Today I would like to look at two news stories, one in sports and the other in disputes, that demonstrate signs of the times, as well as subjects I happen to be interested in. We will start, as is my custom, in light syrup, and then move to the more serious issue afterwards. With that somewhat cryptic introduction, let us move onto the stories.
What Color Is Kryptonite?
George Mason was a Virginia slaveowner who refused to sign the Constitution because it permitted slavery (those Virginian slaveowners were an ironic lot, were they not?). He is considered the father of the Bill of Rights, and a university is named after him on the outskirts of Washington DC. George Mason University is a commuter school with a diverse population of people not so interested in sports, but you had better believe they are now. The Patriots, regular season co-champions of the Colonial Athletic Association (!) are now in the Final Four (!!) of the NCAA tournament, having dispatched Michigan State, North Carolina (the defending national champions), Wichita State, and Connecticut in four straight upset wins.
As a true fan of the underdog, I have been hearing good things about this team all year. They played a difficult schedule and were definitely part of this year's "Mid-Major Revolution," where smaller schools gained coveted bids over mediocre teams from larger and more powerful conferences. I'm all for that. There were some naysayers, but George Mason University has proven them wrong and earned a nation of bandwagon fans, something it probably does not mind.
I actually watched most of the first half of the Elite 8 showdown where George Mason pulled off the shocking upset of a Connecticut team that was actually playing pretty well (much better than, say, Memphis and UCLA were playing on Saturday night). After some early cold shooting, they started to find their range and came back, stealing the ball, hustling for every rebound (despite a major height disadvantage). At that point, I thought, they just might be able to pull off one of the most shocking upsets in college basketball history. And so they did. Here's hoping they pull off two more.
Law and Disorder in France
France has declared war on its young adults. Saddled with 22% unemployment among its young adults (a horrendous waste of bright minds, largely due to employment practices which in France and elsewhere serve to benefit older employees unjustly at the expense of young people), the Conservative French government pushed through a new law that legitimizes (well, maybe that's the wrong word) discrimination against young people by allowing them to be fired easier without the normal legal restraints. This has, unsurprisingly, led to a cross-cultural revolt of the young in many French suburbs. I say, go for it, French young people. You are not being respected, and until the older generations respect the youth, let them fear the youth. It is completely unacceptable that young adults should be denied their proper place in society so that the middle aged should receive the benefits of guaranteed security.
This is emblematic of the generational crisis present throughout the world at this time. There is a large number, in nearly every society in the world, of well educated young adults who desire to better their lives and positions. I know, for I am one of them, and I am far from alone in coming from a disadvantaged background seeking improvement in my conditions. However, all around the world are corrupt societies where these desires to improve conditions are thwarted because of vested societal interests--corrupt monarchies in the Middle East that inefficiently manage oil wealth and limit the benefits to the wealthy few, corrupt employment systems in the West that excessively reward executives and seek to aggressively limit payroll increases for regular employees, corrupt immigration policies that allow illegal immigrants to prop up unacceptable pay rates in 3rd world countries by simultaneously lowering the wages for service and manual labor in first world countries, corrupt religious and political figures who use the acceptable and proper rage of young adults to terrorize the world, and corrupt middle aged citizens and politicians who continue to seek the young to subsidize their retirements when their prospects for wealth and respect are hindered at every turn.
The problems that plague France are not unique. The same conditions, in some way, are present all over the world. It is good to see the young people of France working together, as they are all subject to the same pressures, the fault of no particular ethnic group, but rather the fault of those who have abused their power and wealth to serve selfish ends at the expense of others who are more righteous and worthy than they are. The French may be a tad quicker to protest than other nations are, but let this serve as an example to other nations that peace in their societies depends on justice, and that justice has for too long been delayed and denied.
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4 comments:
"France has declared war on its young adults. Saddled with 22% unemployment among its young adults (a horrendous waste of bright minds, largely due to employment practices which in France"
I'd say it's far more complicated than that. You allude to it by bringing up employment practices. Some of the problem is the employment culture there which makes it virtually impossible to discharge someone. For instance hiring a young person with little employment history is risky, to channel Forrest Gump, its like a box of chocolates, you don't know what you are going to get. Whereas here most companies have a policy of a short probationary period where they will let you go quicker. From what I understand of France and much of Europe you have to virtually burn down the business to be discharged. Some years back France addressed the unemployment problem by mandating a 35 hour instead of 40 hour workweek but at the previous 40 hour wages. Businesses are not going to take risks hiring under those conditions.
How would you like to be one of the 25% unemployed who could not get work possibly because the employer couldn't fire the slackers?
There are a lot of different angles and possible solutions to the problem but the french employment culture makes it more difficult.
You are right though about the generational crisis in the world. We will eventually see it here when the social security and medicare crisis comes to a head.
I would have absolutely no problem if France somehow found the political will to junk its entire culture of entitlement so that everyone was on the same footing. Personally, I don't think that anyone should be guananteed a job for life. Nonetheless, to allow the older to benefit from secure economic positions while forcing the young to deal with cutthroat competition and insecurity is morally unjust. It was the fundamental injustice of sticking the bill of bankrupt societies to a generation late at the dinner table, so to speak, that was my target, not the rather inefficient culture of entitlement itself.
True, the young are now paying the price for the greed of the elder.
Yes, we are. Surely the wicked elders will pay a price for that, whether here, or hereafter, or both.
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