World views from France

Back in my native country, a political and economic conversation about the USA is inescapable and the majority of folks we’ve talked to are deeply concerned about the ways things are going. Perhaps, the French’s pessimistic mood is deeply tainted by this late spring’s horrible weather, but it’s hard to cheer them up, even for someone as optimistic as me. As we discuss, I become increasingly convinced that the era of profiteering by the West at the expense of poorer nation is finally coming to an end. Generally, French folks are deeply concerned about the steep decrease in their purchasing power and blame their political leaders and a few greedy CEO for what’s happening. They think the middle class is being unfairly “squeezed” and soon all these brave people will demonstrate in the street. To me, the reality is quite different; I believe we’re all at the dawning of a new age in which we’ll have to share more by accepting diminished comfort, so developing nations can start partaking a little in what has been our gluttonous feast for long decades…