French riots

**Busyman** · 03-29-2006, 01:45 AM

Form unions.

**lynx** · 03-29-2006, 01:54 AM

Originally Posted by Busyman

Form unions.

Then go on strike.

Oh, wait...

**Skillian** · 03-29-2006, 02:03 AM

Originally Posted by lynx

Then go on strike.

No no no, that's our country

**j2k4** · 03-29-2006, 02:04 AM

Originally Posted by Skillian

...the French have it pretty easy with regards to working lives - they do short hours and it's (relatively) hard to fire them even if they're doing a bad job.

I don't htink making young people's job less stable really helps. When you are buying your first house/getting married etc., the last thing you need is a fragile job.

The answer - I dunno. Closer employment ties to schools and universities might help, and I believe arts and philosophical are more popular there. Perhaps they could do something to encourage more business-friendly subjects.

All of this is true, so we may ultimately conclude the law is a good idea because-

1. Work habits (as well as laws which impact on them)are largely affectable generationally.

2. Older workers are more entrenched, economically much more likely to be stable and established, AND:

3. Have a larger stake in retaining the inherent stability of their circumstance, as well as (surprise!) the political acumen, ability and CONNECTIONS required to insulate themselves from realpolitik, at least relative to the younger set.

4. The lack of political (or any other) standing will have (minimally) the effect of impressing the worker-prospective with the not-so-unimportant concept of competition and how wonderfully it focuses the survival instinct, vis a vis the work ethic.

This is the non-Communist version of realpolitik.

**Skillian** · 03-29-2006, 02:24 AM

I'm sorry but I didn't understand most of that post

/goes off to google realpolitik

You are saying it will hone young people's survival instincts, helping them for the modern world of work?

That doesn't really outweigh the fact that you might get fired when you become pregnant, or lose your job on your 26th birthday to be replaced by someone with a more "flexible" contract.

**zapjb** · 03-29-2006, 02:31 AM

Fuck management. Power to the masses.

**Skillian** · 03-29-2006, 02:33 AM

Fight the power.

**j2k4** · 03-29-2006, 02:35 AM

Originally Posted by Skillian

You are saying it will hone young people's survival instincts, helping them for the modern world of work?

That doesn't really outweigh the fact that you might get fired when you become pregnant, or lose your job on your 26th birthday to be replaced by someone with a more "flexible" contract.

As to the former, yes it will, and to the latter, maybe not, but that's how the cookie crumbles at crunch time, defined here as demonstrations and strikes.

The youngsters have the most to gain, certainly, but also the least to lose; that is why it is incumbent upon them to buy into the "survival of the fittest" school of thought.

These difficulties you see will no doubt occur, but the economic imperative will throttle them to realistic levels.

Pragmatism wins, or the system doesn't survive.