Uprising: How the Yellow Vest Protests are Changing France and Overturning the World Order

Following my reading of Andrew Yang's quite bleak book on the future of work and the understanding that the current economic system is not geared to take care of all the people who will be loosing their jobs in the cognitive revolution, I wanted to learn more about the yellow vest protests that originated in France.

The yellow vest movement in short:

The Yellow Vest movement (Mouvement des gilets jaunes) is a populist, grassroots political movement for economic justice that began in France in November 2018. Initially motivated by rising fuel prices and a high cost of living, it evolved into a broader movement against President Emmanuel Macron's government. The protesters' main concerns included income disparity, a perceived elitist government, and the struggle to make ends meet among the working and middle classes.

"The yellow vest symbolizes the grievances of the working class so callously displaced and dismissed by the gentrified processes of globalization and its economic elite."

"At the heart of this Yellow Vest Uprising is this growing sense that the elites in charge of our political, economic, media, and educational institutions operate and govern according to their own interests rather than the interests of the common people, the populace."

The movement is notable for its use of yellow high-visibility vests, and it largely organized through social media platforms. The protests, characterized by their leaderless structure, were held every Saturday and often resulted in violent confrontations with police. These protests led to a significant crisis in Macron's presidency and forced the government to make several concessions. The Yellow Vest movement had a significant impact on French society and politics, leading to conversations about income inequality, populism, and the role of the traditional media.

About this book:

It is quite short so as a primer into the topic it served its purpose. I do believe it is too simplistic and maybe has too much an emphasis on Nationalism.

"Over 80 percent of French believe that sharing their nation’s cultural heritage is important to being part of the national community; note how this so starkly contrasts with migrant and predominantly Muslim enclaves that are formed throughout their cities and their various regions. If you are going to be a permanent part of France, then 80 percent of French believe you need to be accustomed to their language and cultural heritage."

Interesting is the revolt against globalisation. Against jobs being moved off-shore without offering any outlook for the unemployed they leave behind.

"Again, these protestors are disproportionately the victims of globalization’s worldwide division of labor, where manufacturing and industrial factory jobs are shipped out to third world nations while capital and finance are relocated to urban centers, and this process has left rural populations highly unemployed;"

One positive about this globalisation is that it has created a middle class in these third world nations that has been pulled out of even greater poverty that what it leaves behind. But now consider what AI aims to do. It aims to leave the jobs in that were created off shore behind because better than cheaper human labor is - no human labor.

"scholar Christopher Guilluy has pointed to the growth of what he calls ‘peripheral France,’ which is made up of people who can’t live in urban centers but who can’t necessarily find jobs in rural areas; so they more and more feel like they’ve been completely shut out from the national conversation and decision making."

Summary:

I think there are better books on this topic but you do get confirmation of what Andrew Yang is saying in his book that the current economic system leaves people behind without opportunity or hope. The yellow vests are not a revolt against AI but they are a clear signal of what we can expect when we also automate and optimise white collar jobs without re-doing our social economic structures.