Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Qu'est-ce que vous pensez?

Interesting:

Nearly 58 percent of French voters in an online poll said they consider Ariel Sharon a war criminal. Out of 369,439 who voted between Saturday and Tuesday afternoon in the poll conducted by the Le Nouvel Observateur newspaper, 57.9 percent consider Sharon a “war criminal,” while 42.1 percent see him as “the De Gaulle of Israel.”

I haven't seen the poll, just this news brief about it, but what I'm wondering is, where are the French voters who couldn't even name Israel's leader, who think Israel is an island off the coast of Australia, who, in other words, defy the stereotype of the French being at once preoccupied with the Middle East and--unlike those idiot Americans--super-knowledgeable about the world around them. I find it hard to believe that all French citizens, even all French voters (or by "voters" is it just meant, "those who voted in this poll"?), have an opinion about Ariel Sharon. Some, I would imagine, couldn't quite place De Gaulle, either. Because if only, say, 10% of French voters--therefore a smaller percentage of people living in France in general--care either way, the startling nearly-58% figure of who consider Sharon a war criminal becomes a bit less significant.

When I get around to it, I will have to read (and blog about?) this, this, and pretty much all of this.

Kinda-sorta-unrelated, but before I forget: please leave comments as to which Israeli CD I should buy next--it needs to be from a (group with a) singer who enunciates, and with lyrics in the liner notes. And, preferably, be available somewhere in NYC, preferably at Holyland Market on St. Marks--I'm not a fan of ordering things online, and want one of those diet Cokes in a bottle.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If any American or British officer had been responsible for a reprisal attack like the Qibya incicident they would be up on charges. Even the US state department condemned it at the time. So at least by contemporary standards he is a war criminal.

Anonymous said...

Hadag Nachash (Snake Fish).
Sweet.
Trust me.

Anonymous said...

Either "a war criminal" OR "the deGaulle of France"?

What makes anyone think the two are mutually exclusive?

Anonymous said...

Shotei HaNevuah--either of their two albums. rock/funk/hip-hop/dance/reggae. irresistable.