Published March 26th, 2006 by Future Atlas
France: fearing the future
The Washington Post reports on French worries about the future.
In a poll, young people in their 20s were asked what globalization meant to them. Forty-eight percent answered “fear.”
The article does not outline the nature of French angst precisely, but offers several indicators:
- In a poll, young people in their 20s were asked what globalization meant to them. Forty-eight percent answered “fear.”
- Reportedly, “increasing numbers of companies [are] deserting France because of inflexible labor laws and high costs.”
- “France’s share of international auctions of contemporary art is a third of what it was a decade ago,” hinting at declining cultural power.
- People “feel increasingly isolated from the European Union.”
The French seem to fear two scenarios that might be called Sénilité and Anglo-Saxonisme:
- Sénilité: An aging population and uncompetitive economy erode France’s wealth and relevance, reducing quality of life. The 21st century for France is like the 20th for Argentina: a long fall from former prosperity and promise.
- Anglo-Saxonisme: France is forced to adapt to the changing world, but loses much of what it values in the process, from the culture of food to generous social protection systems.
Both — along with more positive scenarios — are possible.
patung Says
It’s interesting that the question of Islamicisation doesn’t come up or maybe wasn’t part of the survey. I would imagine that that is a real fear on the part of many in France.
Mar 27th, 2006 at 6:16 am
Future Atlas Says
It is arguably part of the “fear of others” that a French author attributes to his countrymen in the article.
And concerns about unassimilated Islamic immigrants are an aspect of the French fear for their culture and its preservation.
Islamists also represent the most immediate real internal security threat that the country faces.
Mar 27th, 2006 at 5:27 pm