A couple of remarkable videos seen this week on social media, ordinary French people going about their regular lives as protests rage in the streets over proposed pension reform and raising the retirement age to 64 from 62. “Many Internet users have seen it as the perfect illustration of a famous meme, named “This is fine” ( “Everything is fine”) and showing a smiling dog surrounded by flames.
Source: TFIInfo
Do lovers of good food continue to live quietly while the tension is at its maximum in the country? Earlier this week, in the midst of social protest against the pension reform, a video went viral on Twitter and mocks restaurant customers continuing their meal while the establishment seems to be surrounded by fire. Many Internet users have seen it as the perfect illustration of a famous meme, named “This is fine” ( “Everything is fine”, editor’s note) and showing a smiling dog surrounded by flames.
Another excerpt has been added to this trend on the Internet, this time representing customers seated at a café terrace drinking a glass of red wine in front of what seems to be the burning of garbage cans.
Some viewed the videos as manipulated, montages made for effect. They weren’t. The French are accustomed to protests, and take them in stride. “La vie continue”, or “Life Goes On”, is about as French an expression as you’re likely to find.
This first excerpt was published on March 21 on Twitter and has been viewed up to 5 million times for this tweet. According to most comments, the scene took place during a wild demonstration against the pension reform, in a restaurant in Lyon or Saint-Etienne.
The second excerpt is more recent. Posted on March 25, this tweet capitalizes more than 100,000 views in a few hours. This one, published the next day , quickly reached two million views. The scene would take place this time on the Place de la Victoire in Bordeaux, according to a comment.
