Content:
At the heart of our administrations, Kafkaesque absurdity resurfaces in a surprisingly bureaucratic form. A few wandering files might just hold the key to this enigma.
In the contemporary administrative maze, many find themselves lost, but it seems that the files themselves are starting to take mysterious paths. Mr. Dupont, an average citizen, recounts his misadventure: “I went to submit my identity card renewal application at the prefecture. I was told it had been transferred to the town hall, which then sent me back to the prefecture, claiming they had never received it.”
This merry-go-round, which some might call absurd, is nonetheless a daily occurrence for many citizens. “There are moments when you feel a bit like you’re in ‘The Trial’ by Kafka,” Mr. Dupont chuckles. “In the end, you no longer really know what you’re looking for; you just follow the instructions, even if they lead you in circles.”
But the Kafkaesque dimension of our administration doesn’t stop there. Digging a little deeper, we uncover situations worthy of a work of fiction. Like that of Mrs. Durand, who has been waiting for months for a response from the administration regarding her residence certificate. “During my last visit, an official assured me that my file was on track, then another claimed it had been misplaced. When I asked whom to contact to resolve this issue, I was told to file a complaint… but for that, you need a file number. Which is precisely lost.”
The situation, although extreme, is not isolated. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people in France experience similar stories every day. “It’s as if Kafka had written the operating manual for our administration,” sighs Mrs. Durand. “The irony of the situation is that Kafka himself was a civil servant.”
To conclude, let’s quote this false citation from a prescient Kafka: “In the future, everyone will be a civil servant for 15 minutes, desperately searching for their own lost file.”
Be First to Comment