Personal opinions




     


I think this post will be my favorite one, as in my home university we are used to debate and express our personal opinion in every course, in every conversation even outside of class. In fact, the other name of Sciences Po is "Institute of Political Studies". So, you may now learn more about the views of the French girl who learns English in a Spanish speaking country.

The first subject in the teacher's list that interested me, or should I say that I wanted to argue, is recycling. I am not a climate change skeptic, I truly believe and see the effects of it, however I have a more materialist approach of preventing it. My take is that despite all the individual efforts we are doing, if governments and multinationals do not take care of the subject, there will be no change. Although I recycle, I know it has only a minimum impact. For instance, the household’s consumption of water only represents 3% of the world total consumption.

I’ll always remember the speech of Simone Veil, former French Health Minister, who legalized abortion in all cases in France in 1974 (first “catholic” country to do so, even if the Church and the State are separated since 1905). Her words were very powerful and meaningful, I must admit that I’ve cried several times hearing them. Fortunately, her full speech has been translated to Spanish by Claudia de Anda here :
http://www.debatefeminista.cieg.unam.mx/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/articulos/038_19.pdf
To learn more about her incredible life (Auschwitz survivor, magistrate, Minister, first woman president of the European Parliament…), you can look up these short videos made when she died last year :
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF4xA_2Dor4 (English)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMEtJar5Bro (English)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e_e6vy6O2M (Spanish)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcmKnU3aKoo (Spanish)
Also, you must watch the film about the three days of the debate in the French Parliament called “La Loi” (The Law) : https://smoda.elpais.com/moda/simone-veil-el-aborto-y-el-manifiesto-de-las-343-zorras/
The only critique I must do is that she was part of a center-right-wing party (although moderate, more liberal than conservative).

As I’ve already made the amount of words required for this post, I will make a last statement, about the movement of the yellow vests in France. I don’t know if you’re really aware of it, but since a month thousands of people are protesting against precarity. It started with the announcement of the rise of the fuel’s tax, which mobilized more the working-class, and now the movement is joined by workers in public services, students and high schoolers. Revendications are different according to groups : rise of the SMIC (minimum wage in France), more material and human investments in public services, withdrawal of both the high school and university reforms. They often use violence, but what is burning cars when you suffer from institutional and symbolic violence ? When you have difficulties to “end the month”, eat daily, and when no one listen to your distress. The government, by not responding to people’s alarm, now faces the consequences. Yesterday, Emmanuel Macron made a public announcement to temperate a bit, but in fact the measures revealed only are a smokescreen in order to stop the strikes and manifestations.

Anyway, can you guess my political current now ? 😉

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