Bastille Day

I thought waiting to start this blog until the day that represents the French Revolution seemed appropriate, so here we go.

Still not sure how often I will post here. Since I started the first version of this blog, one thing I have noticed is that my 'friends' are far more interested in promoting their own blogs than reading mine. That's also part of the reason for the move to a more complete blogging platform- the blog is not really going to be for my friends anymore, but hopefully appeal to a wider audience. We'll see; I am finding the whole blogging, social networking thing to be extremely narcissistic, and even though I am as guilty as anyone, I think I would like to spend more time in the real world, interacting with live human beings. I'll probably change my mind on that once I start doing it and am reminded of how much live human beings suck sometimes...

So, Bastille Day. Some interesting differences between this day and the 4th of July. On the 4th, the US actually declared its independence with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For a country so heavily dependent on foreign oil and cheap foreign labor, I find this term to be pretty ironic these days.

Bastille Day, on the other hand and like many things Français, is symbolic. Some rebels demanded the surrender of the Bastille, the prison in Paris, which had hardly anyone in it (7 people) and was fortified by guards that were soldiers no longer suited for combat (invalides), along with a small Swiss regiment. After the negotiations and a battle that left only one guard dead, the governor of the Bastille gave up, was promptly executed, head sawed off, put on a pike and taken on a stroll through town. The actual revolution came later, but this is the day that symbolically represents it.

And this kind of thing is actually one of my favorite pieces of imagery of the French Revolution. This was not some revolution in name only; they literally took the ruling class and cut their heads right off. Symbolism on an extreme scale.

And this is exactly why I have been having to defend the recent Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the barring of firearms, or the suppression of the Second Amendment, to my French friends. Even here, everyone seems to have lost sight of the whole reason that amendment exists- so that if the government ever gets out of hand, as practically every government in the history of mankind has done at some point, the people should have the right to take their government back, and by force if necessary.

The unfortunate reality, however, is that even with the Second Amendment intact, with the way American's civil liberties have been eroded in the name of fighting terrorism, I think it might actually be highly unlikely that there will ever again be anything on the scale of the French Revolution. Governments around the world simply have bigger guns, and coordination of anything like that will be extremely difficult with every single conversation we have being recorded, videotaped and archived.

So, to finish up the first post on this brand spanking new blog on a slightly more positive note, a little list off the top of my head why I love France-

1. We have a grapevine in our garden (just one tree), and there are actual grapes growing on it. Not sure if they are table grapes (the kind you eat) or for wine yet, but I am certainly hoping for the latter even though we'll probably only have enough for half a bottle of wine.

2. Words used for emphasis almost always have some sort of food connection. The other day, Hélène yells 'bring your strawberries in', which is the equivalent of 'get in here and eat'. Vachement (cow-ly) is a cuss word (although that one and practically every other one can be said on TV), and there are a ton of expressions that fall into this category. This subject probably deserves its own post.

3. Even if you are just passing by and you see a friend of yours with someone you don't know, you shake hands with the friend and the guy you don't know. Maybe no introductions, but you touch the other person, recognize their existence, and say salut. It's something I forget to do sometimes, because we tend to wait until we are introduced, and if you pass someone in the middle of a conversation you might just wave and say 'hey dude'. But here, if people are hanging out with your friend as you enter the bar, you greet them all with a handshake and I really like that (although its certainly possible that this custom has more to do with being in the countryside than being in France). Not to mention the kissing of girls right off the bat.

4. The stunning difference in terrain you find by simply driving 100kms. It is incredibly striking, and if you go 200kms it changes a couple, maybe three times. France is quite simply an incredibly beautiful country.

5. 'We don't have any petrol, but we have a lot of ideas' is one of my favorite French expressions.

Hope you enjoy your Fête de la Fédération!