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Joel Kotkin: The generational war has begun in France

The images coming out of Europe are a warning. We risk seeing those same flames in North America

Young people, at least a portion of them, are on the offensive, with mass protests spreading from Paris and Milan to Katmandu New Delhi and Sri Lanka. A generational war has begun, and its consequences, including for North America, could be devastating.

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Although conditions differ by country, the spark behind these protests lies in both the real and the fitfully imagined: high housing prices, food inflation, lack of good jobs and failing education systems are not figments of their imaginations. At the same time, cries of poverty seem a bit overwrought for a generation that enjoys the most wealth in history and, in the West at least, their protest seems to stem from being raised to think they were special, only to find out that the world is not such a welcoming place.

Joel Kotkin: The generational war has begun in France Back to video

The new generational war is fueled by a deep pessimism among those under 40 about the future. This, noted a 2022 Pew study, is particularly marked in Japan, France and Italy, with majorities of adult parents seeing a bleaker future for the next generation by more than three to one. The United States also does poorly with 72 per cent, while Canada does even worse, clocking in at 75 per cent.

Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.

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