Little Baseball in France? That's the Good News
For the first time since we moved to France decades ago, we're glad there is not much baseball in this country.
Why?
The answer is "les Gilets Jaunes," the so-called Yellow Vests who wreaked mayhem and destruction in Paris and other French cities last weekend.
Although the "gilets jaunes" began as a protest to increased fuel prices — France already has some of the world's highest costs at the gasoline pump, about $6.00 a gallon — the demonstrations quickly deteriorated into riots with no motivation except destruction as hangers-on joined in the chaos. The French call these people "casseurs" or breakers and, indeed, their only goal seemed to be to wreck as much as they could.
Much of the vandalism took place on Avenue Kleber, just one block from our apartment. Seeing black smoke from our kitchen window, we decided to go see what was happening. After all, we were both journalists and used to being on the front lines of a story.
As we walked toward Kleber, the crowds increased, both spectators and yellow vests. One yellow vest ran by us brandishing an ax. At the corner, another passed us wielding a sledge hammer. All down the street we could see cars being rolled and set aflame.
Bus stops had their glass enclosures shattered. Banks were getting the worst of the casseurs fury. Windows were broken and ATMs hammered to pieces and sprayed with paint. No money was pouring forth, however.
One gilet jaune was snapping chains on bicycles and motor bikes while his colleague was breaking the bikes apart. A third man grabbed a piece of a desk being hauled out of a bank and set it on fire. He brought the flaming wood to the bikes and set them on fire, too.
It was clear no one was thinking about fuel prices.
What does all this have to do with baseball?
"My god," said Don, "just think what they would be doing if everybody had baseball bats. They'd be swinging at all of us."
Our eyes began to sting from the tear gas the police were using, so we turned and headed home.
On the way we saw a broken piece of a baseball bat.
