Great read. I wonder, why aren't teachers unionized in France? Speaking through the lens of someone from across the pond that has never been to France, the view that social media sells us here is that everyone gets 5 weeks vacation minimum and everyone is unionized and they negotiate stuff like employers covering their lunch (with wine of course).
Teachers are unionized once they get tenure, but Sarkozy passed a law circa 2008 "to make work flexible" and "dynamize France". "You're your own employer!", They said. "Name your price and hit the market!".
Of course this was hogwash; we all ended up with Uber-like jobs, because anyone who has ever had a job, any job (not like Sarkozy, who never worked a day in his life), knows the rules are set by the employer, not by some John Galt ubermensch who declares, "I want 50€ an hour and that's that".
I've always had the same impression: France is a great country to be an employee, you get excellent benefits and good vacation time. However, if you want to start your own company or be self employed, it's probably one of the worst countries in Europe to do that.
When I was going through my "Bohemian phase" (whatever), I used to spend many nights drinking and playing guitar along the Seine, in Montmartre and around the canal. My friends and I were considered "unproductive" according to our current, boneheaded model: but how much "money" did we bring in by entertaining tourists and keeping the Parisian underground alive? How much was that worth? How many dollars did tourists spend while being entertained or talking to us about books and museums? How much joy did we bring? Isn't that what Paris is about? If you empty Paris of the "unproductive artists", tourists (the most important factor in Parisian economy) will find themselves surrounded by shallow traders and bankers. So they'll leave: they'll go to Barcelona or Prague or whatever, looking for "the underground scene".
We need to stop thinking about life in these shallow economic terms based on money exchanges. Life isn't about that. I've seen people propose on the Pont des Arts and kiss their girlfriends, experimenting total bliss while we played music... How much is that "worth"? I honestly don't know, but is sure as hell is "worth" more than what the "financial expert" paying his taxes and getting drunk while watching reality TV brings to the city.
Vinz, I totally agree on this. It's not a matter of education but more like a thing of predominant values and lack of philosophical education, maybe(?). However, I can't help but get frustrated because I don't see a possible way of turning things around. Have you ever thought of some sort of halfway real feasible alternative? As utopian as it could be?
I always think that most probably not even myself would ever question the current model if I weren't "contamined" by some marxist thinking while studying economics in UCV some years ago (not being a marxist myself either).
Great read. I wonder, why aren't teachers unionized in France? Speaking through the lens of someone from across the pond that has never been to France, the view that social media sells us here is that everyone gets 5 weeks vacation minimum and everyone is unionized and they negotiate stuff like employers covering their lunch (with wine of course).
Teachers are unionized once they get tenure, but Sarkozy passed a law circa 2008 "to make work flexible" and "dynamize France". "You're your own employer!", They said. "Name your price and hit the market!".
Of course this was hogwash; we all ended up with Uber-like jobs, because anyone who has ever had a job, any job (not like Sarkozy, who never worked a day in his life), knows the rules are set by the employer, not by some John Galt ubermensch who declares, "I want 50€ an hour and that's that".
I've always had the same impression: France is a great country to be an employee, you get excellent benefits and good vacation time. However, if you want to start your own company or be self employed, it's probably one of the worst countries in Europe to do that.
Thanks for reading!
V.
Thanks for the thoughtful response! Appreciate it. 🙏🏻
Couldn’t agree more! abrazón
Musicians and artists too, brother!
When I was going through my "Bohemian phase" (whatever), I used to spend many nights drinking and playing guitar along the Seine, in Montmartre and around the canal. My friends and I were considered "unproductive" according to our current, boneheaded model: but how much "money" did we bring in by entertaining tourists and keeping the Parisian underground alive? How much was that worth? How many dollars did tourists spend while being entertained or talking to us about books and museums? How much joy did we bring? Isn't that what Paris is about? If you empty Paris of the "unproductive artists", tourists (the most important factor in Parisian economy) will find themselves surrounded by shallow traders and bankers. So they'll leave: they'll go to Barcelona or Prague or whatever, looking for "the underground scene".
We need to stop thinking about life in these shallow economic terms based on money exchanges. Life isn't about that. I've seen people propose on the Pont des Arts and kiss their girlfriends, experimenting total bliss while we played music... How much is that "worth"? I honestly don't know, but is sure as hell is "worth" more than what the "financial expert" paying his taxes and getting drunk while watching reality TV brings to the city.
Vinz, I totally agree on this. It's not a matter of education but more like a thing of predominant values and lack of philosophical education, maybe(?). However, I can't help but get frustrated because I don't see a possible way of turning things around. Have you ever thought of some sort of halfway real feasible alternative? As utopian as it could be?
I always think that most probably not even myself would ever question the current model if I weren't "contamined" by some marxist thinking while studying economics in UCV some years ago (not being a marxist myself either).