More Things Sarkozy: The Son and His Scooter

There's always something with this guy. His ubiquity in the press also translates to ubiquity in my blog.... Sarkozy's quite the text, that's for sure. So, what's the news today?
Well, 'Sarkozy' news today revolves around his aesthetically superior blonde son, his lovely scooter, reckless driving, and that little concept called 'sense of entitlement.'
The premise of the article might seem inconsequential in the beginning. However, it does raise some valid questions.
Here it a bit:
"Jean Sarkozy has also been a beneficiary of his father’s power, it seems. When his motor scooter was stolen last year, the police recovered it quickly, even going to the extraordinary length of taking a DNA sample from his helmet. In 2005, he ran his scooter into the back of a BMW, according to a complaint brought by the car’s owner, M’Hamed Bellouti, who managed to catch the license plate number as the scooter sped away. The police failed to find the scooter, but the car owner’s insurance company did. Nevertheless, in a December 2007 trial, the complaint against Jean Sarkozy was dismissed.

Mr. Bellouti asked then: “Why is there a two-speed justice system? When they steal his scooter, they are full of zeal. When it hits my car, there is less zeal.”
Read more here.
graph per ny times

The French Obsession with Sarkozy: A Bona Five Love Story

I'm fascinated by France's Sarkozy and I'm not even a French person.
Many French people are so obsessed with their leader that they're now taking many of their respective obsessions, fantasies, and issues to their therapists' office.
I'm really not joking.
The Times' piece observes:
“As I listened to my patients during consultations, many of them mentioned Sarkozy by name,” Dr. Hefez said. “He’s penetrated some of their deepest fantasies. I noticed all this passion in people speaking of him, and I thought there is something particular about this man — he’s like a reflection of us in the mirror.”
The French project themselves onto Mr. Sarkozy, too, Dr. Hefez said.
“He’s the incarnation of the postmodern man, obsessed with himself, turned toward pleasure, autonomous and narcissistic,” the psychiatrist said. “And he exhibits his joys and sorrows, all his private life, his sentimental doubts and pleasures. He represents the individualism of the society to the extreme, that it’s the individual who counts, not the society.”

Well, especially the last paragraph made me produce a loud, 'holy cow!' when I read it. Could it be basic cynicism or is there actually some measure of truth to this? Granted, there is individualism galore out there but I find it difficult to believe that it is the sole active currency. I've found Sarkozy fascinating from the very beginning. I don't know what it is, really, other than this inherent ability to fuse confidence with inferiority.
Apparently, the French are reading papers obsessively following their leader's private and public life as closely as possible. Many papers are being sold and many discussions are being generated. Oh, yes, and more shrinks are being seen too. Here's how a session starts in my mind:
'So, what would you like to talk about today?'
'I had a dream that I was dating Carla Bruni,' says the hypothetical French patient.
I don't know if the Sarkozy phenomenon is a a commentary on contemporary individualism or a simple example of people being fascinated by foibled and fallible leading figures. Hmm. I especially like how the Times article concludes:
'The Rue89 news Web site asked: “After a year of dependency, how can we stop being Sarkotoxicated?”
As yet, there appears to be no cure.'
graph per ny times

Hyper Sarkozy Likes to Text Message but Keeps Silent on Hich Culture

Chateaubriand once noted that “Taste is the good sense of genius.” France's president Sarkozy is being criticized for what many in France thinking is his apparent lack of interest in high culture.
The NY Times features a provoking spread on him today. It mentioned many things including the following, "the hyperactive Mr. Sarkozy reportedly text-messaged somebody or other while with the pope."
Hmm.
Here is a section from the article:
'Every French president since the liberation has cooked up some such pharaonic new museum or opera house or library or initiated some legacy-minded cultural program, until now. Mr. Sarkozy’s taste is said to be for Lionel Ritchie and Celine Dion. (Mitterrand mulled over Dostoyevsky; de Gaulle consumed Chateaubriand.) The current president’s fondness for showbiz pals, his marriage to the Italian model-turned-singer Carla Bruni and the appointment of a culture minister, Christine Albanel, who is intelligent but widely regarded as weak among Mr. Sarkozy’s ministers, have combined to produce something of a culture shock.'
Full feature here.
graph her ny times

Smoking in France? Non plus, mesdames et monsieurs ....

Just a few days ago while on a trip, an otherwise lovely individual clothed me in drapes of cigarette smoke. I tried quite hard to keep a straight, or rather, poker face. One needs, after all, to be kind. Smoking, like most habitual activities, is, I imagine, a difficult thing to kick. Patience is needed. And smokers who are trying to quit appreciate that kind of support, I find.

Today, the NY Times informed me that France, this 'haven of cigarette smokers' as I jokingly and habitually refer to it to a good friend of mine who is also a native of Paris, is officially saying, 'c'est tout!' to public cigarette smoking.

The country has, as of yesterday, banned smoking in public places. The ban took effect on Tuesday so that the smokers would have another chance to celebrate New Year's uninhibited by unsatisfied urges.

Per the Times feature today:

About 12 million French people — about 20 percent of the population — are smokers,
according to official figures, and more than 70,000 people die in France every year from
smoking-related illnesses and secondhand smoke.

The decree coincides with a broad Europe-wide nonsmoking movement that began four years
ago when Ireland banned smoking in public places. But here, there are fierce pockets of
resistance. Opponents say the ban signals the erosion of French liberté. They say it is
undemocratic because it was not passed through Parliament but imposed by government
decree.

As a non-smoker, my reaction to this news will obviously be of a different nature from, say, the 20% of the French population who happen to be smokers. However, since we all have to share a finite amount of space and, most importantly, since we don't have the luxury of living an infinite number of days, it is, perhaps, a noble pursuit to have a genuine interest in keeping healthy.

Excellent Times bit. Read more here.


graph per ny times