L'industrie de la musique à l'arrêt mardi contre les violences policières

they murdered George Floyd

I’m not a prosecutor or a lawyer, but this isn’t murder in the sense of premeditation. It seems the officer with the same name as Napoleon’s fictional grumbler was charged with third-degree murder—essentially manslaughter—certainly aggravated by his past actions and the tragic circumstances of the death.

In the U.S., police shoot and kill an average of 3 people per day. Because of the Second Amendment, every suspect is assumed to be armed, which makes pulling the trigger all too easy. Yet in this case, not a single shot was fired, making these images even more unbearable. It could’ve been avoided so easily.

Beyond the vandalized offices and looted stores (what’s the point?), what I’ll remember most from these protests is this image. It shows we shouldn’t stigmatize an entire profession because of a few bad apples (though the phrase itself is best avoided in English):



As for #TheShowMustBePaused, I don’t really see the point... but hey, as long as people are mobilizing...

It's time for this to stop once and for all! They murdered George Floyd, and it's a racist act!

Hi, Thanks for the info.

No luck for Derek Chauvin’s wife, a Hmong refugee caught in the media storm—it must be tough to go through. https://www.cnews.fr/monde/2020-06-01/mort-de-george-floyd-lepouse-du-policier-mis-en-cause-demande-le-divorce-962441

My way of taking a knee: https://youtu.be/trnoxBOo-hI

For film buffs currently in theaters, it’s not the movie of the century, but it’s worth checking out: Queen & Slim (2020)

Did you know that behind Banksy there’s most likely little Robert Del Naja

Well, I sure didn’t. You know everything about everyone, even about myths. If the singer’s as good as the artist, I might just listen to MA...

David Guetta

Oh, this reminds me that his cousin knows who Banksy is. Maybe he knows too, then. Or his half-brother, the MP. If I see him, I’ll ask. The thing is, usually when I see him, it’s on TV...

Lillie, a Lily for you, for everyone:

She was quite pretty, Lily She came from Somalia, Lily On a boat full of emigrants Who all came of their own free will To empty the trash in Paris She thought we were all equal, Lily In the land of Voltaire and Hugo, Lily But for Debussy, on the other hand It takes two black notes for one white That makes quite a distinction She loved freedom so much, Lily She dreamed of brotherhood, Lily A hotel owner on Rue Secrétan Told her upon arrival That they only accepted white people

She unloaded crates, Lily She did the dirty jobs, Lily She shouts to sell cauliflowers In the street, her brothers of color Accompany her with the jackhammer And when they called her Snow White, Lily She no longer let herself be trapped, Lily She found it very amusing Even if she had to grit her teeth They would have been too happy She loved a handsome curly blond, Lily Who was ready to marry her, Lily But the in-laws told her we Aren’t racist in the slightest But we don’t want that in our family

She tried America, Lily That great democratic country, Lily She wouldn’t have believed it without seeing That the color of despair There too was black But at a meeting in Memphis, Lily She saw Angela Davis, Lily Who told her come, my little sister United, we’re less afraid Of the wolves waiting for the trapper And it’s to ward off her fear, Lily That she raises a furious fist, Lily In the middle of all those fools Who set fire to buses Forbidden to people of color

But in your daily struggle, Lily You’ll meet a good guy, Lily And the child who will be born one day Will have the color of love Against which nothing can be done She was quite pretty, Lily She came from Somalia, Lily On a boat full of emigrants Who all came of their own free will To empty the trash in Paris.

Pierre Perret

This song is gorgeous and will always be my favorite of his, along with *Mon ptit loup*.

Sometimes I hum another one... by a singer who’s a bit forgotten...

I really like you, Lili For all the books you read, I really like you, Lili I really like you in bed, I like you in bed too, You’re the "i" in the word my night, in the word my life You’re the "i" in the word my night, in the word my life Too I really like you, Lili For all the silly things you say, I really like you, Lili When you bore me, when you bore me too

😛

The industry is temporarily on hold, but he managed to channel his rage in almost identical circumstances about twenty-odd years ago. I went for the gentlest version possible... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lRP3GtPvkc L.

Hi Lillie,

You say that "white Americans are almost all racist." You might be angry and speaking from emotion. Without wanting to stir up too much debate, your statement seems a bit harsh to me: https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2020/06/02/respectez-notre-existence-ou-attendez-vous-a-notre-resistance-dans-les-manifestations-aux-etats-unis-la-rage-d-une-foule-aussi-blanche-que-noire_6041499_3210.html FYI: I lived in Harlem for a long time, in NYC’s "ghetto" Black neighborhood.

Y.

white Americans are pretty much all racist

Even with nuance, the exaggeration undermines the point.

#Hashtags. Avatars. "Je Suis Charlie", blood-stained Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame on fire... And now, Black square ▄, Blackout Tuesday.

Sacraments in the digital age. Virtual communion. Virtue signaling. What’s the real impact?

Hey Lillie,

NYC is a city that’s constantly reinventing itself. Not all Black people in Harlem were against its recent urban renewal—far from it... Racial tensions there are much less intense than elsewhere. There’s been a Black mayor. White people in the city have always gone there to let loose. A great song from a socially and economically tougher time than most: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwdH09vJwwU L.

Yeah, Lou Reed, Corner of Lex & 125th street, East Harlem, late 1960s. You can find some explanations here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Waiting_for_the_Man Y.

Thanks for the info (which has also been reported in French media). And the Paris exhibition has just reopened too.

Why isn't "Courrier International" a French media outlet?

It is, but not El País...

As always, you’d say?

Didn’t say anything, me... But yeah, what makes their art powerful is that it’s both creative and committed.

Every time I hear that kind of statement, I think of my two (Black) friends who each told me, back in the 80s a few years apart: "Actually, it’s us Black people who are the most racist."

Those remarks, made so naturally, left me doubtful and far from convinced—especially since neither of them was even remotely racist. They were genuinely nice guys, really.

I only partly understood what they meant much later, and I’m still not convinced. The truth is, I don’t know what to think. It happens.

So, hearing the exact same phrase (said by a Black man) in a recent major American film really took me back. I didn’t catch the reference, unfortunately.

Isn’t George Floyd’s story that of an obese criminal who didn’t comply with police orders and had the misfortune of running into another criminal wearing a law enforcement uniform? I blame him less for his armed robbery conviction than for selling crack doses—a drug that turns people into walking corpses. Justice was served; I’m sure you were relieved.

Now we’re waiting for your next outrage over anti-white racism, which has been on the rise for years and is barely concealed by politicians and the media.

I’m increasingly wary of the outraged—sometimes they’re not exactly saints. It often masks some kind of distress or imbalance, especially when their outrage is so selective.

Thankfully, we have our travels, which let us reconnect with people all over the world. I’m convinced most racists would stop being racist if they had the chance to travel globally and meet so many good people.

When I was younger, I naively believed in universal solidarity and living together. Life experiences make it hard to keep hoping for that now, but I’m still convinced that the day everyone magically becomes rich and happy, these kinds of problems will disappear 😉