In a recent report on teenage behavior in the West (Freedom's Orphans: Raising Youth In A Changing World published by the Institute for Public Policy Research, ippr), France comes out better than her nemesis, Britain. Agnès Poirier* over at the Guardian takes a moment to savor France's standing and in the process reveals a good deal about the progenitors of today's French youth.

IS BRITISH YOUTH THE WORST? YES... FOR NOW
French Youngsters May Be Rude,
But They're Only 10 Years Away
From Matching Britain's Teens

November 5, 2006 (Guardian) - The latest think-tank report on British teenagers behaving badly, so badly they top the league of worst behaving youth in the Western world, makes irresistible reading for the French chauvinist. Irresistible because, by contrast, French teenagers reveal themselves as the best behaved (alongside Italians and Portuguese).

After summarizing the wire story, itself a summary of the report, Mlle. Poirier spends the greater part of her article promoting French stereotypes.

... I never thought that French teenagers were particularly well-behaved. On the whole, they still seem today the way we were 15 years ago: moody, awkward and serious, with little social flair. Our expression skills varied from a shrug to a puff to raised eyebrows, to all kinds of body gestures accompanied by sounds of one to two syllables, such as bof, mouais, putain, super.

Though not particularly articulate, we were, however, craving the attention of adults. In our book, adulthood was super-cool. We couldn't wait to be older and do what adults did: talk for hours, argue theatrically over politics, make up over a good meal, smoke, wear glasses, stay up all night over the issue of lost love, take to the streets, call riot police names and go to cafes.

As early as 13, we would mimic adults by falling desperately in love, pretending to embrace lost causes, battling over abstractions to which we understood rien de rien, practising to say the word non with conviction in front of our mirror, ingurgitating espresso by the bucket and puffing on our cigarette-holders without inhaling.

... We were serious Parisian poseurs. When I say 'we', don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about a little clique: it was a time when social segregation hadn't overwhelmed us. It was a homogenous 'we' from all creeds and social origins. We represented a democracy of mildly rude French adolescent tosseurs.

If, as Mlle. Poirier contends, French children grow up pretending to be badly mannered adults, it seems to us you end up with adults who act like badly mannered children -- irresponsible, bratty, pouty, peevish, petulant, nasty, selfish -- all of which accords with the available evidence.

... As with most things, France is 10 years behind Britain. Let's savour the little time we have left during which young and old continue to share views, meals and take to the streets together to defend ideals, rather than the right to shop.

Mlle. Poirier's readers provide the sobering disabuse.

Posted by pastis on November 5, 2006 01:35 AM

British teenagers have some catching up to do in terms of car burning. On average 100 cars are burnt each night in the suburbs of the major cities of France. Last year during the riots over a thousand cars were incinerated nationwide in France. Credit were credit is due.

Posted by Didier on November 5, 2006 05:52 AM

Agnès, French kids are much worse : some even believe Bernard Henri Levy is a "philosopher".

Posted by Koolio on November 5, 2006 08:04 AM

Ca flamme pour moi: I wouldn't be too smug when 23,000 cars have been burnt in the first sixth months of the year. Nor when people play politics with the consequences, from Le Pen's fearful speeches, Sarkozy's catch-up, or Royale's military schools for those from the "sensitive quarters." But outside these 3rd world housing estates (a tribute to the French social model), most other youths are identical to their US counterparts: getting fatter, listening to 50cent and awaiting the Playstation 3.

Perhaps the only difference is racist: when people refer to the incendiary "jeunes" in France, they invariably mean North African or West African. In Britain, it's class based when people snide at the "chavs".

Posted by brioche on November 5, 2006 11:10 AM

Bon dimanche! We had a one-hour blackout in Paris Saturday night, it was fun!

... What is relatively recent is that a sizable portion of French youth have NO FUTURE no future and they know it.

Posted by PatBateman on November 5, 2006 12:17 PM

"On average 100 cars are burnt each night in the suburbs of the major cities of France."

If you've ever had a French car, you'll know that the perpetrators of these attacks are the very owners, not teenagers.

* Mlle. Poirier makes additional appearances at Pave here and here.

PFFT (What is this?): Good manners 2½ | Good stereotypes ½ | Rayonnement français 0