Just when you thought you couldn’t say anything any dumber, you go and do something like this…AND COMPLETELY REDEEM YOURSELF!
A classic article by Michael Lewis is out, called “Sarkozy Forces the French to Join the 1980s“, where he berates the French for not only being lazy, but actually enjoying being lazy and not really caring about the fact that they are lazy. This is all on the back of the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, trying to put into place new laws where, IF you work over 35 hours a week, you will be compensated more. And the French are booing him for it!
He concludes it on an extremely powerful quote:
“To the extent that the French enjoy a natural advantage, it is in their inefficiency: They are the world’s most efficient producers of structured indolence. They are the kept women of the global economy; their status depends, in part, on their practical uselessness.”
I mean, how beautiful is that? These words are like magic.
Now, please do not bash me for enjoying this article. I do not dislike all French. Some of my favorite people in the Financial world are French, and those are some of the few that actually like to work hard and make money doing so. As I posted on a previous comment:
In the finance world, I deal with every sort of foreign national, every single day. French banks, German banks, Japanese banks, Chinese banks, Swiss banks, etc. Each bank, understandingly, employs many of their own kind.
The French banks are quite intelligent. They manage risk and price derivatives better than most around. The lend with the truest terms and are generally fair and capitalist in business proceedings.
Yet nobody in the finance world likes to deal with them, because 95% of them are arrogant bastards. It is sad that they give the 5% a bad name, because those 5% are my best of friends. Sharp, friendly, funny, sophisticated, enjoyable. The rest miss a key 2-3 of those traits, primarily friendly and enjoyable.
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Whos is more lazy? the french or Michael Lewis?
According to Michael Lewis the French have to improve their productivity and work on their inefficency.
Every decent economist knows that for years french workers have been ranked amongst the most productive in the world.
The OECD, the most authoritative organisation in this field ranks the French in third position worldwide.
Obviously Michael Lewis is kind of lazy with his homework.
Here is what a real professional would have said on the subject:
Eventhough the french are some of the most productive people in the world, they will have to work longer hours to increase significantly their personnal income.
And Michael Lewis will have to work longer hours to do his home work.