Serge Michel and the 'two worlds' of France

Swiss journalist Serge Michel takes stock of his "immersion" in the Paris's outlying region, an initiative undertaken by 'L'Hebdo' newspaper six months ago, in the wake of suburban unrest. "If there is one overriding lesson, it is the following: that two worlds exist, one on either side of the ring road. Paris, seat of power, silo of the elites, luminous carrousel, converging point of all railways, all careers, all French ambitions. Suburb, forgotten territory, the black sheep, barren shore where certain trajectories wash up, and from which others never take off ... Let's dare to make a comparison: It is West Berlin versus East Berlin, with the ring road standing in for the Wall. In the West, a consumerist society that resembles one big playground ... In the East, cafés close early and there is nothing to do after that other than hang out on the street below one's building or go home."

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