April 14, 2005

France: a riddle in a mystery inside an enigma

By Thomas Lifson
I was just about ready to give up on the French. Again. But this morning I am pausing to wonder if there might be some hope for their redemption. France presents many dilemmas for me. Despite all the reasons they have given us to dislike them, there are many aspects of French society and culture I find quite admirable. Their devotion to art and beauty, for example. They take the trouble to make their public buildings and spaces, indeed their cities, attractive to the eye. They believe that by cultivating a taste for the finest art and music you can actually improve yourself and live a more satisfying life. Not every person or every aspect of their culture lives up to this ideal, of course. Far from it. But at least they make an effort in that direction, or at least feel something is wrong if they don't expose their children to Mozart. And despite the widening gap between France and America in economic and technological progress, there are some things that the French do very well...(Read Full Article)