A WEEK OF IT...
Demonstrations and other animals...
This desperateanglohousewife has had a week of it..
10 days ago my 16 year old son went off to school for his 8am start. 10 minutes later as I was running out the door to work he arrived back home. Smile from ear to ear - strikes, protests, the school entrance was blocked, school was "off." He went back up to his bed where, my guess is, he stayed until midday.
This went on for the next 10 days, basically until the break-up for half term. But by last Monday even my son had had enough. He swotted for mid-term tests, he turned up to class with homework projects, only to be continually turned away. Believe me, even I was surpried at his vehemence against the strikes. He rightfully said,
Having lived in France for nearly 20 years, I am now used to Autumn, Christmas and Spring protest agendas where the country is brought to a standstill by the CGT, the country's most powerful trade union. Public transport strikes, petrol station blockages, school closures, I've seen it all.
But this last series of demonstrations took on new dimensions of peculiarity which had me scratching my head,
The word, relevance, passed through my brain several times during this last week.
The increase itself is hardly conformist with the rest of the world where retirement age is 65. Surely it makes economic sense to increase the retirement age in a world where our health systems have increased our lifespans?
Are we to be forever stuck/jammed into a 1968 reverie where we protest for the sake of protesting?
As a mother, I was horrified by the amount of children out in the streets screaming and yelling for a cause that simply does not touch them. I was shocked by the amount of children injured either by other children or police. My son came home with stories of kids throwing acid, a 16 year old girl losing an eye as a result. He also told me about trade unions coming to the high school gates to encourage the kids to protest...please, give the kids some dignity!! I was simply bored by the daily marching of hundreds of students past my front door with their police car cortege ( who pays their salaries??!!) to protect them as they upturned every other dustbin in our street.
I will hereby end my weekly rant with the modern language of my outraged ado son,
This desperateanglohousewife has had a week of it..
This went on for the next 10 days, basically until the break-up for half term. But by last Monday even my son had had enough. He swotted for mid-term tests, he turned up to class with homework projects, only to be continually turned away. Believe me, even I was surpried at his vehemence against the strikes. He rightfully said,
"What about MY right to education?"
Having lived in France for nearly 20 years, I am now used to Autumn, Christmas and Spring protest agendas where the country is brought to a standstill by the CGT, the country's most powerful trade union. Public transport strikes, petrol station blockages, school closures, I've seen it all.
Why were school kids protesting over the government's proposed law reform to increase the retirement age from 60 to 62?
The word, relevance, passed through my brain several times during this last week.
The increase itself is hardly conformist with the rest of the world where retirement age is 65. Surely it makes economic sense to increase the retirement age in a world where our health systems have increased our lifespans?
Are we to be forever stuck/jammed into a 1968 reverie where we protest for the sake of protesting?
As a mother, I was horrified by the amount of children out in the streets screaming and yelling for a cause that simply does not touch them. I was shocked by the amount of children injured either by other children or police. My son came home with stories of kids throwing acid, a 16 year old girl losing an eye as a result. He also told me about trade unions coming to the high school gates to encourage the kids to protest...please, give the kids some dignity!! I was simply bored by the daily marching of hundreds of students past my front door with their police car cortege ( who pays their salaries??!!) to protect them as they upturned every other dustbin in our street.
I will hereby end my weekly rant with the modern language of my outraged ado son,
"C'est con!!!"
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Susie i just love your blog, you go from strength to strength!!
ReplyDeleteYour post about the demonstrations is as pertinent as it is well stated and easy to read. Many thanks, love your blog too.
ReplyDeleteWOW way to go! Love your post about kids demonstrating about retirement!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get the kids in the street thing either. It has been explained/rationalized to me by several French people that it's pure teenage rebellion (yet sanctioned to some degree), or it's great to see ados educating themselves in "good citizenry." That last one made me laugh, as if people should win a steak dinner for voting or something. I have probably tried to spend 30 minutes understanding it, but I still come to the conclusion that it's an opportunity to play hooky, plain and simple. Hee hee, still makes me chuckle
ReplyDelete@ Dianne, thanks for your comment.I think we share conclusions! Maybe one day of protesting, if they understand why they are doing it, is a good thing...but 10 days?? Takes playing hooky to the extreme. Plus knocking over eveyones rubbish bins and scattering garbage on the street is hardly good citizen behaviour.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Susie