French Gov't Warns Citizens About Shifty Folks Who Don't Eat Delicious French Baguettes
from the freedom-bread dept
If you've been following along with our coverage on how the French are using the Charlie Hebdo attacks as cover to completely lose their minds, you probably thought it couldn't get any worse than declaring war on the internet and news agencies. It's gotten worse. So, so much worse.
On Wednesday the French government launched a website to counter terrorism in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Its message of national unity, aimed at young people who could be radicalised as well as the general public, quickly made a splash on the internet. The site was liked 17,000 times on Facebook; its official Twitter hashtag (#StopDJihadisme) was used 12,000 times; and a slick video meant to counter jihadist recruiters got over half a million hits. But it didn't take long for sarcasm to emerge. And it was the government's infographic about radicalisation that seemed to catch the internet's attention most of all.Here's the infographic in all of its glory.
But that baguette thing. Boy, that really got the snark rolling.
"The government invites you to be wary of those who do not eat baguettes," said one user, in a theme that was echoed by many others.It's more dire than that, actually. People, for all of their failings, recognize government BS when they see it. Much like when older Americans were taught to sit underneath their desks in case of a nuclear strike by those pesky commies, a government that informs its citizens to be on the watch for people who change their dietary habits is equal parts laughable and fully-expected. Because when government tries to do this kind of catch-all "be on the lookout," it almost always does it poorly. Those that can't grasp how silly this kind of thing is, on the other hand, fall victim to the fear-based hysteria.
Jonathan Russell, Political Liaison Officer at the London-based counter-extremism Quilliam Foundation, told BBC Trending that sarcasm is to be expected when it comes to government-run campaigns. "The general response is that people don't like to be told how to think," he said. "This doesn't mean that those doing the mocking are supportive of extremism. It's more that because it is a centrally run campaign it lacks an element of credibility".
Filed Under: baguettes, be on the lookout, bolo, france, free speech, paranoia, surveillance