November 15, 2016

Charlie Hebdo addresses the American election.



"Obama — an ordinary citizen once again."

IN THE COMMENTS: Mid-Life Lawyer said:
Thanks to Obama led leftist agitators, this probably is the impression of the USA that many citizens of other countries have of us. 

71 comments:

bagoh20 said...

"...police acted stupidly....

David said...

Interesting.

And interestingly French cops are well known for a take-no-prisoners approach when there is a fight.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

Thanks to Obama led leftist agitators, this probably is the impression of the USA that many citizens of other countries have of us.

Tank said...

Mid beat me to that thought.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

A better translation of the caption would be "a new citizen like the others".

Ann Althouse said...

"...police acted stupidly...."

Trump would say: The police acted stupid.

Just talking grammar.

Darrell said...

Somebody should teach Obama how to act properly in a police arrest situation.

cornroaster said...

Just another ordinary citizen with a lifelong pension and lifetime Secret Service protection. Yeah, he really has to worry about police shooting him. NOT!

Hagar said...

Rahm Emmanuel invites all undocumented Democrats to come to Chicago and promises that they will all be safe there.

Darrell said...

I've watched a lot of Trump video on the campaign trail and I was amazed at how well he speaks without notes for long periods of time. Pickles had to memorize everything including normal human expressions. I thought I was watching Westworld.

Gusty Winds said...

They've stuck to their core value of being equal opportunity offenders and provocateurs.

CWJ said...

Left Bank,

I thought that too. The literal translation does a better job of revealing the cartoonist's mindset.

Bay Area Guy said...

It is amazing to see how the Left, both here and in Europe operate, by creating false narratives, and ignoring reality.

1. Fact: Obama will make $50 - $100 Million post-Presidency, and fly around the world in private jets, with massive security at all times.

2. Fact: Obama won't be running from white police shooting at him.

3. Fact: Charlie Hebdo offices were, in fact, invaded by radical Muslims who shot 23 people, 12 of whom died.

Another reason to suppor Trump.

Sydney said...

Well of course the French see it that way. Their national anthem sings about killing people. For political reasons.

rhhardin said...

Trump would say: The police acted stupid.

Just talking grammar.


That means something different, a difference Trump knows.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Thanks to Obama led leftist agitators, this probably is the impression of the USA that many citizens of other countries have of us.

I laughed at the cover, thinking it clever, thinking it to be making fun of an absurd ["leftist"] exaggeration.

There must be something wrong with me.

Bad Lieutenant said...

While it may not have been his intended meaning, "acted stupid" is perfectly good grammar. Althouse acts stupid all the time; it's a go-to move for her, like shaking her tits (probably while acting stupid) forty years ago.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mockturtle said...

Thankfully, many ordinary citizens of Europe are also at odds with their MSM. There is a trend and Brexit tipped it forward. Trump's election gave it momentum.

n.n said...

Living in a home away from home at a beachfront estate in Hawaii, circumnavigating the globe on a trail of Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming-inducing carbon emissions, while burning money as if it grew on green, clean, renewable trees.

Ordinary is underrated.

n.n said...

Charlie Hebdo is the Pravda or perhaps The New York Times of France. Duh.

buwaya said...

The foreign view of the US is highly colored by US mass media.
CNN in particular is seen as the US BBC, it is the ubiquitous source of US news. In print most foreign non-English publications used to depend heavily on the AP and the NYT, often translating and paraphrasing NYT pieces.
And of course US TV and Hollywood, plus celebrity gossip.
To say the least it is a skewed view of the US.
In the pre-internet days you had to go quite far out of your way to get a balanced picture.
Granted, today people can simply choose their own biased world and exist there.

Roughcoat said...

I'm indifferent to what the rest of the world thinks of Americans and America.

buwaya said...

Charlie Hebdo is not the NYT of France, most certainly not. It does not have a US analogue these days. It would have been closest to the old National Lampoon.
The French NYT is split; there is much less memetic dominance of one publication there. It is a more competitive, and much healthier information marketplace I think.
The traditional way to get a picture of French opinion is to read Le Monde, Figaro and possibly Liberation.

Larry J said...

Bay Area Guy said...
It is amazing to see how the Left, both here and in Europe operate, by creating false narratives, and ignoring reality.

1. Fact: Obama will make $50 - $100 Million post-Presidency, and fly around the world in private jets, with massive security at all times.


It'll start early next year when each of the Obamas receive seven or eight figure book advances to describe their historic lives. It doesn't matter if the books ever sell, the advances are the payoff. There will also be large speaking fees (will he have to buy his own TelePrompter?), board memberships, and assorted other payoffs for services rendered. Will they try to position Michelle for a 2020 run? Time will tell.

rhhardin said...

I'm waiting for Fromage Monde's take.

mockturtle said...

I agree, buwaya. When we have so many news sources conveniently available, it is silly to rely on only our own. I read several foreign news sources regularly. However, I believe that everyone is losing faith in the news media. If Europeans believed CNN, then they must have been rather surprised by the election. Just as our news sources missed Brexit.

And I agree with Roughcoat. I don't give a rap what the rest of the world thinks of America. However, I'd like to think that our election has given hope to the many citizens around the world who feel unrepresented by their MSM.

Sydney said...

Re: The world's views of us. My son lives in a very liberal Middle East country and he says our election has not made any sort of public impression there. He travelled to London last week and said the average people he met (native Londoners) seemed very happy about Trump's win. They are probably the Brexit people. The people who seemed most upset were foreigners- Europeans, American ex-pats mostly.

Roughcoat said...

I guess we're not "all Charlie Hebdo now."

Oh, well, c'est la vie.

Etienne said...

Most people in Europe think of America as a police state. Thus the cover depicting the police shooting at just another black man seems to depict their beliefs.

What they don't understand is that we have classes in America, and Obama will never be a peasant. He will live in a mansion villa and have armed guards around him just like Idi Amin, for the rest of his life (making $192 an hour pension).

He will die of old age on the golf course with ice cream in his belly.

Roughcoat said...

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning ..." Ah, fuck it. Keep 'em.

BarrySanders20 said...

"It would have been closest to the old National Lampoon."

I thought of Mad Magazine with that cover. Absurd French stereotype of America, funny in its own way, esp that that is what someone at CH thinks about the election.

Of course I am outraged and demand the beheading of the infidel cartoonist who would mock me and my country and depict a graven image of my leader (PBUH).

Quaestor said...

Charlie Hebdo has learned it is much safer to insult Americans than Muslims.

BarrySanders20 said...

Also the buffoonery of the cops. Nine shots from ten feet and all miss. Brilliant.

Clyde said...

C'est la vile.

Roughcoat said...

Quaestor: Let's have Anthony Fremont banish Charlie Hebdo to the cornfield, that'll teach 'em!

Freeman Hunt said...

No. Hebdo looking provincial.

Michael K said...

I'm indifferent to what the rest of the world thinks of Americans and America.

That is what they are most worried about.

I like France a lot and think they may survive in spite of tremendous errors in their relationship with Muslims. They errors were mostly a hangover from colonial times. They tried to make Algeria and Lebanon part of France. To do so they declared France to be a Muslim country and admitted far too many Muslims who could not be assimilated.

One reason is that the French had a lot of cultural self confidence. More than many Americans have, especially the upper classes.

Second, Islam has an assumption of superiority going back to the days of military success. The fact that success ended with Napoleon does not seem to have impressed the Muslims. They still demand to be dominant. When they are a small minority, it is just a quirk of a minority that can be ignored. When they get a significant number or, worse, a majority, it is a serious force requiring action by the dominant culture.

Britain is learning this the hard way. France may eventually get ready to repel the Muslim aggression. They may be getting started now.

The French never made any distinction between the French of "Gaul" and the French of North Africa. The current radicalization is not of those who came then, but of the younger generation -- of French Muslims. They were born in France, speak French, were schooled in France -- but they are not at ease with the values of France.

Islamic fundamentalism in France has been imported from the outside -- by avenues such as Al Jazeera and Muslim wars in the Middle East. Now, therefore, these young French Muslim citizens have a real wish for secession from the rest of the population -- like the wish of the Confederate states for secession from the United States, before and during the U.S. Civil War. These young French Muslims apparently do not want to live in the same country anymore. They seem to want a separate country, or a different country.


It is seen in schools.

On a general matter, everything that is connected to history of Christianity and Judaism is a matter to be contested. There are many examples, some surprising: refusal to learn about the construction of cathedrals, or to open the history book on a page where there is a reproduction of Byzantine church. They also refuse to learn about pre-Islamic religions in Egypt or the Sumerian origin of writing. Sacred history is continuously opposed to factual history.

Marine Le Pen is the answer of the traditional French. The elites are as horrified by her as they were by Trump here.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

gspencer said...

The image of donut-filled cops was a nice touch.

jaydub said...

"Thanks to Obama led leftist agitators, this probably is the impression of the USA that many citizens of other countries have of us."

Less than you would think given the far left orientation of the mainsteam media here in Europe. I have many friends in Spain, Germany, England, Switzerland and Slovenia, and we have discussed the Trump candidacy for quite a while. Most of those friends are just as unsatisfied with their own governments, media and economies (hence Brexit and the rise of the various anti-Brussels parties.)

I would say the bigest concern among them is the status of NATO going forward because they're really afraid of Russia, and Trump has expressed misgivings about NATO. I have asked them if they are concerned about Russia and NATO why don't they pay the 2% of GDP to defense that NATO requires? They are shocked that only four do, while 17 of the 28 pay around half that. So, while some of the richest countries are skating (Canada, France, Germany) the US has to shoulder the difference by paying almost double. That's Trump's point, and they need to come to grips with the fact that the free ride may be over if they really want to save NATO. They had no idea because their media sucks worse than ours. Which is why I don't take European opinion very seriously - but I do enjoy pointing out their ignorance when I get the opportunity.

Big Mike said...

@jaydub, you have Slovenian friends? Can I assume they're excited about a Slovenian in the White House?

sean said...

Charlie Hebdo is a satirical cartoon magazine. It doesn't purport to reflect its editors' perceptions of reality, much less the perception of its readers. You could read the cartoon as satirizing the BLM movement's description of America, or the French perception of America, or Obama's occasional overwrought descriptions of America, or a hundred other ways. One thing you should not to is take it as anyone's attempt at an accurate portrayal of America, because then it wouldn't be funny.

ga6 said...

Do I really give a rats____s what the French think of us/me? NO

jaydub said...

" @jaydub, you have Slovenian friends? Can I assume they're excited about a Slovenian in the White House?"

Very. All three of my Slovenian friends are also hopeful about her husband. They say their government is also corrupt and the political class is worthless - sound familiar?

mockturtle said...

jaydub, I think that sentiment is widespread in both eastern and western Europe. I'm hoping our election [and Brexit] will give confidence to those sentiments.

Anonymous said...

buwaya puti: The French NYT is split; there is much less memetic dominance of one publication there. It is a more competitive, and much healthier information marketplace I think.
The traditional way to get a picture of French opinion is to read Le Monde, Figaro and possibly Liberation.


There's a pretty lively French deplorable-o-sphere, too. (And as in the U.S., the comments to MSM articles are often irately flyoverian.)

Big Mike said...

@jaydub, Llubljana is one of the loveliest capital cities in Europe, with art around every corner. Not just the twice-life-size long dead heroes on horseback found in most other cities, but genuine museum-quality modern abstract statuary. I hope Melania brings a Slovenian sense of style with her when she picks out the new drapes.

Kurt Bermuda said...

BLM always was a media ready AstroTurf org. Its main purpose was a trolling device, and to a lesser extent a social media outrage product. BLM was definitely a key tool in reinforcing SJW’s views of themselves as America’s NOT-RACIST protectors. SJWs feed themselves this narrative day in and day out. No wonder they can’t escape the alternate reality they made for themselves. They literally live in a "Filter Bubble" (look up that term on Wikipedia).

Now that the election is over, just watch, we won’t be seeing or hearing much from BLM in the MSM from here on out. Just an occasional refresher in order to keep the free labor motivated.

damikesc said...

Trump would say: The police acted stupid.

Just talking grammar.


I would've guessed "did stupidly". He loves "do" and loves ending words with "-ly"

jaydub said...

@ Big Mike, Ljubljnana is a great city and I also like the Lake Bled area and Novo Mesto in the Southern wine region. Also, the Julian Alps are spectacular, and there is a high road between Italy and Slovenia that runs along the WWI Soca Front, the setting of Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms." Lots of WWI historical sites and a number of Hemingway interest points along the front. My Slovenian friends say that when it was a part of Yugoslavia, it had 10% of the population but supposedly produced around 80% of the Yugo GNP. Don't know if that's all true, but it sounds right - good people, beautiful country! Also, lots of women who look like Melania running around there :)

Quaestor said...

Let's have Anthony Fremont banish Charlie Hebdo to the cornfield, that'll teach 'em!

Better still Anthony can yell Allahu akbar! and watch in delight the spreading urine stains.

walter said...

France allows off-duty police to carry guns following murders by jihadist near Paris

lonetown said...

laissez les bon temps rouler!

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

It's nice to hear that many citizens of other countries are onto the media/progressive misinformation campaign, as well. Maybe the pendulum has finally reversed.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Thanks to Obama led leftist agitators, this probably is the impression of the USA that many citizens of other countries have of us.

Apparently they're not the fan of police brutality - racialized or otherwise - that you are.

Perhaps one day they will be. Your cause - of making sure government law enforcers have complete immunity - must be a very worthy one, I'm sure.

Bad Lieutenant said...

R&B,

Apparently they're not the fan of police brutality - racialized or otherwise - that you are.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're not this stupid.

Bad Lieutenant said...

I mean, maybe Charlie Hebdo are delicate flowers, but French police? Nigga please.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Can I say that?

Bad Lieutenant said...

Wow, and Trump isn't even President yet!

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

So you're saying that police brutality is not a problem in America?

Real American please.

mockturtle said...

R&B, police brutality has always been a problem. In my hippie days, I remember many a long-haired male beaten up just because. There are some guys who went into law enforcement because they are bullies. In fact, some in my high school who became cops were the 'hoods' back then [what we called juvenile delinquents]. However, most are not in that category. They are decent folks trying to do a difficult and dangerous job. We owe them our support.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I didn't say it's just a new problem and I didn't say that the more numerous good guys don't deserve support. I'm just saying that in the land of the free/home of the brave we should be a little less tolerant of letting it go on the way it does. I'm sure their support will increase the more they do to break the code of silence that protects the violators.

Bad Lieutenant said...

No, Ribbie, actually I'm just saying that the Frogs have no stones to throw.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I didn't realize that nationality made one exempt from being able to call attention to a fact, or to use it as satire.

The alt-right just got their wet dream of a propagandist as Trump's #2. Please try to sound a little less fascist today. Thank you. For the sake of the America that some of us actually used to love.

mockturtle said...

R&B, one problem with cops is the unwritten code of loyalty. They don't tell on each other. That has to stop. And the media would have us think that blacks are the principal victims and we know that's not so. There are plenty of instances of police brutality--more by number--against whites and they never wind up on CNN or the six o'clock news.

mockturtle said...

The culprit in racial friction is the MSM. They have done more to divide us racially than have all the politicians put together.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

The culprit in racial friction is the MSM. They have done more to divide us racially than have all the politicians put together.

Bloody hell! The DNC erred in focusing more on identity politics than economics, so I can't say their lackeys in the MSM did much better. But the alt-right is a fucking cesspit of hate and division! You right-wingers need to wake up to the fact that there is NO comparison to minority agitation and majority agitation. None whatsoever. All this bullshit rhetoric about blacks somehow being as oppressive (or even having the power to be as oppresive as the realities they live and have lived, is utter shit. PC policing may be annoying, counter-productive and obnoxious, but Trump's political instincts are straight out of a mid-century German beer hall. Give me a fucking break. I'm really sure all these white nationalists you're such sudden fans of have to put up with imagery of nooses, and crematoria, and all the rest of it. They are a fucking cancer besmirching any credibility your right-wing could ever have, and you know it. Go ahead and point out any left-wing administration official left in for a long-term position who was anywhere near as destructive to American civic life as Bannon. You can't find it. But just like our privileged rich, the majority have to imagine and exaggerate their supposed suffering, also. It's insane. Like listening to a teenager complaining of persecution at the hands of his/her two-year old sibling. Just utter fucknut bullshit. You sound like Goebbels blaming Germany's woes on you-know-who. But this is the mental modus operandi of that slice of Trump's support that he called "most passionate." I guess "contagious" was another way of describing it.

Deplorable. Un-American.

n.n said...

Elective abortions committed outside of sanctuary chambers is forbidden by the Church.

Also, it must be noted that the Left, foreign and domestic, deny responsibility for reconstituting institutional racism, sexism, etc. as "class diversity" under the Pro-Choice quasi-religion.

walter said...

I gave yup going to Breitbart once it being a bogged down site..taxing my "low dough" computer.
What, specifically, is he guilty of?

Kyzer SoSay said...

Same thing Trump is guilty of. Doubleplusungoodthink.

Kirk Parker said...

a very liberal Middle East country

Go ahead, pull the other one.