Monday, January 13, 2014

the psychopathocracy insists on being feared and cannot stand being mocked...,

macleans | Dieudonné first performed the quenelle—literally, “dumpling”—in 2005 during one of his shows. He did so offhandedly during a stream of consciousness bit about the great mammalian plot against humans. “Today, dolphins look down on human beings. They know they can shove their fins right up our asses,” he said, indicating on his right arm with his left hand exactly how far those dolphin fins could reach. The quenelle was born.

Dieudonné has since used the gesture in his campaign posters in 2009, when he ran unsuccessfully for European parliament. In the posters, which call for a “Liberated Europe,” the comic notably stands next to Alain Soral, a notorious anti-Zionist whose knack for self-promotion nearly rivals that of Dieudonné.

The quenelle has since taken on different meanings for different people: for some, it’s a show of solidarity for the oppressed. For others, it’s a cutesy way to demonstrate one’s displeasure with the political status quo, or a grab bag of apparent sacred cows (including, naturally, the Holocaust.) It’s this last bit that is most troubling: given Dieudonné’s obsession with all things Jewish and Zionist, many see it as a blatantly anti-Semitic gesture akin to the Nazi salute.

Regardless of the meaning, those who perform the gesture are likely all supporters of Dieudonné, which is perhaps the reason why the comic is so gleeful these days: many, many people are doing it. Superstar soccer players, politicians, military members, reality TV stars, and thousands upon thousands of regular Joes: in France, the quenelle is everywhere.

Given the origins of the gesture, you’d think the French government would give the quenelle the attention it deserves—that is to say, none. Yet the French government has long given up on ignoring Dieudonné, and has instead become one of his chief promoters.

Successive French Presidents from Jacques Chirac onwards have attempted to shut Dieudonné up, resulting in dozens of cancelled shows. In 2009, Nicolas Sarkozy’s government attempted to have him banned from running for European parliament. Dieudonné was giddy at the news, going so far as to call Sarkozy spokesperson Claude Guéant “my press attaché” when I interviewed the comic that year. “Attention, buzz, it’s not positive or negative. It just is. I’ll take either. I’ll play the bad guy if they want,” he said.

The current government of François Hollande has only ramped up the anti-Dieudonné offensive. It has put its military and civil service on notice: doing the quenelle is a potential firing offence. French interior minister Manuel Valls successfully urged the cities of Bordeaux, Tours, Orléans and Nantes to cancel his upcoming shows. “It’s a victory for the republic,” said French interior minister Manuel Valls.

Dieudonné’s longevity and burgeoning popularity would suggest, however, that it’s a victory only for Dieudonné. His career has only benefitted from these attempts to silence him. In 2005, the year he first quenelled, Dieudonné “was disappearing from the media spotlight,” as Le Figaro pointed out recently. “His shows were getting cancelled. He was forced to perform his shows on a bus. So he cultivated a counter-culture that bloomed on the Internet.”

It was here where the quenelle went from being a reference to perverse dolphin acts to… well, whatever people wanted it to be: soccer celebration, anti-authoritarian jab, a middle finger to the deeply unpopular Hollande government and, distressingly, ersatz Nazi salute. Absurdly, quenelle hysteria forced a Parisian store to temporarily close it doors. It seems staff received several death threats after one of its mannequins was left in the quenelle position. (The mannequin in question was actually modeling a purse someone forgot to install.)

7 comments:

Vic78 said...

I swear the French used to be tougher than this. I say if he knows English he should come to the US and do some shows. That pic with Tony Parker is adequate advertising. People will go out of curiosity. Fox News will talk about how faggy the French are for letting a comedian bother them. We might have Americans doing the quenelle on Instagram. We should thank the French government for helping a young comedian's career. I always thought there was some unwritten rule about fucking with comedians.

CNu said...

The ADL and AIPAC wouldn't allow any of that in a million years...,

makheru bradley said...

If anyone wants to test the limits of free speech, criticize Zionism, and you will find out that there is zero tolerance for free speech on that subject.
It’s not surprising that the Zionist tail is wagging the French dog, same as it wags the American dog. This brother obviously operates with no fear.

http://bit.ly/1dqLoT9

Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala is absolutely correct about the re-colonization of Afrika:

[The French have now intervened more than 50 times in Africa since 1960. They fought in Chad, in the war with Libya, protected regimes in Djibouti and the Central African Republic from rebels, prevented a coup in the Comoros and intervened in Côte d'Ivoire. Whether to preserve economic interests, protect French nationals or showcase the still imposing power of France, the main tenants of the Palais de l'Élysée, either from the left or from the right wings, have frequently expressed their penchant for unilateral action.]

Clearly we need more courageous artists like Dieudonne, Lupe, Dead Prez, and Lowkey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB-vYuYhdSE

CNu said...

This brother obviously operates with no fear.
This brother obviously operates with no fear.
This brother obviously operates with no fear.

Bro. Makheru is truth!!! Accept no substitutes.....,

woodensplinter said...

Dieudonne is the french version of Beppe Grillo - http://subrealism.blogspot.com/2013/03/remember-this-when-you-hear-beppe.html

Did you ever hear of Beppe Grillo being the object of so much state backed scrutiny and suppression? http://www.beppegrillo.it/2007/06/vaffanculoday.html

Vic78 said...

After hearing him talk I guess it'll be one of the hardcore brothers overseas that'll do the song.

makheru bradley said...

We knew that it was just a matter of time before the Gestapo reared it’s ugly head.

[French police have launched a raid on the home of anti-Zionist comedian, Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, as well as his offices, seizing his personal documents and other belongings.

The French government accuses the controversial comedian of what it describes as promotion of anti-Semitism, and it is mounting pressure against him through judicial measures.]

http://bit.ly/1iMyBwT

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