Is the expression “unbridled demonstration” a pejorative, reserved for reactionary commentators, those who condemn these movements are not authorized by the conservatism? One might think so a priori: the description “wild” is rarely euphemistic, except when speaking of specific animals. Horses for example. ducks. Trout.
The discussion took place during a newspaper meeting: Can we use the adjective? It didn’t go far, because the demonstrators themselves, in the messages they exchanged, use the word with a kind of pride. “We’re having barbarism at 6 p.m., RV Cours Julien ramps!”. It’s undoubtedly a classic inversion of stigma, along the lines of the pro-choice “sluts” of the 1970s or the feminist “witches.”
sequel after announcement
The word “wild” in and of itself is a very nice word. Formerly spelled “salvage,” it comes from the Latin “salvage.” silvaticus Haraj. The savage is he who lives in the forestSilva), in the state of nature. He is indomitable, mysterious, adventurous. In the 1970s, “le Sauvage” was the headline of an environmentally friendly newspaper close to l’Obs, and was the title of a film by Jean-Paul Rapinoe with Yves Montand. Today, “Sauvage” is the name of the perfume from Dior, which Johnny Depp gave his image to. In short, brutality is much more beautiful than barbarism. “There may be good savages; there are no good barbarians, Andre Count Spoonville wrote in his “Philosophical Dictionary” (1). Brutalism is close to nature. Barbarism is far from civilization. Wahshi is not civilized yet. Barbarian no more. The barbarian is behind us. Barbarian in the foreground. »
“Let’s be savages”
With colonization, “wild” colonized peoples were identified, especially in Africa and North America. This pejorative usage has permanently colored the word racism. We remember the controversy sparked in 1998 by the Minister of the Interior Jean-Pierre Chevenement, who treated minors from “red light districts” to “savages”. His successor, Gerald Darmanin, remained in line when he pleased “Stop enslaving a certain part of society”. In a political debate, the use of “wild”, “wild”, “barbaric” or “barbaric” is immediately suspected of carrying a racial allusion, whether consciously or not.
Garbage fires, motorcyclists, traps … at the heart of the Parisian demonstration after the censure movement refused
But in the case that concerns us, the spontaneous (insidiously?) demonstrations against pension reform, the use of the word “brutal” does not seem to bear such connotation. Above all, it means “one who gets out of the box, one who does not respect the rules.” As in “wild sawing,” “wild camping,” “unbridled psychoanalysis,” or “wild beating” to stay informed.
(1) “Philosophical Dictionary,” PUF, 2001, for the word “brutalism.”
