Do some French people see what's going on? Yellow Vest Protests

Chu

Chu

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I just wanted to share a conversation I recently had with a French acquaintance of ours, a man who lives in our town, and worked for 25 years as a delivery man. We always liked him. He was very polite, always on time, he knew our names, and you could tell he was kind and loved his job. About a year ago he stopped coming over, and we wondered what had happened to him, but had no contact details to reach him.

Then he called the other day to check on how we were doing, and give us some news.

Well, first his wife died. They had been together for 25 years, and he loved her very much. He explained that she had had a generalized cancer, and within two months, she had died. He started telling me how sad life is without her, how many people today aren't as lucky as he was to have met and had the privilege of sharing his life with someone so special, and don't understand how difficult it is to mourn and continue living without her.

On top of that, the reason why he quit his job is because he suffers from severe arthritis in the back and the neck. He applied for a disability pension, but only gets 700 EUR a month (if that), which is barely enough to get by around here. He then added: "You know, sometimes I think this country is already gone to Hell. Here I am, an honest tax payer for 30 years, who just minded his job, tried to do his best and never ask for anything, and now that I am in need, I get a third of what migrants get. They instead receive about 1300 EUR, a car, social and medical assistance... I've always supported assisting those in need, but when you know that it was our tax money which created wars, which then led to this immigration crisis, and it is again our tax money that pays for it, I just lose all faith in my government and my country. Sometimes I just want to give up. Fortunately there are still good people out there, but the situation shouldn't be allowed to continue."

Now, this is a man who never got much of an education, yet, he said it all in a few words. His sadness and the simplicity with which he could see things were just heart-breaking. Discontent is rampant around here, and the system is showing signs of collapse like everywhere else in Europe. On the one hand, it is heartening to see that people like him are quite aware and sensitive to what is going on. But on the other, it's also a reminder of how little can be done, and of how the entire system would have to collapse/change before things get any better.

I know this is just a small example and that there is much worse, but IMO, it's a good reminder of the situation, explained by someone with a good heart, one of the countless victims of the system within which we are living.
 
Hello Chu

This is a story we, unfortunately, hear quite often in France. There is a real lack of hope here and I can understand people who suffer from it as the situation is unfair, especially at this age and after a long time working, being a good citizen, honest, paying his taxes.

Chu said:
On top of that, the reason why he quit his job is because he suffers from severe arthritis in the back and the neck. He applied for a disability pension, but only gets 700 EUR a month (if that), which is barely enough to get by around here. He then added: "You know, sometimes I think this country is already gone to Hell. Here I am, an honest tax payer for 30 years, who just minded his job, tried to do his best and never ask for anything, and now that I am in need, I get a third of what migrants get. They instead receive about 1300 EUR, a car, social and medical assistance... I've always supported assisting those in need, but when you know that it was our tax money which created wars, which then led to this immigration crisis, and it is again our tax money that pays for it, I just lose all faith in my government and my country. Sometimes I just want to give up. Fortunately there are still good people out there, but the situation shouldn't be allowed to continue."
Click to expand...

The sentence bolded reflects quite well what mainstream media wants us to believe and it works well.
Because people need to have a justification for their pain which I can understand.
This is what most people hear every day. How couldn't it be depressing?
Of course, the more I talk to older people than me, the most I see that most of them are aware of the fact that there is something really wrong in this country and they are worried for us, younger people.

When I was younger I wouldn't understand and I would take those words as complaining. Today I am able to understand and I am worried too.

Although, it is very hard to hear that knowing I can't do anything for them.
My dad is one of those people, an honest man, not very educated but really, he has a big heart, he can be funny and does his job well.
But he really doesn't know what will happen to him when he will be retired. Life made him bitter.
He spends every single diner grumbling in front of the TV, swallowing every word coming out from the news.
This is heartbreaking as it is hard to make him understand that he shouldn't harm himself doing this. I tried but failed and I don't see him very often. I can't do anything and I think he doesn't really want me to do so.

The situation in France and the idea that the country could collapse anywhen soon is the main reason why I don't want to give birth.
There are enough people suffering and I think it is even harder to live here for our elders whose life changed from the simplest country-style to this modern society in such a short time and with no access to information.

So yes I kind of realize what is happening here in France and I understand that sometimes it can seem hopeless.
 
What a sad description of one among so many similar tragic life stories, my heart goes with him. And thinking he stopped visiting you right when her wife was so much in need of help, that he found himself right where true help could have been available at that time...

I know some rather iliterated people who also shows such an eagerness for serving others, being sometimes even more aware than the vast majority of the ever expanding distress and injustice that is now so obviously threatening with a full collapse our world. But they can´t explain the real causes of it, and less their/our own implication in this collective disaster as individuals. These kind of people shows me how meaning and doing well aren´t enough anymore, religion and tradition have played their role as a unifying factor between people of true or adopted faith through centuries, (with all the wars they implied, mind you), and now when I see all these benevolent people shaking their heads, not knowing where most of their life force has gone all of a sudden, it´s when I most accutely realise the enormous implication of the choices I make, sometimes with more awareness than other times.
 
It is a very sad story, unfortunately so common, how many like him are suffering, forgot by these crapules of politicians. These assassins of hope, these liars and thieves. When you read what is happening in France you feel that something very bad is coming up. Many are talking about a civil war. The situation is global. Something very big needs to happen, I wish. You have very lonely people that suffer in silence because they have no voice, then at the other side you have the nuts, the violent, and more and more people are loosing their minds.

Sometimes you are in front of someone and what you want to do is just take this person in your arms and cry with him or her.
 
Sad to hear - but I think that the real issue here is that people will only be able to swallow so much more until they will say “No more!”. And I fear that this is going to be pretty ugly, well, I guess just what the PTB want, to institute the next round of sancions on their own people - or worse, it’s going to be a free for all. But I concur with Chu that our system seems to be so corrupt and broken, that it can’t be fixed anymore - only a total collapse will see a different, and hopefully better, form of governance emerge.

The sad thing is that a lot of people will pay a high price - people who all their lives just wanted to raise a family, work in peace and have a bit of fun. Like the delivery man ...
 
Thank you for sharing and it is indeed very heart breaking to read. I hope that he still can find some light in some stuff that is around him. His frustration and loss in faith in his country which he supported for so many years must be very tough.

And he is not the only one who lost so much and suffers so much and can point out his frustration. Oh well, there are so many more...

It reminds also a bit of my grandma who is also very straight forward and complains righteously about immigrants, says the right thing about Putin that he should be more respected and not bad mouthed by the media. And it must be said, she lived through the second world war and the aftermath and her father supported war prisoners in Germany as good as he could and hated Hitler, so she knows what she is talking about.
 
Talked with two lady business owner's yesterday.

One is well aware of the high taxation of her enterprise, and where that is money, is being funneled to, (and imagine she is in her late sixty's, if not older). She is also cognizant of the false flags being perpetrated within her country and those that are responsible and why.

Each and every year (when I report to the local municipality to pay the local yearly tax), there are many retires with many questions of why they are continuously seeing increases against there limited pensions. Some understandably express anger and frustration.

I just observe, and listen (with empathy), to there dilemma. There tone has a slight inflection of fear, but more accurately one of the uncertainty.

The second madam is a retired senior flight attendant from AF. She took her life savings and bought a local coffee house, with overnight chambers that also serves a typical French breakfast which is included.

Business over the year's for her (in this area) has been very lean. With people tightening there financial belts given the current economic slowdown with in the EU.

She has also felt the impact of the Bizarre (french for Weird), weather anomalies adding to her challenges that brings a lessening of tourist traffic during inclement weather patterns. As out door dinning and seating are a good part of her income.

She expressed that she has never worked harder or longer hours in he her life. And felt like that going back to the Air business was a passing thought. As 17hr days are the norm (for her), to stay afloat given the high taxation against a small profit margin.

Though through it all, they all strive to survive. I listen and learn as my turn will come soon enough.

Ditto, thanks for sharing this info everyone.
 
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What happened to him is very sad indeed. Stories such as his are common enough these day all over the world. Unfortunately. I also fear the worst, not just in France, but in pretty much all advanced Western countries. Anger is high against migrants and religious and racial minorities. The problem with this silent majority is that their anger can easily be manipulated, hence creating more misery for everybody. Most of their grievance are misguided -- anger about migrants, anxiety at the so-called spreading of Islam in Europe and the fear that white people will become a minority in Europe is misguided...etc.

In the case of the migrants crisis, if the US and its allies hadn't bombed the hell out of the Middle East in the last decade, we would not have any problem with immigration. Similarly, mass immigration and slavery in Libya only occurred after Gaddhafi was murdered. We can even go further than that. If you look at the make up of most immigrants in a given country, you will quickly realise that they come from former colonies. So, really, if people need to complain about someone, it isn't the migrants, but it is their nutty government. Their string is pulled as much as anyone else.

Then, if real discussion about culture (which did not degrade into racial bashing) were allowed, perhaps, the immigration of non-Western foreigners would be smoother. Let's forget about religion and all that. The fact of the matter is that the average citizen in let's Afghanistan probably doesn't have to think about paying nursery fees, in fact they probably wouldn't understand it in the way that people do in the West. They probably trust their neighbours in a way that we wouldn't in the West and are ok with their kids staying outside with them. And this works fine *over there*, but it would be dangerous and careless *over here*. I think such simple conversation would have gone a long way. Of course, you have the post-modernism nonsense, but at the same time, it is very hard for discussion about culture to not turn into bad faith, bigotry and racial bashing. In any case, once again, we have our government to blame for not seeing the problem properly and putting in place the correct measures.

Now, in regards to Islamism, the West is harming jihadist and in the past had promoted extremism. Besides, Saudi Arabia is a long-enduring ally. So, why the heck do people waste their time yapping about the many wrong of Islam and Muslims? Instead of curing the illness, they're trying to cure the symptom (and doing so badly at that).

If instead of fighting about of cultural, racial, religious or ideological difference, we managed to find some sort of unity and fight against the real enemy, we might be able to do something.

At least, in the case of your friend, he was aware enough that he could see that the West is waging unnecessary war which is bringing in all sort of trouble. Even if they don't see the point of going to war abroad, they are many that truly believe that their country is bringing freedom and democracy. And hence, their anger is greater when those "brown people" murk their country.

It's the old divide and rule applied to a larger scale.

You're right when you say that the only way for things to change is if there is a complete breakdown of the old institutions. However, what happen then? A breakdown would essentially mean anarchy. Violence can very easily and very quickly escalates in such a period. The problem isn't the left, but the backlash against the left which is the majority. Those people have a lot of pent up anger that they want to unleash and as the nonsense #freetommy protest showed many are eager to put their anger to practical use so to say.

It's all fairly disheartening to be honest. What's the point of us gathering all this knowledge, if things are to end like this? Besides, if there's truly anarchy, no rules, no laws, what would be the point of survival?
 
I want to say two things,

First it shows something fascinating about suffering and how he was able to recognize something profoundly wrong with his country because of the suffering he’s experiencing. Maybe when things weren’t so painful he didn’t have to worry too much about the larger implications of things he’d see in the news.

Second, despite his pain, he was able to learn something, but still not be bitter and resentful. I think this shows a quality of spirit for this man that many do not possess.

Thanks for sharing Chu
 
Sad real story !
Now, saying
I get a third of what migrants get. They instead receive about 1300 EUR, a car, social and medical assistance...
Click to expand...
is not really true AFAIK.
Most of them just receive 7 € a day. No car for sure.
This is what some crazy politicians want people to believe IMO.
And it works pretty well it seems...
 
This man's story is sadly quite common. Old and sick people (especially in the coutryside) are being left out. Suicide rates are soaring among the elderly, among farmers, policemen. The situation is becoming intenable and it looks like nothing can be done about it.

Chu said:
"I've always supported assisting those in need, but when you know that it was our tax money which created wars, which then led to this immigration crisis"
Click to expand...

I think there might be more to it than the immigration crisis being caused by wars. Statistics are murky (probably by design), we don't really know the proportion of migrants who really come from countries at war. Most are young single men. Where are the families, the women, the children? I agree that it all started to go downhill after Kadhafi (DCM rest his soul)'s murder by the West. International organizations funded by Soros are inciting people (mostly Africans) to abandon their homeland, to uproot themselves, and come to France and other European countries. They're being duped by lies, false promises of a better life, more money, better living conditions. Indeed, living conditions in Europe/France might be better in terms of money (for now), but at what cost to both the migrants and the indigenous populations?

The media is playing a dangerous game. They promote the pro-migrant agenda like crazy. On the one hand, they love reporting that migrants receive money from the government and organizations (some migrants are even lodged in castles while French citizens are living in the street), which of course makes honest hard-working people angry. They're wondering why their governement chooses to help the "Other" over its own people. Of course, anger and discontent among the masses is precisely what the elites are aiming for. They're sowing the seeds which might lead to a civil war. On the other hand, they under-report or suppress stories of assaults and rapes committed by migrants, which makes people even more angry. Those who oppose or even question mass migration are immediately condemned as far-right supremacists. A minority of them may be, but the majority are just desperate and are clinging to the last thing that feels real and right in the midst of all this chaos - their identity, their roots.

It takes a lot of mental clarity and stoicism to resist the push towards polarization and misdirected anger, and see the bigger picture and the ultimate agenda of the elite: to divide the country, just like in the US. Everyone is required to pick a side, either SJW/extreme left/globalism/multiculturalism/embracing the 'Other' to the detriment of their own identity, or hardcore nationalism/total seclusion/fear & hatred of the "Other". Everyone who polarizes this way becomes a puppet unwillingly serving the elite's agenda of divide and conquer.
 
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Esote said:
Sad real story !
Now, saying is not really true AFAIK.
Most of them just receive 7 € a day. No car for sure.
This is what some crazy politicians want people to believe IMO.
And it works pretty well it seems...
Click to expand...

Oh yep you're right. And really, I would rather be a full citizen with rights rather than a migrant who doesn't quite know when laws may be changed against him, probably doesn't understand the language and is alien to the culture. The media and politicians create all kind of stories about migrants and benefit claimants and people gobble them. The bottom line is nobody would want to be either. Those people leads very stressful, unstable lives that aren't conducive to peace of mind. I mean yes some migrants mess things up, badly. However, they aren't the majority and I can't help wondering if there isn't some external influence shaping the disruption.

I feel people in general lack compassion, not the schizophrenic feel-good the left is serving, but an understanding of another person suffering through knowledge gathering. Similarly, people ask for compassion and empathy without giving either in return. They pity themselves. And I would say the right, the non-left and the free-speech crowd are the one mostly guilty of this. Postmodernism doesn't allow for any kind of true empathy, so it wouldn't make sense to expect it. However, there isn't any excuse when you're for reason and truth.
 
Another saddening story. How to recover, grieve, I find it hard to imagine. May they find the peace. This makes me think of Patrick Rodriguez's script to help to transition. I don't know if it's appropriate to even make the suggestion, so I won't go further on that.

Regarding his disability pension, it seems like it can be cumulated with the 'RSA' which is the minimal active solidarity income that everyone can get here in France if older than 25 years old, from French nationality or with a residence permit. It is approximately 480 € for a single person. Calculations depend on other resources and family composition. The disability pension is out of the calculation.

RSA : une personne en invalidité peut-elle en bénéficier ?

Most French people don't know much about their rights which are numerous related to other countries. Immigrants are given instructions on those rights -whether by the institutions or families- compared to native inhabitants which are not much informed on how to use the very system they've been paying for throughout their life without having any major financial problems.
And they feel shame to 'use' the system as it has been so ostracized by the media. 'Me?' I'm no profiteer. It's low to ask for help. I'd rather talk about the bad guys who use it.
Except that in terms of proportions, you compare social aids to fiscal evasion and you get a sense of the whole big joke.

When he'll be allowed the RSA, he'll be also allowed a free medical checkup and can apply for the CMU: universal health coverage. It's not super great, but it's better than no coverage at all.
He can also have some reduction on several things like bills or cultural activities. But once you're in the system, they inform you of all your other rights. There are some jobs that require you to have the status 'RSA' because there are obligations related to insertion policies.

The situation remains pretty harsh for most retired, small to medium-sized businesses and farmers. As for other relevant stats regarding France, this website, although in French La fabrique de la confiance sums it better. I was able to find it again from the podcast you made about 'La Fabrique de la défiance' in 2012.
 
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