A different perspective: French people riot and burn stuff because it's a Saturday
It's interesting to see these events from across the Atlantic.
France is very different from the US. This surprises a lot of people, but it actually has a lower unionization rate than the US (not by much, but it's lower). But they will riot at the drop of a hat. The government proposed moving some sectors of employment to at-will, and the next day dozens of cars were overturned and torched in Paris. The government proposed "adjusting" the way pensions are indexed to inflation and a 50-day transit strike crippled the French economy while protesters vandalized the Arc de Triomphe and smashed the Louis Vuitton on the Champs-Élysées.
And what's interesting is that even the most liberal (in the European sense; probably more like "neoliberal" in the US) people in France will say they completely disagree with the rioters' economic views but quickly add they agree with their right to protest. (It helps that during most transit strikes -- and this is a piece of brilliance -- the drivers keep driving the trains and buses but just disable the fare collection systems.)
My friends here are mostly surprised at how little property damage is being done in the US, compared to what happens in France over much lower stakes.
= new reply since forum marked as read
they do have a reputation to uphold...
