TonUrn on the radio or TV FranceFrom the first headline in the morning to the last evening announcement, it was gloomy and doomed. We have been told that France is in its final decline, mainly because right-wing presidential candidates have participated in a competition for who can issue the darkest and scariest future warning. They will not be elected to the Elysée Palace next April.
Fadingism is a pattern; dimness is the new black.What these nostalgic providers and the French say gloom With slogans plagiarized from Donald Trump, the country is being pushed into one of the periodic existential crises, that is, only they can “make France great again.”
“What we hear is the decline, how the previous situation has improved, how France has lost its place in the world… This is a portrayal of pessimism,” said Antoine Bristielle, a social scientist at the famous Jean-Jaures Foundation.
“We now have 75% of countries that believe that France has declined, and this decline is irreversible. They not only believe that it will be better in the past, but that it will be worse in the future.”
Far-right political expert turned presidential candidate Eric Zemo, Its 2014 book Suicide in france Lamenting the loss of the “soul” of the country is the master of national pessimism.
Zemmour believes that France has been in decline since Napoleon’s defeat in Waterloo and supports the far-right “great replacement” conspiracy theory that Muslim immigrants are replacing the local population. Bristielle said: “If we look at how people voted in 2017, we will find that this recession and pessimism are [political] Extreme, especially the extreme right.Éric Zemmour is promoting Napoleon’s fantasy and Glory ThirtySecond [the 30-year economic boom after the second world war] And think that if you do not vote for him, then the catastrophic situation will be more serious. ”
He added that although right-wing rhetoric is flooded with French radio stations, public opinion polls have always shown that people’s primary election priorities are spending power and the environment. Bristielle said: “The real worry is that other parties cannot show a more attractive future and reassure the public.” “This pessimism is at the heart of the fight in the far right. It’s like making America great again. We can see the obvious similarities between Zemmour and Trump. At this moment, the news from the right is what we have heard.”
However, as Emmanuel Macron likes to say, at the same time [at the same time] An amazing paradox; walking on the street, people are far from depressed. Bars and restaurants are bustling, shops are still open-unlike many shops on British streets-and far from gloomy, the French keep telling pollsters that they are happy.
“In the world after the Covid crisis, the French have returned to the most important place,” said poll expert Elabe. Territory Barometer 2021 Polls It was stated last month that although 60% of people think the country is in a bad situation, 78% are satisfied. “Of course, there have been diseases, victims, deaths, sufferings… But in the end, this situation allows us to rediscover and re-examine the ingredients of happiness.” Poll experts suggest that these necessities are not “totems of a consumer society”, such as now “It looks almost ridiculous” smartphones and beautiful cars.
Claudia Senik, an economist at the Paris School of Economics and director of the Happiness Observatory, who portrays the ups and downs of morale in France, agrees: “It is true that French people are often depressed, but now I want to say that it is gathering time. People remember. last year [of Covid] It’s terrible, so they are very happy now. This is a cycle, but we are now in the happy phase.
“We can follow the fluctuations in happiness, life satisfaction and optimism, and now… in terms of satisfaction, this is really a noble life. People are working and consumers are consuming, and they feel very energetic.”
Not all French people are happy.Yellow vest [yellow vest] Protesters resurfaced after the Covid lockdown, clashes with police and French Resident riots in Guadeloupe, Recently robbed and set up street barricades to protest the coronavirus restrictions.
Despite rising energy prices, delays in the supply chain, declining industrial production, and a surge in COVID-19 cases, French people still have many reasons to be happy. The unemployment rate has fallen and employment opportunities have increased. The economy is expected to grow by 6% this year and living standards continue to improve. After the two lockdowns, people have savings to spend on Christmas.
Sainick said that the French have an ambivalent attitude towards happiness and “always dream of something better.”
When asked why 75% of people said France was declining and 78% said they were happy, Jérôme Fourquet from IFOP, a polling agency, said: “This is a paradox we found in all public opinion polls: when When the French are asked about the future of France, we are often the melancholy record holder; when asked about their personal situation, everything is fine.”
“There is a gap between the highly dedicated personal field and the ability to collectively project. Until recently, the French had the illusion that we are one of the world’s powers. The memory of a very powerful Gaullist France and France, which is now a middle power There is a gap between the realities, which makes our citizens feel uneasy.”
Gaël Brulé, a happy writer and researcher, said: “One of the [many] The paradox of French happiness is that it is aroused in the collective and lives in solitude.
“The new crown virus has accelerated this trend and opened the eyes of others, forcing core and metaphysical questions into the core of our lives: Why should I do this? What is the purpose of life? What is my position?” He said Marianne Magazine.
According to newspaper reports, the French have been seeking a well-known blue mediator. Chocolate is currently enjoying an unprecedented upsurge of “driving away melancholy”.
