{"id":1940,"date":"2026-08-09T13:08:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940"},"modified":"2026-08-09T13:08:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:08:38","slug":"frances-best-argument-against-racism-isnt-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940","title":{"rendered":"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Last month, the French striker Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 recorded the 22nd goal of his World Cup career during the bronze-medal match, establishing himself, at the age of 27, as the greatest scorer in tournament history. Even though the French national team, Les Bleus, failed to win the championship, Mbapp\u00e9 has become one of the country\u2019s two most celebrated figures. At the final the next day, the camera panned across the audience and easily found the other one: Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old, 7-foot-4 basketball player who is widely considered to be the future of the NBA. Their success points to a stark irony: France\u2019s most beloved men reflect a demographic shift that a growing share of their country rejects.<\/p>\n

Read more What Mitch McConnell Did<\/a><\/p>\n

Born in France, Mbapp\u00e9 and Wembanyama are the sons of African fathers; Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s mother is of Algerian descent; and many members of Les Bleus are Black and French Arab. As they\u2019ve become more popular, so has the far-right party National Rally, or RN, which has promised to curtail immigration and promoted a racially restrictive notion of Frenchness that would seem to exclude Mbapp\u00e9 and Wembanyama.<\/p>\n

Along with soccer stars such as Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and Michael Olise, Wembanyama and Mbapp\u00e9 are living rebukes to the far right\u2019s ideology of ethnic resentment. Indeed, they are the nation\u2019s most compelling argument against it\u2014an accomplished, elegant, and omnipresent representation of a multicultural France. But their argument is losing: After decades outside the political mainstream, the RN seems well positioned to win the presidency next year. As France shows, cultural representation won\u2019t change politics. That requires something much more.<\/p>\n

France won its first World Cup in 1998, fielding a diverse team whose mass appeal briefly suggested that the country would embrace its multiracial future. The slogan \u201cBlack, blanc, beur<\/i>\u201d (\u201cBlack, white, Arab\u201d), a play on the Tricolor, became shorthand for the idea that France\u2019s racial identity had broadened. Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the party that became the RN, had deemed it \u201cartificial to bring in players from abroad and call them the French national team,\u201d and claimed that they couldn\u2019t sing \u201cLa Marseillaise<\/i>.\u201d But while the far right commanded a substantial protest vote at the time, it was still largely denied legitimate governing power.<\/p>\n

Over the next two decades, the country grew more diverse as a result of greater immigration, particularly from Africa. Riots and terrorist attacks prompted debates about France\u2019s identity and Islam\u2019s place within it. Meanwhile, the RN became more viable at the polls. After Les Bleus lost in the 2010 World Cup, Le Pen\u2019s daughter Marine\u2014who would be the runner-up in the 2017 presidential election\u2014accused some players of having \u201canother nationality at heart.\u201d A few years later, she called them \u201ca bunch of badly brought up boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, in 2018, the French won the World Cup again. I watched the final in Paris at one of the many caf\u00e9s that set up flatscreens along their terraces. Compared with Les Bleus of 1998, this version looked less like a liberal aspiration than a genuine reflection of France\u2019s demographics. During the game, my two-week-old son slept beside me, a new French American with seawater eyes and African ancestors who\u2019d been sold as slaves in territories that were later absorbed into France\u2019s sprawling network of colonies. (It is a point of great familial pride that his maternal great-grandfather Marcel Pinel played for France in the first World Cup, in 1930.) Mbapp\u00e9, then 19, became the second-youngest player in history to score a goal in a final, putting Les Bleus up three. As the game ended, a multihued crowd erupted around us. White French pensioners embraced Muslim teens whom they might have crossed the street to avoid in another context.<\/p>\n

I have only ever witnessed such colorblind fraternity on one other occasion: the night in 2008 that Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. In hindsight, both moments show that lasting political progress requires more than fleeting euphoria. Still, France\u2019s win seemed to matter, at least for a while. One illustration of this came soon after the victory when the comedian Trevor Noah joked that \u201cAfrica won the World Cup.\u201d For Noah, this was cause for celebration. But the quip provoked a broad backlash because it echoed the far right\u2019s complaint that the team was \u201cnot French enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

G\u00e9rard Araud, the French ambassador to the U.S., said that Noah\u2019s joke \u201clegitimizes\u201d racism. \u201cUnlike the United States of America, France does not refer to their citizens based on their race, religion or origin,\u201d he wrote, emphasizing a tenet of France\u2019s republican universalism. Many of the French players reiterated Araud\u2019s sentiment. \u201cThe France of today is a France full of different colors,\u201d the midfielder Paul Pogba said. \u201cWe all feel French. We are all happy to wear this jersey.\u201d The defender Benjamin Mendy replied to a post that had added foreign-flag emojis to various players\u2019 names, changing them back to the Tricolor. \u201cFixed \ud83d\ude09,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Read more Why MAGA Is So Obsessed With Fauci<\/a><\/p>\n

A broad consensus emerged after the 2018 victory and during the early days of President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s first term that discouraged racial division and identity politics\u2014what the French call communautarisme<\/i>. It sidelined the far right\u2019s complaints of \u201creplacement\u201d and emphasized an accommodating, assimilating color-blindness.<\/p>\n

Today, France has become the world\u2019s greatest incubator of soccer talent. The Paris region accounted for more players in the World Cup than any other metropolitan area on earth. The country has become so dominant that it produces too many players for Les Bleus: Of the 1,248 athletes in this year\u2019s tournament, 99 were born in France. In acknowledgment of their popularity, Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old head of the RN, praised the team as it advanced through the competition\u2014and held his tongue when it was eliminated.<\/p>\n

Mbapp\u00e9, the captain of Les Bleus, has begun to channel the team\u2019s growing cultural capital into politics. Speaking with Vanity Fair<\/i> earlier this year, he expressed concern about a potential National Rally victory in 2027. \u201cPeople sometimes think that because you have money, because you\u2019re famous, these kinds of problems don\u2019t affect you,\u201d he said, referring to the social divisions that the party\u2019s rhetoric foments. \u201cBut it affects me, because I know what it means, and what kind of consequences it can have for my country when \u200bthose kinds of people take control.\u201d Wembanyama, for his part, has been more reserved. In 2024, shortly before parliamentary elections in which RN won its largest ever number of seats, he spoke diplomatically: \u201cPolitical choices are personal. But I think that, at least for me, it\u2019s important to move away from extremes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, no matter how vocal they are or how desirable they make diversity seem, athletes or other exceptional individuals can never legitimize a multicultural society on their own. As Americans have learned in the post-Obama era, symbols of integration are necessary but insufficient. In fact, they can even help racists and xenophobes conceal regression. Many people on the far right, for example, point to the popularity of an Obama or an Mbapp\u00e9 as evidence that their society is already tolerant enough.<\/p>\n

For all that the French right gets wrong, some critics of rapid demographic change identify serious problems, even if they go on to draw grotesque conclusions. A 10-minute walk from the plaza where I watched Les Bleus win in 2018, a quasi-permanent tent city is populated by migrants from Africa and the Middle East, one of the many lingering reminders that France has failed to address a refugee crisis that has been exacerbated by increased migration.<\/p>\n

Cultural representation cannot solve this problem. France needs leaders who can improve the material outcomes of all citizens, irrespective of racial, religious, or ethnic lines. Moreover, politicians must safeguard France\u2019s common life, which means addressing the instability that migration can cause, rather than forfeiting that task to the ascendant far right. Only then can representation lead to mutual recognition, obligation, and belonging.<\/p>\n

Any society should applaud diversity in moments of triumph. But that applause won\u2019t mean much if its leadership can\u2019t manage demographic change in the intervals between.<\/p>\n

Read more Hard-Luck Men in Hardscrabble Towns<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The country\u2019s most beloved men are paragons of diversity, but ethnic resentment is still winning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ideas"],"yoast_head":"\nFrance\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working - Commercial Relocation Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working - Commercial Relocation Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The country\u2019s most beloved men are paragons of diversity, but ethnic resentment is still winning.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Commercial Relocation Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-09T13:08:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3a3374a445f1b5d4852b1d7c15b9fe3a\"},\"headline\":\"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T13:08:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940\"},\"wordCount\":1389,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Ideas\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940\",\"name\":\"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working - Commercial Relocation Pros\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T13:08:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3a3374a445f1b5d4852b1d7c15b9fe3a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":625},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?p=1940#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Commercial Relocation Pros\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3a3374a445f1b5d4852b1d7c15b9fe3a\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/commercialrelocationpros.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working - Commercial Relocation Pros","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working - Commercial Relocation Pros","og_description":"The country\u2019s most beloved men are paragons of diversity, but ethnic resentment is still winning.","og_url":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940","og_site_name":"Commercial Relocation Pros","article_published_time":"2026-08-09T13:08:38+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3a3374a445f1b5d4852b1d7c15b9fe3a"},"headline":"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working","datePublished":"2026-08-09T13:08:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940"},"wordCount":1389,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif","articleSection":["Ideas"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940","url":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940","name":"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working - Commercial Relocation Pros","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif","datePublished":"2026-08-09T13:08:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3a3374a445f1b5d4852b1d7c15b9fe3a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/67cc5a829fff54e6231c7705a81f41fb.avif","width":1200,"height":625},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?p=1940#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"France\u2019s Best Argument Against Racism Isn\u2019t Working"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/","name":"Commercial Relocation Pros","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3a3374a445f1b5d4852b1d7c15b9fe3a","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com"],"url":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commercialrelocationpros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}