Philippe Labbé and the utopia of the May 68 generation

"We are your children. Forty years ago, you set out to change the way we live, and then you adapted, undoubtedly with regret." Addressing the May '68 generation, sociologist Philippe Labbé finds irony in the clash of generations at the moment when the 'young' are staging mass protests against the First Employment Contract (CPE). "Euphoric, you carved out giant breaches which, turning pragmatic, you ended up refilling. ... for yourselves. Exclusively. Those of you who moved on to positions of influence remembered that the best charity begins at home, but that did not prevent those in power from proclaiming in the run-up to voting day, a bit misty-eyed, that the integration of young people into society is a 'national imperative'. ... Weaned on utopia, you then stuffed yourselves while putting us all on a strict diet. In the scope of human history, you are the first generation to strive with such perseverance and success to block your offspring's access to adulthood."

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