Media can't afford to publicly whine in France, but I can tell you from the ground the more arrogant and aggressive the strikes are (and they tend to go over bo

Media can't afford to publicly whine in France, but I can tell you from the ground the more arrogant and aggressive the strikes are (and they tend to go over board very quickly taking significant part of whole nation hostage few times a year, sometimes for months), the less support they actually get. Sometimes their requirements are beyond ridiculous and pure greed, sometimes more sane, it depends. People follow same pattern - they complain among themselves, but not publicly. France's strikes are things pushed to the extreme. Result is pretty logical - economy lagging behind, wages stagnant since you can't just keep milking everybody and everything forever, reality eventually strikes back. Overpaid unfireable corrupt bureaucrats and so on. People are used to having 10 weeks of paid vacation and will burn half the place down rather than lose any of it. Compare it to neighboring Switzerland where people themselves voted against increasing minimal mandatory paid yearly holidays from 4 to 6 weeks few years back, citing negative consequences for companies and economy. Switzerland looks as it looks exactly due to such values, and so does France accordingly. The France doesn't have that bright economic future, I am not happy stating it but its inevitable truth of where they are and where they are heading economically. It shouldn't be an example to follow, especially not in US, unless you care only about milking the current situation to the max and long term prosperity is problem for others.