"Perhaps, a bit. But it's not as bad as a lot of French people seem to fear, writes Emma Pearson. It's been a tumultuous few weeks in France; the government has fallen, risen, fallen again and frankly who knows what is going on now. On top of that, a former head of state has been jailed for the first time since World War II and thieves took jewellery worth 88 million from the Louvre with embarrassing ease."
"The sentiment that I've heard over and over again over the past few weeks is fear that the whole world is laughing at France. The French justice minister's first reaction to the Louvre theft was to say: "We have failed and this gives a deplorable image of France." Meanwhile cultural commentator Stephane Bern mourned that: "We're the laughing stock of the world.""
"For a people often labelled arrogant (with some justification), I find that the fear of being laughed at is surprisingly prevalent in France. In the run-up to the Paris Olympics, the prevailing sentiment in the capital was fear that the Games would be a disaster and everyone would laugh at France. While the Games were excellent, even France's best friends could not describe the country's last few months as successful."
Recent weeks in France featured repeated government collapses, the jailing of a former president, and a high-value jewellery theft from the Louvre. Public sentiment has focused on humiliation and fear that the world is mocking France. Political leaders and cultural figures characterized the incidents as failures that damage France's image. Pre-Olympics anxieties about global ridicule contrasted with ultimately successful Games, yet confidence remains shaken. International mockery appears present but less pervasive than domestic perceptions suggest. The conviction of a former president over alleged Libyan campaign funding underscores concerns about political accountability and contributes to a sense of national embarrassment.
Read at www.thelocal.fr
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