Conversation · René Arnoux

"Unfortunately, I don't." He shrugs. "Unlike most of the locals, I have no qualms about assisting law enforcement, but this affair has passed me by completely."

"And... most of the locals?"

"In Martinaise, the Union is the law, so can you really blame them?"

"But you don't have a problem with cops?"

"Cop is a pejorative term. I don't have a problem with policemen. On the contrary, I admire the effort to bring order to our streets."

He doesn't know about the crime. Your time is better spent discussing politics.

"So, again: you don't know anything?"

"If I knew, I would not be afraid to tell you. I simply don't. I am an old man, not a coward. The daily business of the riff-raff no longer concerns me."

'Tis true sire. He knows nothing.

This is a man with a lot of past, but little present. And almost no future.

"What about policewomen?"

"I'm confident they are indispensable in regard to all the paperwork and other administrative duties."

"I try to avoid voicing opinions on controversial matters. Let's just drop it."

"I know the kind," he says with a frown. "Gaston here is the same. A weathervane. Never stood up for anything in his life either."

"Oh, René..." He smiles wide and friendly. "If you only knew life beyond confrontations, conflict and extremities..."

"Not to mention keeping the station tidy and the men fed and happy."

"No man can afford to turn his eyes to the horizon if his rear isn't secured. If the womenfolk take care of that, then men can tackle the bigger issues."

"Great minds think alike, René. You and I really seem to have it all figured out."

"The RCM doesn't discriminate," the lieutenant marks dryly. "Women are held to the same standards as men. And -- as reflected in the quarterly statistics -- are equally effective in their jobs."

"Unlike men, they also have to deal with the very same mentality you two are displaying right now." He frowns. "If it weren't for this they would outperform us."

"Well, I'm glad at least some people bearing your insignia have kept a level head in these turbulent times."

"I guess, it might not be as black and white, but disagreeing makes me uncomfortable."

"You know, I'm getting second thoughts about this."

"It's as good a time as any to turn our attention to a different topic, officer," he says, adjusting his cap.

"You better not be implying that women are unfit for fieldwork..."

"I am merely stating that Nature, in her infinite wisdom, has made men more fit to perform certain... more challenging tasks than women."

"Remaining headstrong, making tough decisions on the spot, or even tackling physical obstacles are a few examples of such challenges."

"Tell me something you are really good at and I'll find a woman who's better."

"I don't want to get into this argument with a police officer," he replies calmly. "Let's just say that in the last eighty-two years I have repeatedly seen my beliefs confirmed in full."

That woman, who couldn't choose between him and Gaston -- Jeanne-Marie -- she must be the reason René is so bitter. He holds her indecisiveness against all women.

"You're a bit of an asshole, aren't you, old man?"

"There's no point in getting angry at nature, officer. This is just the way we are made."

"There are no duties RCM women couldn't carry out."

"But you must agree that Nature, in her infinite wisdom, has made men more fit to perform certain... more challenging tasks, don't you, officer?"

"No, I don't think there's any evolutionary inequality at play here."

"Really, officer?" He smirks. "Match an average woman against an average man in a dark alley and see who comes out on top."

"Gender equality is a very noble, very modern idea, but in real life, primal roles prevail. But I do not wish to discuss this matter further."

"Yes, I guess that's true."

"No reason to even feel bad about that, it's just the way of the animal kingdom."