Polimom’s finding it very hard to feel much sympathy for the rioting students in France, who are the laughing-stock of the western world (and now, Polimom).
“It’s a revolution!” they cry, righteous with their suffering. “Vive le France!”
“Pfffft”, responds Polimom. These “revolutionaries” are cry-babies who, when faced with the possibility of competition for jobs, are throwing themselves on the ground in the finest two-year-old form, intent on maintaining a status quo that has crippled their own economy for decades. From the BBC:
Such odd revolutionaries. No heartfelt cry to change the world, but a plea for everything to stay the same.
For France to remain in its glorious past: a time of full employment and jobs for life – a paternalistic state to take care of them from cradle to grave.
I stand in awe at this demonstration of French hubris and willing self-destruction, but there’s a reason for their delusions: the French system has taught them that to be taken care of by the government is a human right . There is no room for normal job creation through capitalism; the government is expected to create jobs and then maintain them. Forever and ever, amen.
From the National Review:
In France, you see, companies don’t grow because it’s too costly to hire while it’s against the law to fire. Hence, since they rarely add jobs, French businesses under-perform, under-produce, and under-employ. Think of it: It’s awfully tough to increase output without a growing workforce to produce it.
The Villepin reform, of course, would make it a lot easier for firms to hire since they would no longer have to lock-in high wages and benefit costs without first confirming worker productivity, at least for two years. But in response to this mild capitalist reform, a reported 500,000 students have emerged in angry protest. There’s now even a threat of a general strike, with government unions, trade unions, and student unions possibly teaming together to shut down the entire French economy (or what’s left of it).
As it happens, France has been headed down the tubes for quite a while, and this threat of a general strike has the very real potential of doing far more than “shutting down the entire French economy”. It could remove them from the global economic stage altogether.
Theodore Dalrymple compared this latest round of French Follies to the South African strikes of 1922, but Polimom sees a parallel much closer to home – the attempts of whites in the southern United States to maintain their way of life in the face of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s. Of course, that could be nothing more than my American sensitivity to the masks and hoods – but then again, maybe not.
Yes, Polimom thinks it’s funny indeed that France, who so quickly called out the effects of racism in the wake of Katrina, would now fight so hard to maintain their own status quo.
Gee…So if I hire a lazy 25 year old to do some work for us, housepainting, labor, etc.and he turns out to be a useless shit..I can’t fire him? Those whacky French..lmao… France needs to send those students over here to New Orleans, where they can work longer hours for less money, and virtually no insurance or benefits like the rest of us. That’ll teach ’em
Riots against change are older than riots for change. Remember the Luddites.
The Luddites were fearful that Industrial Era textile machinery would deprive them of their jobs, so they tried to sabotage and destroy textile mills. In their minds, the volume of clothing the market could absorb was fixed, so faster machine-made clothing production meant fewer jobs for them. The idea that lower priced machine-made clothing would cause the total demand for clothing to explode upward, creating MORE jobs doesn’t seem to have occurred to them, though that is just what happened (and why the movement died out).
The “anti-change” rioters in France today are similar only in that they, too are concerned for their own, personal “sweet rides”. They all know that change (this type of change in particular) is necessary for France to survive, but they don’t seem to care. They just want their “sweet ride” to continue undisturbed. Let someone else sacrifice for the good of the nation!
At least the Luddites could convince themselves they were ‘noble’–working in the best interests of all workers, wrong though they were. Today’s French rioters are transparent in their selfishness–even to themselves.
It’s dangerous to read too much into any one event. The idea that this strike will destroy the French economy is pretty silly.
Remember why the strike is happening: the French government is trying to change things. And they are right to do so. This measure is a small, positive step.
Remember that in France, having a strike is a bit like Americans calling into a talk radio show. It’s just what they do, and it will pass.
I agree completely that the French system of almost guaranteed employment is a problem. I’m not about to hold our own system – where a 50-year old working hard can get laid off, lose his home, and be unable to support his family. Not because I think everyone should get handouts, but because that kind of disruption – when it happens to lots of people – is bad for society as a whole.
So before you slide into the currently-popular “those stupid French” jingo-ism. remember that France – labor laws and all – have historically been a vibrant place that’s produced all kinds of innovation, its home to a lot of successful business, it’s a major player in the world economy – and it’s a country that, despite what some would have you believe, is very much in line with our way of thinking about business, and generally quite supportive of us.
Plus they have great cheese.
They’re going through a tough time. Big changes are always tough. Why wouldn’t we hope they do well and succeed? Along the way they might even find some ways of doing things that we might want to copy.
And no, I’m not French, by nationality or descent. I just know my history and pay attention to world business and political news.
They do have great cheese. And I’m really not falling off into the anti-French Freedom Fries madness. I do feel sorry for them.
But I’m disgusted at these students, who are not threatened with getting laid off after a lifetime, but are young and totally unproven in any field… and evidently terrified of competition. That’s hardly a strength.
And I disagree with your assessment of the strength of the French economy. They are having a lot of trouble with their socialized approach in the face of the aging population. They’re trying to digest the pig in the python, and it’s a really big pig….
I think a little lightness from this side of the Atlantic can be excused. The French just take themselves so seriously.