Why the Protests in France?

[Rival]

Yes they are.

They are not. The middle class have a comfortable wage. They are not labourers like working class people are. Working classes are the meat and potatoes backbone of the country. The middle classes can afford to pay a mortgage; working classes can barely afford school shoes for their kids.

 

[LuisDantas]

Feh. This reminds me a lot of the 2013 protests in Brazil, which did not even have a clear goal to speak of.

If this is what passes for a serious crisis in France, they would be scared stiff living in Brazil.

 

[Rival]

Feh. This reminds me a lot of the 2013 protests in Brazil, which did not even have a clear goal to speak of.

If this is what passes for a serious crisis in France, they would be scared stiff living in Brazil.

The French are well-known to protest over anything. It's almost cultural at this point.

 

[LuisDantas]

To be fair, back when I lived in the mishappen place, it was almost routine to see manifestations at the Eixo Monumenal and Praça dos Três Poderes as well.

We rarely even bothered to try and learn what was being said. I even participated myself once or twice, but it was very much an empty gesture. Brazil's political system is a joke.

 

[Cooky]

They are not. The middle class have a comfortable wage. They are not labourers like working class people are. Working classes are the meat and potatoes backbone of the country. The middle classes can afford to pay a mortgage; working classes can barely afford school shoes for their kids.

You're wrong, I'm sorry. The working class is included in the middle class. For instance, I am an electrical worker (lineman), I do back breaking physical labor. I am middle class.

 

[Rival]

You're wrong, I'm sorry. The working class is included in the middle class. For instance, I am an electrical worker (lineman), I do back breaking physical labor. I am middle class.

Which social class do you belong to?​

The Great British class calculator​

 

[Cooky]

Which social class do you belong to?​

The Great British class calculator​

I made $220,000. last year. I have not made less than $200,000. In the last ten years. I made well over 2 million doing manual labor in the last 10 years.

...So what class am I, being an unskilled blue collar worker?

 

[Rival]

I made $220,000. last year. I have not made less than $200,000. In the last ten years. I made about 2 million doing manual labor in the last 10 years.

...So what class am I, being a blue collar worker?

That makes you a middle class person. Wages in the US for manual work obviously don't mirror British ones. You should be thankful. The class system is based almost entirely on earnings, but generally the working class are bricklayers, clerks and so on; the middle class not so much.

I'd love to know how you earn that much doing whatever you do.

 

[Cooky]

That makes you a middle class person. Wages in the US for manual work obviously don't mirror British ones. You should be thankful. The class system is based almost entirely on earnings, but generally the working class are bricklayers, clerks and so on; the middle class not so much.

I'd love to know how you earn that much doing whatever you do.

I build high voltage power lines for a living. A very dangerous job, one of the top ten most dangerous jobs in the world, but I am indeed thankful. My wife, even more so I assume.

...But my education level is merely "certificate of achievement".

 

[Rival]

I build high voltage power lines for a living. A very dangerous job, one of the top ten most dangerous jobs in the world, but I am indeed thankful. My wife, even more so I assume.

...But my education level is merely "certificate of achievement".

I imagine the inherent danger has a lot to do with it. There are special category jobs, such as military clerks, who would ordinarily be working class, but being military the wage is higher because of the inherent danger that comes with being in the forces.

 

[Cooky]

...But what confuses me, is that I am a worker. A very hard worker. So why I am not considered "working class", IDK.

 

[shmogie]

The closest I’ve found to actual journalism on this story is from the Guardian. It would appear that - once again - it gets back to oligarchs:

'I understand why they are angry': readers on France's gilets jaunes

Macron, being the nice little liberal toady of the EU that he is, believes that so called global warming will destroy the earth, maybe next Thursday.

What a nifty way to show his support for the Paris accords, tax fuel to incentivise his people to have a smaller " carbon footprint". They will have to drive less and will have to drive even tinier cars, and the government rakes in more money.

Surely the people will support this win/win situation.

OOPS ! Apparently the French people don't give a rats rear about the Paris accords when it effects their wallets and livelihoods.

With an approval rating around 25% before the protests began, I can only say, adieu monsieur Macron.

 

[ChristineM]

Its deeper than just putting a green tax on fuel, hence the reason the protests are still going on after the government capitulated (or at least postponed it).

The protests are cross party, far left standing with far right and those in between,. Each have different gripes .

A common thread is Macrons tax reforms. He is trying to balance his tax reforms using robin hood tactics. For example, on the one hand, the fuel tax increase will hit the less well off, on the other hand a reduction in tax on money shipped out of the country benefits bankers and other financial movers and shakers.

He is also trying to shake Ameli, the french health service and labour laws, a fiercely protected right in france.

 

[ChristineM]

Macron, being the nice little liberal toady of the EU that he is, believes that so called global warming will destroy the earth, maybe next Thursday.

What a nifty way to show his support for the Paris accords, tax fuel to incentivise his people to have a smaller " carbon footprint". They will have to drive less and will have to drive even tinier cars, and the government rakes in more money.

Surely the people will support this win/win situation.

OOPS ! Apparently the French people don't give a rats rear about the Paris accords when it effects their wallets and livelihoods.

With an approval rating around 25% before the protests began, I can only say, adieu monsieur Macron.

This is as much about the EU as trump had respect for women. Isnt sarcasm fun?

 

[shmogie]

This is as much about the EU as trump had respect for women. Isnt sarcasm fun?

Yes,as a matter of fact, especially when it is based on the truth.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

My understanding is that it is the middle class protesting. They are unhappy that their president has been completely ignoring them and even after protests, he still talks about other things.

Yes, that too.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Yes they are.

In "let's make up new definitions to suit our preferred reality world" maybe.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Aaaaaand there's the first bias spin. "It's all about government response to global warming!"

I honestly expected a swipe at Muslims to be first, but demonising climate change response was my second bet.

And here's some spin even I, in my jaded cynicism, never would have expected;

Paris Protesters are not chanting for Trump as he has claimed, but false right-wing meme continues to spread

 

[Twilight Hue]

Why do the elites believe that little people are just dying to be taxed more and more in order to transition to Utopia?


Lesson: Never disturb a nest of yellow jackets.

I remember the idiotic slogan that was being pushed on us that Americans just love to pay taxes. They probably figured if they said it long enough , people would actually start believing it. Needless to say it didn't work out too well. It's refreshing the See France feeling the same way.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

I remember the idiotic slogan that was being pushed on us that Americans just love to pay taxes. They probably figured if they said it long enough , people would actually start believing it. Needless to say it didn't work out too well. It's refreshing the See France feeling the same way.

When was that a slogan? By whom?