In case you haven't paid any attention, France is burning. The poor of the city (mostly of Muslim origin, it seems) have been rioting for over a week now, and there doesn't seem to be an end to it.

Ordinarily, I would tie this madness to the notion that I think people are wicked and evil... but I don't think that's what's going on here. I think this is more of a case of the poor rising up against their aggressors, and fighting against a system they believe is unjust. They are burning cars and buildings, but acts of violence towards individuals seems pretty limited.

Perhaps France is ready for another revolution; the lower class is looking to remove the upper class from power once again. That's fine, I suppose - if a country considers their poor to be the "scum" of society instead of extending a sense of equality and help, I suppose they've create their own problems. That's not to say that I condone these acts of violence - I don't, and I rarely think it is ever a good tactic. However, I think that it is almost understandable... when people get treated poorly for too long, they eventually feel a need to rise up and fight the system.

My only concern is that we have Muslim youth involved... and Muslim youth seem particularly moved by anti-western sentiment when preached at them by certain figureheads... the consequences of these riots might prove to be greater than we can imagine. France's neighbor, Spain, has a strong Muslim population as well, don't they?