Looking for the Children

The Vanishing Children of Paris

• I will not be giving plot summary so hopefully you read the book...

Were the events of May 23 a Riot or Revolt??

• Definitions:
• Riot - spontaneous and violent outburst of a crowd
• Revolt - an attempt to end the authority of a person or body by rebelling (premeditated)

SO WHAT WAS IS??

You be the judge...

That feeling when the words basically mean the same thing

• Could be Riot - unplanned, other riots (despite following a similar pattern) were not connected, random, no major leader 
• Could be Revolt - people shared a common enemy (corrupt police), so many people were in the right place at the right time (can't be coincidence), large number of riots connected by distrust of police.

Were the children just a means to an end?

    Were towns people just using the emotion surround the disappearances to push for a more just police?

• The disappearance of the kids exacerbated tension that was already there
• Not clear enough facts to give defined answer

WHY REBEL??

• Among other reasons, the police and the people had CONTRASTING views of ORDER



People's response to cop shenanigans 

• PEOPLE - already believed order was gone
• They were doing their part to restore order by punishing the child thief themselves
• POLICE - believed that order was threatened by disturbances caused by the people
• They were doing their part to restore order by punishing the people more than the police.

Are the riots happening today similar to these of the book?

• The resemblance is uncanny:

Fueled by emotion

adulteration of the truth

easy acceptance of rumor (partially true)

victims mixed with criminals

solutions address symptoms, not the problem

police mismanaged

no one knows the whole picture

divides people and the police

parents upset because their children are killed in the street

no justice

That feel when it's been 200 years but nothing's changed

• Differences
• Paris was not about race relations

Are there RULES in a REBELLION

• Mass movement = successful with the loss of individuality
• Do you believe that?

How does the crowd behave?

How a crowd turns into a riot

• 2 ways (on page 52) 
• 1) everyone gets caught up in the crowd and lose their own principals
• Maybe a person in the crowd would have killed Labbe alone, but in a crowd, got carried away with emotion
• Leviathan without a head
• 2) One must look at WHO is in the crowd in order to find the justification for their actions