The Ideal Scapegoat—The Driver: Nothing symbolizes the Big Brother state better than the traffic radar

Le Dossier de Valeurs Actuelles :
“Arrêtez d’emmerder les Français !” 1/4
L’automobiliste, bouc émissaire idéal

Par Laurent Dandrieu

Rien ne symbolise mieux l’État Big Brother qu’un radar. Anonyme, automatique, présent de jour comme de nuit, aveugle aux circonstances particulières (sur une autoroute parfaitement dégagée, la règle est la même qu’à un moment de trafic dense), sournois (les 254 radars embarqués) et, de plus, hypocrite : c’est ainsi qu’une récente étude du journal Auto Plus révèle que les radars sont majoritairement situés non sur les emplacements dangereux, mais sur ceux qui sont “rentables”, « plus à même de remplir les caisses de l’État ».

Nothing symbolizes the Big Brother state better than the traffic radar. Anonymous, automatic, omnipresent day and night, blind to particular circumstances (on a perfectly empty motorway, the rule remains exactly the same as during a moment of heavy traffic), sneaky (254 radars operate in unmarked cars on the road), and, what's more, hypocritical: thus, a recent study by the Auto Plus newspaper reveals that radars are for the most part located not in hazardous locations, but in those who are "profitable", "better able to fill the coffers of the state."

Valeurs Actuelles special “Stop pissing off the French!” issue

• Editorial
• Nothing symbolizes the Big Brother state better than the traffic radar
• The state's prescriptive hysteria is almost always based on poorly understood scientific studies (when they haven't been tampered with)
• "Farmers are poisoned by the state's myriad regulations; they are now living in constant stress"
• EU Regulations: Will We Soon Have to Affix a Warning Sticker on Coffee Packages to Warn Against the Danger of the Beverage?