"Je suis Charlie"

Freedom of press is a common factor between Europe and North America.
I cannot ignore this recent event in spite of being overwhelmed and tunnel-visioned by a ton of work.

Since living in France, I've made it a point to make sure I read as many of the various newspapers and magazines that this country has to offer. It's an impressive collection. Journalism on a national level such as what we find in Charlie Hebdo and Le Canard Enchaîné does not exist in America. We are a country that claims to be proud of our freedom of speech and press, and yet, I don't think that a lot of Americans would find the humor nor tolerate this level of journalistic satire. That's what I love about France. It's a country that loves its newspapers, in contrast to the US where almost all newspapers have gone digital reducing their prose comparable to short blogs and Twitter phrases. I love how Air France provides a large selection of free newspapers (French ones and American ones) that you can pick up as you board the plane. Au contraire, this is what I found in an American airport while waiting for one of my flights last summer:

 
This attack is very symbolic. In the US, terrorists attack the symbol of finance. In France, terrorists attack the symbol of the plume. The importance of political satire in France is unlike anything in the US. You have to understand French humor and learn to appreciate it. Freedom of press and speech is so important to the French that the reaction to the attack is parallel to 9/11. For example, I saw this caricature somewhere on facebook and found it here: https://twitter.com/RLOppenheimer/status/552848047089405952/photo/1

One thing many of us ex-pats have in common is that we often agree that we feel like we are somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. I grew up bilingual, but I did not grow up with Charlie Hebdo. I've been listening to what my Frenchie has been saying and his reaction along with observing the events at Place de la République in Paris. Wish I could have gone to Paris to do some killer photojournalism, my true photographic passion. While I sympathize and my heart reaches out to the victims of the families and friends, I feel a bit like an outsider on this one, stuck in the middle of the Atlantic. I was, however, very moved by Patrick Pelloux's account of the event, emergency doctor and Charlie Hebdo contributor, a first witness on the scene. My Frenchie's sister posted this link - haven't found anything interesting in English:
http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2015/01/08/patrick-pelloux-video-france-inter-itele-rescape-charlie-hebdo-attaque-attentat_n_6434528.html?ncid=fcbklnkfrhpmg00000001

And of course, Jon Stewart, one of our own fabulous political satirists (on TV, of course - we Americans can't seem to read newspapers anymore) couldn't put it any better, in my humble opinion:

The massacre at Charlie Hebdo is, of course, something political satirists in the United States want to address. Last night, Jon Stewart stopped joking around and delivered some serious remarks about the murders, noting that "our goal tonight is not to make sense of this because there is no sense to be made" but reflecting that the monstrous crimes emphasize what the overwhelming majority of us have in common. People on both sides of conventional political divides and arguments are still all on "team civilization." - www.vox.com/2015/1/7/7507849/charlie-hebdo-attack-terrorists-paris-shooting