A country without rich people becomes a country without riches. I am dumbfounded by the French hatred for those who “have” or “do” or “are” – as if being mediocre was appropriate in order to give oneself a sense of belonging, a sense of being an ordinary citizen, and, therefore, a good person.
Yet, when one hears the arguments justifying this abhorrence for the rich, nothing is said about the individuals or families who began with nothing and built a small (or large) empire, often within two generations. No recognition is given to these people who have contributed to the well-being of France in terms of providing jobs and paying taxes. Why? Because these industrious men and women are much too busy working to be in the newspapers!
So then who is the object of such resentment? The politicians are.
When a former Minister of Culture thinks he is above the laws and walks his dog in the Palais Royal Park (an action totally forbidden to the French citizens), soreness sizzles. When past Prime and other Ministers and past Presidents of the Assemblée Nationale or of the Senate (though perhaps long forgotten) continue having two republican vigils in front of their door until they die, grudges harbor. When anyone who gets a new post in government is immediately propelled to a way of life worthy of ancient royalty yet without having proven any capacities in the job, resentment boils.
When these men and women, most of whom have never earned their living, boast an attitude of “Don’t you know who I am?” with the people who are paying for their privileges, rage flurries. The most expensive restaurants are full of these parasites while the general crowd restrains itself year after year. Politicians flaunt themselves with their big cars, forcing other drivers to yield to them too often to seem justifiable, relishing their unearned comfort while doing nothing for the millions who are held hostage in subways and RER trains, crushed like passengers on their way to the camps, exhausted and resigned except for their rage which eats away at them like a cancer.
Too tired to differentiate between those who have earned their riches and those who have taken those riches from them (without offering contributions in exchange to improve the public’s quality of life), French people hate the rich altogether. Even more pernicious, the politicians themselves point their fingers at the CEO’s earnings or at the tax deductions allowed to investors, as if to deem those contributions or initiatives a sin while simultaneously preserving their own incongruous wealth.
As it is, the economically well-to-do leave France and spend their money elsewhere while the remainder of the French population is stuck with the politicians living the high life and squandering France’s assets!
A little humility and modesty from politicians in view of their exceptional standard of living during these hard times would probably calm the unrest of the population to some extent. But most of all, modeling the example instead of being the exception to all the rules and laws of France would be a good start to reconcile the people with the political “class”.