if you read French

There's a very interesting post on a French blog regarding an international poll that asked the following question:

Yes or no: Is the market economy the best system on which to base the world's future?

If you read French, go read the post (actually, poll results are in English), but you should definitely read through the comment thread, which paints a picture of a France in disarray. If that comment thread is any indication, the French are fully aware their economy is going down the tubes, but some are in deep denial about what, exactly, France should do about it. Of the several schools of thought that make their appearance in that thread, the ones I found most interesting are:

1. Face it: we French are lazy bastards and unwilling to lengthen our work week.

2. China as a model for France? You're kidding.

3. China as a model for France? Hmmm... something to consider.

4. It's a lot better in America.

5. America? No, thanks. We need a middle-way solution between American capitalism and out-and-out communism.

6. These poll results are bullshit (the commenters who said this actually gave good reasons for why they think this is true).

Fascinating thread. And it's still growing. Also noteworthy is how civil the discussion on that thread is. So far, anyway.

My favorite comment was by someone with the handle emmanuel:

Je ne connais pas la Chine et j'ignore si la France est un pays communiste mais je sais qu'en France beaucoup de choses sont bien plus compliquées que dans nos pays voisins : par exemple trouver un logement nécessite d'avoir un compte en banque et pour ouvrir un compte en banque il faut avoir un logement (cherchez l'erreur).

Trouver un boulot : avec un chômage de près de 8% (je connais pas le chiffre exact, 8%, 9%, 10%...), les employeurs sont en position de force et peuvent se montrer sélectifs.

(parenthèse : dans le pays où je vis, je connais beaucoup de gens qui ont plaqué leur boulôt pour partir voyager pendant un an autour du monde. A leur retour ils ont retrouvé rapidement un emploi. La sécurité de l'emploi n'existe pas du tout, même pas pour les fonctionnaires, mais peu de gens s'en soucient : le taux de chômage est de 3%. En France, quitter son boulôt pour aller voyager est plutôt mal vu par les employeurs potentiels. Tout trou dans un CV est vite suspect et il faut se justifier d'avoir pris de telles libertés.)

Dès le plus jeune âge les jeunes français (et étrangers) doivent aller à l'école toute la journée, ce qui laisse peu de place au sports, à la musique etc. Alors qu'officiellement tous sont égaux, assez vite une sélection officieuse des écoliers a lieu : en fonction de l'établissement fréquenté, en fonction des langues choisies, des options, du type de bac. Sous couvert d'égalité, le système a réintroduit une sélection cachée dont tous les parents ne sont pas conscients (en premier lieu les parents étrangers ignorent ce genre de subtilités).

OK, sur le papier la France est une démocratie mais dans les faits les français sont très encadrés et peu d'entre eux peuvent vraiment jouir de leur liberté.

Mon opinion : moins d'état, moins de régularisation, plus de liberté et de responsabilité individuelle.

Translation:

I don't know China and I don't know whether France is a communist country, but I know that things are a lot harder to do in France than in neighboring countries-- for example, finding a place to live requires having a bank account, and opening a bank account requires having a place to live (you figure it out).

Finding a job: with unemployment at close to 8% (I don't know the exact figure... 8%, 9%, 10%...), employers have the high ground and can be selective.

(Aside: in the country where I live, I know a lot of folks who dropped work to go travel around the world for a year. Upon their return they quickly found new jobs. Job security is nonexistent, even for civil servants, but few people worry: the unemployment rate is 3%. In France, potential employers take a dim view of people who quit work to travel. Every gap in your resume is quickly suspect and you have to justify having taken such liberties.)

From the time they're little, French (and foreign) youth have to go to school all day long, which leaves little room for sports, music, etc. Although officially everyone is equal, a semi-official sorting of schoolchildren takes place in short order: it depends on one's school, the languages chosen, electives, and the type of exam taken. Under the cover of "equality," the system reintroduces a hidden selectivity of which all parents are not aware (in particular, foreign parents are unaware of these subtleties).

OK, on paper France is a democracy, but in point of fact the French are fenced in and few among them truly enjoy any freedom.

My opinion: less government, less regulation, more freedom and more individual responsibility.

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