Trevor Responds to Criticism from the French Ambassador

[camex]

[/video]

[gosh]

1. Yeah, you can be French of African descent, Asian descent, European descent, etc..

2. The "African" guy who was "given" French citizenship for rescuing the baby was a case of nothing more than a modern-day example of Meritorious Manumission.

3. On both occasions that the French won the WC, they did it with a team of people from diverse backgrounds. This fact is seriously undermining the arguments of racists across the globe who claim that 'diversity' in football is a source of poor performance rather than one of excellence.

4. I wonder if the likes of Marie LePen actually celebrated France's 1998 and 2018 WC goals and title wins with a straight face.

[camex]

1. Yeah, you can be French of African descent, Asian descent, European descent, etc..

2. The "African" guy who was "given" French citizenship for rescuing the baby was a case of nothing more than a modern-day example of Meritorious Manumission.

3. On both occasions that the French won the WC, they did it with a team of people from diverse backgrounds. This fact is seriously undermining the arguments of racists across the globe who claim that 'diversity' in football is a source of poor performance rather than one of excellence.

4. I wonder if the likes of Marie LePen actually celebrated France's 1998 and 2018 WC goals and title wins with a straight face.

I made a mistake earlier and cited some fake news attributed to Marine LePen. She has actually said, the players give a good image of France when they say they are proud to be French and from France.

[mcal]

...it is beneath the ambassador to have written the criticism letter, he should have stomached it and move on.
And yes, if they had lost this match, or any match during the campaign, the far right racists would have descended on them.
We all remember the incident with the French team at the 2010 world cup.

[lionga]

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

[camex]

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

I think Benjamin Mendy is being politically correct. When my cousin who lives in France was trying to make her mom come for an extended stay, and her application was rejectedz the french civi servant who was in charge of assessing her application reminded her that she should be thankful, her children are french. When children born of African parents refer to themselves as Cameroonian, Senegal sessions, etc, you can see that have embraced their dual heritage.

[ANC]

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

trevor should have left this one alone...basically calling himself a racist.

[Prince]

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

trevor should have left this one alone...basically calling himself a racist.

Nothing wrong in them being proud of their African heritage, like he has stated....

[Kabalega]

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

trevor should have left this one alone...basically calling himself a racist.

I don't follow.

BTW, most French people of Algerian descent agree with Trevor. They are Algerian first then French. Ditto Morroccans.
But I was surprised to hear Drogba proudly emphasize the fact that he is French. Even the interviewers looked amused, not by the fact that he is French but by how he said it.

Maybe he wanted to associate with champions. Who knows.

[lakdarbelloumi]

What do you mean Trevor should have left it alone. I believe he gave enough clarification where he's coming from, when he referred to the French team as the African team. I would be the last person to smile at anything French, but as someone of African descent living in the Diaspora I embraced the France team because of the significant injection of African youth in the team. America is not doing that with its significant pool of talented Hispanics. However that is not the whole story... The French ambassador might wanna defend his country all he wants and cry foul for anyone falsely labeling his country...We all know it's all for convenience sake, and at the end of the day the French establishment will always solely look out for its best interest. Their inherent guiding policy is assimilation, not because they believe in the intrinsic virtue of such a policy, but because it facilitates as a tool their access to opportunities that would continue to keep them relevant. No need for me to spell it all out here.....99.999% of the African youth in France will not be able to go through Clairefontaine and have the opportunity to become a Pogba.... It is a good thing that the image of this French National team can allow the larger community to ponder and bring to light the plight of our African youth in the Parisian and Marseille banlieus... so the experiment through which their peers have been subjected , ends up benefiting them as well....They need a lift to their aspirations and hopes.
So if someone as prominent as Trevor is using his privileged podium as a platform to uplift the African youth, i'm all for it.

[jette1]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44885923

US-based South African comedian Trevor Noah has defended himself after being criticised by a French diplomat for saying "Africa won the World Cup".

The Daily Show host made the comments on his satirical show a day after France beat Croatia to win football's most coveted prize on Sunday.

More than half of the French squad can trace their heritage back to Africa.

The French ambassador to the US said the comedian was denying their "Frenchness" by calling them African.

"This, even in jest, legitimises the ideology which claims whiteness as the only definition of being French," Gérard Araud said in a stern letter to Noah.




"They were educated in France, they learned to play soccer in France, and they are French citizens. They are proud of their country, France."

The Daily Show posted a video of the South African comic reading out the letter on Wednesday (later tweeted by the French embassy in the US) - and going on to argue that the players' African identity should be celebrated.




Skip Twitter post by @TheDailyShow


The French ambassador to the U.S. @GerardAraud criticized Trevor for congratulating Africa on France’s World Cup victory. Trevor responds #BetweenTheScenes: pic.twitter.com/5nJklXRyY8
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 19, 2018
Report

End of Twitter post by @TheDailyShow

Noah said he understood where the ambassador was coming from and how his comment could be perceived as "joining the attack" with France's far right.

But he said his statement should be put in context: "When I am saying, 'They are African', I am not saying it as a way to exclude them from their Frenchness, but using it as a way to include them in my Africanness."

To deny that duality was something he "vehemently" disagreed with.

[jette1]

SO under this diversity premise it can then be argued that Nigeria would never win the world cup since the Super Eagles are all blacks, not diversified enough; no white players

[gosh]

SO under this diversity premise it can then be argued that Nigeria would never win the world cup since the Super Eagles are all blacks, not diversified enough; no white players

Absolutely not. Nigeria can win the WC with an all-black team.
However, if a few white Nigerian citizens were integrated into the SE because they are the BEST qualified for those spots (not just because they are white to make the numbers) to help SE win the WC, I don't think Nigerians will display the degree of covert and overt acts of racism towards those players like many racists in the west do against blacks, natural-born or naturalized citizens.

In fact, in this hypothetical scenario, black Nigerians may actually bend over backwards to praise the white members of the SE even more than their black teammates even if they perform equally well. Africans in general, are actually very nice to people who don't even look like us. It will take a lot for us to treat racists at the same degree they treat us.

[gosh]

1. Yeah, you can be French of African descent, Asian descent, European descent, etc..

2. The "African" guy who was "given" French citizenship for rescuing the baby was a case of nothing more than a modern-day example of Meritorious Manumission.

3. On both occasions that the French won the WC, they did it with a team of people from diverse backgrounds. This fact is seriously undermining the arguments of racists across the globe who claim that 'diversity' in football is a source of poor performance rather than one of excellence.

4. I wonder if the likes of Marie LePen actually celebrated France's 1998 and 2018 WC goals and title wins with a straight face.

I made a mistake earlier and cited some fake news attributed to Marine LePen. She has actually said, the players give a good image of France when they say they are proud to be French and from France.

That's fine, but my comment about LePen was really in regards to her and her family's past history of waging vehement and toxic anti-immigrant political campaigns against non-whites in France and Europe in general, regardless of whether what you may have cited about her was a mistake. Her historical record on immigrants is not one worthy of honor.

She is in the same camp with the likes of US Rep Steven King of Iowa, Steven Miller (current senior WH advisor), AG Sessions, and many others with strong ties to branches of the John Tanton networks.

[bepanda]

Why is Mendy "politically correct"? How do you know this? Because 1 person tries to be politically correct doesn't mean EVERYONE does it. This is a very dangerous statement you are making there.
Yes, we should be thankful to live and be accepted in another country. What's wrong with that statement? How would this be handled in your own country? In your own village? Have you really thought about that? We (Africans) like to make demands on other nations, while we (Africans) are probably some of the most racists/tribalist people on earth.
Just because you were born of African parents doesn't make you African. These children don't go to school in Africa, don't pay taxes in Africa, ... contribute really nothing to Africa. Why should they consider themselves Africans?
Look what Ozil did in Germany. Is he Turkish or is he German? How would you feel if Chadiens did the same thing in Cameroon? I doubt you would be approving of it.
Bepanda

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

I think Benjamin Mendy is being politically correct. When my cousin who lives in France was trying to make her mom come for an extended stay, and her application was rejectedz the french civi servant who was in charge of assessing her application reminded her that she should be thankful, her children are french. When children born of African parents refer to themselves as Cameroonian, Senegal sessions, etc, you can see that have embraced their dual heritage.

[kali]

Flip things around. The South African Swimming team consists of loads of Africans of European descent. Lets say that South Africa now wins all the medals at the Olympics and a comedian in Europe said that Europe won how would South Africans take it? The South African foreign minister would say exactly the same thing the French foreign minister said.

Trevor Noah should have replied "he was only joking" instead of holding onto a shaky argument.

[ANC]

Flip things around. The South African Swimming team consists of loads of Africans of European descent. Lets say that South Africa now wins all the medals at the Olympics and a comedian in Europe said that Europe won how would South Africans take it? The South African foreign minister would say exactly the same thing the French foreign minister said.

Trevor Noah should have replied "he was only joking" instead of holding onto a shaky argument.

thank you.

It is actually racist to support France solely because of the black players, i.e based on race alone. It is one thing to identity with them, but entirely something different to shout on top of the mountain

[achuzia-the-air-raid]

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

trevor should have left this one alone...basically calling himself a racist.

Nothing wrong in them being proud of their African heritage, like he has stated....

I bow o!

[ANC]

Looking at the comment section, the 'afrofrench' folks are still not buying Noah's argument. I doubt the black french players would like it either. Benjamin Mendy said something to that effect on Twitter a few days ago.This is what happens when Americans impose their own racialized paradigm on other parts of the world where the discourse has been much different. And btw, it's asinine of Noah tothink there's nothing wrong with him parrotting the comments of far-right racists in France because he's black. You'd think a South African working in America would know better to appreciatie the nuances in racial discourse in different parts of the world. I guess not.

trevor should have left this one alone...basically calling himself a racist.

Nothing wrong in them being proud of their African heritage, like he has stated....

I bow o!

flip it the other way and tell me how it looks.

[Benedict Iroha]

I didn't see all these nonsense when France won in 1998. Zidane was the toast of the Country...another African.

[Benedict Iroha]

Only in the New World can Countries field and all black team without nobody batting an eye i.e USA, Brazil, all of Central Americas, Ecuador, Colombia....The only few are Canada, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.

[camex]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/glo ... 04852d3347
About 8 years Laurent Blanc was in favor of instoring quotas to limit the number of players of african descent in youth teams, because he judged them too athletic and not technically good enough.

Don’t let France’s World Cup victory erase the issues affecting black French people
By Rokhaya Diallo
July 16

France’s Kylian Mbappe kisses the trophy after the World Cup final between France and Croatia in Moscow on Sunday. France won 4-2. (Matthias Schrader/AP)
Rokhaya Diallo is a French writer, journalist, filmmaker and TV host for BET France.

PARIS — Unlike most of my fellow citizens for whom soccer is a religion, I am not a huge football fan. Yet on the sacred day of July 12, 1998, I, like 20 million other French people, watched France win the football World Cup with a group of my girlfriends. I was a 20-year-old student watching a team that looked pretty much like us — a mix of white, black and Arab players. Such a mix was quite unusual in a prime-time slot. Our hearts were beating as Zinedine Zidane scored two goals, followed by the final one from Emmanuel Petit, which defeated Brazil. We ended screaming with joy in the middle of the Champs Elysées. We were there, among a crowd of 1.5 million supporters, celebrating our team as Zidane’s face appeared on the Arc de Triomphe. We wished we could have had Zidane as our president.

The French media was suddenly discovering the multicultural face of our country, renaming the team “Black, Blanc, Beur” (black, white, Arab — a reference to France’s tricolor flag). That was a Bastille Day for our generation. It was the first time that minorities had been so widely celebrated. And that fact left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, as a young black woman, I was really proud to feel part of that new France. On the other hand, I was disappointed to see that it took a World Cup victory for the white elite to find out that we minorities existed and that we were actual French citizens.


Twenty years later, on Sunday, France defeated Croatia 4-2 to become World Cup champion for the second time in history. At a concert after the game at the Stade de France, rapper Jay-Z paid tribute to the champions during his performance. He wore the French team’s official shirt while singing one of the most popular songs in his repertoire: “Ni**as in Paris.”

This year’s World Cup team was mostly composed of players from African descent. I have read many articles and comments on social media celebrating the French team as the “last African team.” Being French of African descent myself, I can totally relate to the enthusiasm that feeds those statements. I share that sense of pride, seeing black excellence blooming in the eyes of the world. However, I can’t prevent myself from thinking about the daily struggle that non-white French people experience to be recognized as being truly part of their own country.

Over the past few decades, many politicians have questioned the “Frenchness” of the national team because of the players’ skin color. The first was far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who said in 1996 that it was “a bit artificial to bring in players from abroad and call it the French team.” His mind was incapable of anchoring those players — mostly born and raised in France — as being truly French.


In 2005, while many cities in the banlieues were exploding with outrage over of the deaths of two innocent teenagers who had been chased by police, philosopher Alain Finkielkraut gave an interview about French identity. He asserted that “people say the French national team is admired by all because it is black-blanc-beur. Actually, the national team today is black-black-black, which arouses ridicule throughout Europe.” In a way, he translated a discomfort that was showing more and more in French opinion. In 2000, a poll indicated that 36 percent of the French population thought that there were “too many players of foreign origin in the French football team.”

During the 2010 World Cup, the team encountered many discipline issues. Instead of an investigation into the dysfunction that had led to such a situation, the criticism was focused on questioning the players’ loyalty to their country since they had roots abroad. Roselyne Bachelot, who was then the minister of sports, said that they had “tarnished” the image of France and castigated them as a team of “gang leaders” in front of the National Assembly.

In 2011, the French Federation of Football was accused of applying quotas in training schools in order to have fewer players of African background. Laurent Blanc, a coach who was part of the 1998 team, reported a conversation he had with his counterparts from Spain, and said that they told him, “We do not have any problem … we have no blacks.” When someone asked whether they should limit the numbers of blacks in France, Blanc answered that he was in favor of that.


In past years, several players have been criticized over the fact that they did not sing the national anthem. Even if some of the white players from the younger generations, like Michel Platini or Eric Cantona, did not sing “La Marseillaise,” the same action from players of African descent was interpreted in a totally different way. Because of their origins, they were suspected of not being French enough.

From now on, France will expect that its team behaves and that its players will explicitly signal their love for France and respect for the flag and the institutions. Each time they speak in interviews, the members of the current team say “Vive la republique, vive la France!” — as if that is how to be accepted as a “good” French player.

Nobody has ever elected Les Bleus to represent France, so why should we expect them to express themselves as politicians? My hope is that someday all of our players will be undeniably French and that no part of their ancestry will be perceived as conflicting with being French

[eyan]

Flip things around. The South African Swimming team consists of loads of Africans of European descent. Lets say that South Africa now wins all the medals at the Olympics and a comedian in Europe said that Europe won how would South Africans take it? The South African foreign minister would say exactly the same thing the French foreign minister said.

Trevor Noah should have replied "he was only joking" instead of holding onto a shaky argument.

Well US said same of our basket ball team then. That most of them are Americans, never being to naija etc.