The French have a tradition of Bourgeois revolutions and this is no different.

Young, predominantly white students, who are by definition not part of France's growing underclass, are protesting to keep protections that benefit themselves. Trade unions have followed suit, since striking has become a national sport in France - you can't beat a good strike.

What is being proposed is an employment contract that means people don't get the same job protections for their first job. The empirical results of removing benefits at the bottom of the ladder is that employers can take risks, and in a culture with sectors of society with long term unemployment this creates more of a hiring meritocracy.

That is not to say that all benefits should be removed. It would be naive to think that, in a globalized economy, the bottom of the ladder is being filled according to the law. If you live in the US and have ever eaten in a restaurant, you are part of the economy that relies on people who have no job benefits at all. All the more reason to make the legal job environment a balance between incentivizing as many employers to join it as possible, while offering some benefits to employees.

With these actions French students and workers are squandering the crucial powers that legalized trade unions and social activism offer to combat injustice and create a more equal society.

If you are employed in France, you have far more protection than almost any other country - being laid off triggers large redundancy, you have a legally mandated shorter working week and far more paid vacation and benefits than people in the US could dream of.

Extremes produce extremes. Both rational and irrational unfair prejudices are the norm in the hiring process in France. Resumes have photos and marital status and people are regularly asked things like 'are you planning on having children' at job interviews. In the US this is rare.

As a result, if you are a fecund young woman a Muslim or a fifty year old looking for work, France is not the best place to be.

A first time job contract would improve the distribution of wealth in France. Is that not what socialism is about?

Comment is free: Strikes: French national therapy