On my day off (Warning : may/will contain political stuff despite me not getting anything about politics)

Some people may think I have no business commenting on the politics of my country when I don't really understand what's happening. It's true, I don't, but I can still be scared when certain things are said.

See, in France, we have many parties, each having their own agenda (not that it matters nowadays as most of the time people will try to spout off things they think people want, so it just look like they ride the opinion tide like pro surfers) .

Today a friend posted a link to something said by a woman now leading what some French people simply call the "racist" party (yeah, that one). Basically this woman wanted to introduce a points based ID system, where "foreigners" would lose points and could be "sent back" to their countries after losing all points (to note, we already have a points based system in France, but for drivers' licenses) .

I have posted a note on Facebook with my own reactions to that news article (I should have copied and pasted the replies I made that the mod team did not publish: I can be pretty nice and moderate when I know I can "debate" with others without risking a brain explosion)  . I just want to remember what I thought and said today, least I become a bitter ranty racist old lady by the age of 70. 

(Cut because this could get insanely long)

Wait, no. How could I actually become so stupid to the point of being a racist ? I come from a French island that bears its name quite well ("Reunion" Island). I come from a place where it does not matter what your skin color is, since we're united under the same roof. 

And I LIVE in a place where every step I take makes me discover the wonders of other cultures (food, culture itself, clothing also sometimes) . Let's also note that sometimes I find things where I am able to pinpoint exactly why I have a problem with racism and that racist political party. One example

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology

To make things short, once you get into Western culture (not just French, heh!) you realize soon enough that those people some are quick to point as foreigners are actually the geniuses that helped shape society as is it today. Math is actually the first thing that comes to mind (0 1 2 3 4 5 as opposed to I II III IV V), but in general, let's face it, the greatest advancements in science did not happen out of dirt at the base of the Eiffel Tower or the Washington Monument or Big Ben (and so on and so forth, I am sure you get the point) .

It's actually just like homophobia and the general phobia about the "different" people. But, ahem, different how ? Okay so science has established that there ARE genetic markers in the different "races" of men. So clearly there are difference races of men... the problem is that some people seem to think it makes it okay to say certain people are worth less. Well, NO.

We are ALL humans. I don't care one bit about which genetic markers you have if you are a decent person. After all, you haven't chosen where or when to be born. You can, however, build yourself in or outside your culture as you see fit and as you find things that appeal to you.

Yeah, I am proud of being French. I am proud of my language, the beauty of my country, our art, our music, everything. But I am proud of those BECAUSE I know I can discover everything else without fear and mix certain things if I want to, without forgetting about my roots.

Basically, Mrs Le Pen, if you make it to President, you can throw me out too, because I'm culturally so far removed from being 100% French that I'd probably scare you.