Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Matthew Fraser 🇪🇺 Profile picture
Matthew Fraser 🇪🇺
@frasermatthew
Professor in Paris. Promeneur du Champ de Mars. Ex-journalist: critic, columnist, Editor-in-Chief, television presenter. Six books. Agent: J.P. Marshall.
Jul 27, 2023 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
The Paris council has ordered the dismantling of the bookseller stalls along the banks of the Seine before the Olympics. Extraordinary how the prospect of hosting the Olympic Games will push cities to commit horrendous acts of self-mutilation. And when the Olympics are over, the hideous scars remain visible.
Feb 26, 2023 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
Every day I cross the Pont Alexandre III with Hector and Djery without giving much thought to the Russian tsar who gave the bridge its name. I heard a French radio commentator refer to Alexander III as “the persecutor of Jews and the Polish”. So I decided to learn more about him. Today the Alexandre III bridge, with its glorious view of the Eiffel Tower, is considered the most beautiful bridge in Paris. It was recently made famous in the Netflix series, ‘Emily in Paris’.
Feb 26, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
After Roald Dahl, it's James Bond's turn to be bowdlerized... Ahead of the reissue of the Bond novels in April, rights holders Ian Fleming Publications commissioned a review by sensitivity readers. variety.com/2023/film/glob… #JamesBond #RoaldDahl Each Bond book will carry a disclaimer: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made in this edition, while keeping as close as possible to the original text.”
Feb 24, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
An @TheEconomist explainer on 'sensitivity readers' and the rewriting of #RoaldDahl. It concludes: 'Dahl spent his career ridiculing priggishness. And, since he died in 1990, he has no opportunity to answer back.' economist.com/the-economist-… Children don't complain about Roald Dahl's language, it's the adults... Roald Dahl’s naughty words. Adults may complain, but kids cackle. economist.com/1843/2014/09/0…
Jul 26, 2021 • 9 tweets • 1 min read
The anti-vax protestors claim they are fighting for "liberty" and demand "autonomy" against compulsory vaccination. Emmanuel Macron describes this attitude as "égoïste" et "irresponsable". Two notions of liberty in conflict: negative and positive liberty. "Negative" liberty is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints to individual freedom — values often associated with libertarians. Contrasted with "positive" liberty with emphasises the importance of collective freedoms in society. (see Isaiah Berlin on both)