Every day, we now read that young people across Europe are rebelling because they have been robbed of their opportunities in life. But as usual, we are seeing only part of the picture. And so are the commentators.
First, it is important to recognize that we are talking about only part of the younger generation. In France, for example, roughly equal proportions of young people support Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (young men tend to favor Le Pen, while young women and young Muslims tend to favor Mélenchon). When we witness acts of hostility ranging from demonstrations to assaults on pensioners and the burning of buildings, they come exclusively from the Mélenchon camp. It is not a generation that is rebelling, but a vocal minority. And there is no indication that the majority sympathizes with it.
Second, this segment of the younger generation is complaining, and rightly so, that it does not enjoy the same opportunities in life as the generations before it. But here again, we encounter a rather significant “however”:
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Education. Young people are receiving a much poorer education than the generation before them. Modern teaching methods are sometimes downright harmful. Yet these very same young people supported these educational reforms and continue to support them. They are rebelling against the consequences.
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Deindustrialization and the Green Deal. They live in an era of deindustrialization and the Green Deal. Their countries have grown poorer, their populations have grown poorer, and they can no longer afford what previous generations could. Yet these very same young people enthusiastically campaigned for the Green Deal and continue to do so. They are rebelling against the consequences.
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Migration. Migration is devastating entire countries, draining welfare systems, and forcing millions of people to live in fear. It is understandable that young people are furious when they experience these consequences firsthand. Yet these very same young people supported unrestricted migration and continue to support it. They are rebelling against the consequences.
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The war with Russia. Attitudes toward the war with Russia are more complicated, but essentially the same principle applies.
Beyond these issues, there are indeed many problems for which their parents and grandparents bear responsibility. But each of those problems could be addressed reasonably well if we were not living in an age of decline and fanaticism. And it is not the older generations that are fueling and sustaining that decline and fanaticism.
And what about the claim that older people are better off? That depends on how you look at it. They are better off in the sense that they own properties the young will never be able to afford. On the other hand, young people are given preference in hiring, are paid substantially higher wages for the same work, and can routinely get away with things that would cost older employees their jobs on the spot.
And do you really think people in their fifties are going to respond by attacking the police and setting buildings on fire?