Foreign Perspective: Obama en France

Hello BU Dems! This is Hope, a former BUCD e-board member studying abroad in Grenoble, France for my junior year. I'm going to try to make some guest blog posts every now and then as I can. This is a post I made on my wordpress blog that I thought you all might find interesting.

So after three weeks in Grenoble, I feel comfortable enough to start making sweeping generalizations about the political views of the French. Bear with me on this one.

They love Obama, straight up.

Seriously. Any time politics comes up in discussion, they will ask me what I think of him. Then before really listening to my response, they respond “oh nous, nous l’adoooore” ("we looooove him”). They are open about their dislike of Bush, too. They tell me that before, they hated American politics and had no respect for us. Now, they say, they couldn’t be happier and are outright excited for the future relationship between France and the US. They repeat “Yez we cahn!” and tell me they wish there was something that inspiring in French politics.

But France’s love affair with Obama isn’t just due to their hatred of Bush. France has an exceedingly complicated relationship with race, and a high immigrant population. For many, Obama’s appeal isn’t because of his trade policies or his position on the Iraq War. It’s because his father was an immigrant, and that he is half-black. There are very few high-ranking ministers or members of the National Assembly who are immigrants, blacks, or Muslims. France, for all its emphasis on “liberté, égalité, fraternité” and its philosphical foundations on equality, is a shockingly racist place. For example, I’ve heard it’s about five times harder for Arabs and blacks (especially first and second generation immigrants) to find work (though I can’t source that statement, it’s just something I’ve been told). I can say that even in the short time I’ve been here I’ve noticed a level of casualness to some downright racist comments that in the US (well, Boston at least) would have turned heads.

It’s a complicated topic that I am struggling to get a handle on; I’m far from an expert. But, talking with my host family has definitely given me a lot of consider. My host mom is a white born-and-raised Grenobloise, and my host dad is from Martinique. He’s not an immigrant per se, as Martinique is an overseas department of France, but still is considered separate, in a way, from mainland France. Most of their friends that I have met are in biracial or have a spouse of a different race and are forthcoming in talking about the difficulties they face.

So for them, and for many people, to see a mixed-race man whose father was an immigrant to the US achieve the presidency sends a message to the French about the future of race relations in the US, and gives hope to those who want change in French politics. Hope and Change– Obama’s message is as welcome in France as it was in the States.