Strikes in France

There are huge strikes today in France because of the proposed reforms
by Macron to increase the retirement age.

What bothers me about French unions is their tactics - and this applies
to most unions across the world, but particularly in France.

Here, when the unions are upset about legislation, or want to make their
power felt, they go on big general strikes and they tend to block
traffic. It's incredibly annoying. It isn't that I oppose their goals
necessarily because I think that some things (quality of life for
instance) are worth fighting for. That's a good thing. But I completely
oppose their tactics.

You see, the people making these laws are never really inconvenienced.
They know that the strikes are happening, but it doesn't affect their
daily lives. The lives affected are from the general population.

A better point to be made would be to block all of the traffic around
The Elysée Palace. That's where the head of government is. You wouldn't
get ignored at that point and the general population would be left
alone. Naturally, no one ever does this. Why?

Well, I've asked French people about this idea and they just shrug and
say it's not how it's done. And they don't think about that. They just
assume that this is something they have to live with in their daily
lives from time to time, and that's just the way it is.

But it's patently idiotic. And, quite frankly, it's cowardly as well.

Let's say that the guy upstairs is bigger than me and he's playing loud
music all night. I'm not going to go to the weaker guy next door and
start protesting to make my point because he's easy to beat up - just to
show the guy upstairs that I mean business. It's a bit like terrorist
tactics, to be honest. I'm completely opposed to it.

I'm not saying the unions are necessarily terrorists because I don't
want to equate that with killing people. I am, however, saying that they
are using the same tactics. It's undeniable. And they're doing it
because it's easier to do this than to actually inconvenience the
powers-that-be with a real protest.

The unions here know that if they ever did block The Elysée Palace, it
would be a pitched battle. But they already fight those. I think they're
just afraid of what the people who actually hold power would do to
disperse them. Again: A coward's position, and an illegitimate one.

So, while I'm sympathetic to the causes of the unions from time to time,
I end up not wanting to ever support them because of their idiotic and
terrorist tactics. And I find the entire French attitude on the subject
exasperating because they simply cannot envision any change for the
better.