, not political office (although she holds an elected position in the national assembly as well).

    • President of the National Rally - again, this is not an political office. She's the leader of her party.

    • Chair of the Europe of Nations and Freedom group - this time it's a block in the European Parliament not the french National Assembly. She does not hold a seat in the European Parliament.

    • Member of the National Assembly for Pas-de-Calais okay, so here she is elected. She holds one seat, so has one vote in a sea of 577 other votes.

    Yes, she leads her party, which currently hold 118 seats and the block she represents hold 126 votes. Not enough to do anything on their own.

    I imagine you are not thinking, "but none of that is telling me what they are going to stop her". I think a lot of my confusion comes from the fact this question is being asked in a thread with a meme showing people in France taking to the streets.

    Yes, some of it is about her, specifically.

    https://www.afp.com/en/far-right-leader-le-pen-kicks-presidency-tilt-wake-france-protests

    Le Pen, who will address 10,000 members of her National Rally (RN) party in the city of Orleans, has accused Macron's centrist government of being soft on violent protesters and lacking authority.

    Police were on Sunday filtering traffic going into Orleans, after thousands of counter-protesters opposed to Le Pen and her anti-immigration, nationalist RN marched in the city on Saturday chanting anti-fascist slogans. 

    Police put their numbers at 13,000, while organisers estimated the turnout at twice that.

    One protester on Saturday, 35-year-old yoga teacher Antonine Rochet, said: "One of the risks of the National Rally coming to power, beyond the implementation of its policies, is the atmosphere it could create."

    "If the far right comes to power, we fear things will become much worse," she added.

    Another anti-fascist rally was called for Sunday on the southern outskirts of Orleans.

    I hope you can how understand why the comparison is absurd, and maybe have a little inspiration of an idea you all can try when you figure out that passing the crown between two teams isn't actually preventing bad things from happening.

    (I have nothing nice to say about france and I'm going to have to take a shower after writing this reply)

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Look at it this way, though: You have a system which limits the progress of far-right populists. Great! We don't. But if we try to explain how the system screws us over, it's just "excuses." And our protests that get people out in the streets are "ineffective."

    We're doing the same as you, which is everything legally and procedurally possible, and protesting, too. A little empathy, and understanding the limits of our system would be nice.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 week ago (2 children)
  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago* (1 child)

    So, no acknowledgement of anything in their message that might be agreeable or correct? Just a denial of a tangential assumption, as if your "French nationality" were the core of that comment.

    [US protestors] are doing the same as [French protestors], which is everything legally and procedurally possible, and protesting, too. A little empathy, and understanding the limits of [the US] system would be nice.

    Was a pretty cogent request and the final of only 2 "paragraphs", so confused on how you might have misplaced it.

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  • What in tarnation

    So, no acknowledgement of anything in their message that might be agreeable or correct?

    I replied to them to call out some ignorant remarks they made. They started talking about something else. Why would I continue the conversation?

    Just a denial of a tangential assumption, as if your "French nationality" were the core of that comment.

    I was correcting another incorrect remark. I don't think they read what I wrote if they think I am french.

    Was a pretty cogent request and the final of only 2 "paragraphs", so confused on how you might have misplaced it.

    Why am I expected to respond to this person's request?

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