Thoughts on a Sunday

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I've received so many messages this week with  "praying for Paris" and tear face emojis.  It's left me feeling conflicted - I'm grateful I've got so many family and friends thinking of me, but on the other hand, I'm annoyed that there is such a big fuss made about this event while shootings are a multi-daily occurrence in the US.  I mean, I literally woke up the next morning after the Champs-Elysée shooting to see "Two policeman shot in Seattle" as the first story on my news app.  But then you turn on the news, and there's no mention of it, only the Paris incident. Ironically enough, C just wrote an article on this very topic that was set to publish next week - ie why are Americans so scared to come to France when they're much more likely to get shot at home - though I'm not sure if they will post it now or wait a few weeks.

Also, how are you all feeling about the first round elections today?  I'm still not quite sure who to vote for (besides not Marine Le Pen, obviously).  I've watched all kinds of interviews, we watched "15 minutes pour convaincre" the other night - though there was no convincing going on for me.  I can definitely understand why so many voters are still undecided, and it does feel very reminiscent of the US elections.

And then there's the question of whether or not to vote your beliefs, or to vote the person who's most likely to beat FN?   C is very much of the "vote your convictions" stance, whereas I'm terrified of what could happen if Le Pen wins, so I'm leaning towards a vote stratégique.  Though if you look at the polls, I'm not actually sure who that would even be. 

Obviously the polls are not always the best predictors, but I am leaning towards the polls being a bit more reliable in France than they were in the US this last round.  So many Americans were ashamed to say that they were voting for Trump that they lied to pollsters and it completely skewed everything, whereas it seems to be not as shameful to say you're voting FN here...

I'm somewhat encouraged though by all the pictures yesterday taken of the long lines showing French citizens voting abroad, and the long lines reported at many polling stations already today.  C & I will vote just after lunch, when it will hopefully be a bit quieter...