Storm the Bastille!

Just under 223 years ago, an exasperated people stormed a medieval fortress, tearing down the symbol of their oppression and catapulting their world away from the only past they had ever known. Today, where that fortress once imposed, an exasperated people stood, unarmed, and stormed once more.  No buildings (that I know of) came down, no Marquis was beheaded (at least I hope not), but the smiling mob swelled and filled once more the birth place of the revolution, celebrating the election of François Hollande.

"La Change, C'est Maintenant"

Will François Hollande bring about change, now?  Probably not.  Will the French masses be disappointed after a year?  Most likely.  Do many of them already know this to be true?  Absolutely.  But for tonight, that is not what matters.  Tonight is the time for the French to do what they do best: faire la fête.  Tomorrow morning they will wake up, take the same métro they have been taking their entire life, go to the same job from 9 to 5, and sleep the same sleep.  Tomorrow they can realize that one man alone cannot save the world, revitalize France.  But tonight, they can hope.