Thomas on Warpcast

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@aviationdoctor.eth

Some people here and on X have expressed outrage at parts of the opening ceremony of the Olympics in France. As someone who is both natively French and a "global citizen" (lived on four continents, visited 50 countries, expat for nearly 20 years), I wanted to share my dual perspective. My goal is not to pass judgment on Friday's performance, but rather set the cultural context in which it was delivered. So, don't shoot the messenger. Also, references are annotated in brackets like this: [i] for further reading at the end. The TL;DR is that the French brand of secularism (laïcité) is unique, highly idiosyncratic, and part of the core identity of the French republic; it's understandable that it does not translate well to an international audience. Now, onto the 🧵: 1/9

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@aviationdoctor.eth

> That show was blasphemy! The concept of blasphemy (the action of speaking sacrilegiously about a god or the sacred) may speak to you, but it explicitly does not exist in secular France [i]. In France, religions are treated as mere ideas, and like all ideas, they can be examined, praised, criticized, and even mocked. In the eyes of the secular French republic, no text or religious icon deserves special protection, no matter how holy to some. That aspect of freedom of speech is as foundational to the French as the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is to Americans. Of course, people whose identity is rooted in faith might take offense at that, which leads me to... 2/9

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@aviationdoctor.eth

> That show was disrespectful to Christians! It is culturally accepted in France that mocking religions is not the same as mocking believers. It is possible to mock ideas while respecting people who hold them. I understand this is a contentious distinction for the non-French, including foreign spectators of a show or new immigrants unaccustomed to the local culture. In France, everyone is free to believe in whatever deity they like, of course, or none at all; but if someone gets offended, that's on them, and the most likely retort they will receive is "deal with it". There is a long and proud tradition of picking on religion in the country, which leads me to... 3/9

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what's your opinion on the Charlie Hebdo thing with them getting machine gunned to death for mocking Islam's prophet. It's been a few years since then and I am now when it is rarely brought up I am seeing people saying "well they should not have done that".

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