Tuesday, January 22, 2008

French Smoking Update (Part III)

Well then all you fumeurs et fumeuses (not your Fulvias I hope) what have I got?

First, if you smoke and are in Paris next weekend there is to be a sit-in at the Hotel de Ville - i.e. the town hall on Sunday: for that real French experience it is necessary to take part in a manifestation.

Meanwhile on "Ma Clope Ma Bataille" battle has truly been joined between the smokers and the non-smokers. I am afraid that many of the "nons" have behaved really rather badly, some even wishing horrible diseases and short lives to their opponents. It is curious that this vituperative anger - at least as far as I can tell, my French being what it is - has not been reciprocated by the smokers who have remained generally good-humoured, witty and sometimes almost poetic. Don't just take my word for it (I do smoke after all) if you have the French, have a look.

For me whose understanding of traditional French culture is derived mostly from a little reading in England, the vigorous debate is reminiscent of a tradition of earnest left-bank political arguments in the 1960s- a flavour of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre (both fervent smokers of course).

Finally the "blogeuse" who owns "Ma Clope etc." added the video below to express her feelings.




À bientôt

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