French Solidarity Manicure
It’s been two weeks since the attacks in Paris which I
believe has brought many questions about ISIS, the western world, the media,
terrorism and immigration. Not only did many terrible things happen in the world that week but on a political level the G20 Summit and the Democratic Debate in
Iowa. (Note the manicure design in support of France is at the bottom of the page)
I don’t often like talking about politics because I believe
it is a personal choice but I see the world going in a direction that feels
very WW2 to me at this moment.
I want to say that I know France isn’t the only place that
has suffered this week from attacks or even this year. I know about Kenya and Beirut.
Is it unfair for it to get so much media? Yes I believe that
is true but I believe in finding the silver lining and that at least
some real attention is finally being shown on what has been happening in the
world at large. In America our news stations show us cutesy high school
sports teams because you wouldn’t want to show something heavy to the American
public but now is the time for us to educate ourselves. Luckily with the internet we literally have
the world at our fingertips. If you
don’t know what has been going on I will advocate reading the papers online and
keeping ahead of current events both in our backyard and abroad.
I feel very sorry for France. I lived there for a whole year of my
life. I may be American through and
through but having lived in another
country, studied their language for half of my life and love their culture and
lifestyle as I do; I am French at heart.
I get excited when I hear La Marseillaise, or when I see the French flag
and I love watching the French march into a stadium for the Olympics, soccer or
rugby games.
I am sorry for Japan, Beirut, Kenya and other places that have
suffered atrocities. I will not comment
on the religious aspect of what is going on just that for thousands of years
humans have waged war in the name of God.
And for the next thousand I’m afraid that will always be the case. Just because they are waging war for their God doesn’t mean
that all Muslims feel that way. I
support the American ideal; the right to practice your own religion.
I am also deeply saddened by my own countrymen who are
against letting the poor Syrian refugees come to America to stay. America is a rich, huge and resourceful
country and I believe it is our duty to help those countries and people who are
displaced and possibly in danger. Lately, it seems both sides think it is better to not welcome the Syrian population with open arms. I'm not saying to let them through without clearance but America has a very intense program for letting refugees in. Let's use our program the way it was meant to be handled. Its that program that protects us from dangerous people. But often refugees do not want violence. They want to escape it.
At the same time America is not perfect. We may have very well made matters worse in
the Middle East by our presence. Who is
to say that we may not be some part responsible for what is now happening
there.
I hope that America’s politicians will see this as an
opportunity to change our current trajectory and to move beyond prejudice and racism and towards humility and
generosity.
As such I painted my nails in a French design to show my own
solidarity to a country I love like my own.
So in the words of Charles De Gaulle, « Car la France n’est pas seule! Elle n’est pas seule ! Elle
n’est pas seule ! Elle a un vaste Empire derrière elle. Elle peut faire
bloc avec l’Empire britannique qui tient la mer et continue la lutte. Elle
peut, comme l’Angleterre, utiliser sans limites l’immense industrie des
États-Unis. » France is not alone! She is not alone! She is not alone! She has a huge empire behind her. We are here for you. France has an empire
behind her. With England that holds the sea, she can block and continue to fight. She can, like England, use without limits the immense industry of the United States. (Please note this is my own personal translation of the quote.)
And hopefully so does the rest of the world. Enjoy my little manicure design.
You will need a base coat, blue, red and white nail polish. I have a striper that I
used in the different colors to make application easier. Also a top coat, nail file and nail polish remover.
First you will paint the base coat. I got mine at the dollar general and I love
it!
Then you will stripe a red curve
Followed by a blue curve
And lastly by a cross in white and there is the symbol so
often seen to represent France during this time.
I painted my pinky and thumb in this design
Then I painted my three middle fingers the colors of the
French flag: blue first then white and lastly red.
Finish with a top coat for a good shine and a lasting
finish.
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