@simonmaechling
🇫🇷 Another tragic evening in Lyon, France - holding on by a thread: A society buckling under the unbearable weight of free healthcare, paid parental leave, nine weeks of vacation, reliable public transport, and the extremist idea that citizens shouldn’t live in constant fear of the state. Meanwhile elsewhere, real strength prevails. People enjoy the comforting simplicity of knowing exactly what they’re allowed to say, think, and post. Journalists experience the adrenaline rush of legal ambiguity. Critics win surprise travel packages to distant regions. Elections are streamlined, decisive, and emotionally undemanding. Back in Lyon, residents continue to suffer through tedious stability, supermarkets fully stocked, and the psychological toll of choosing between twenty kinds of bread, hundreds of different cheese and an unreasonable number of wines. No loyalty oaths. No compulsory patriotism. No nightly reminder that civilization is about to collapse any minute now. Experts warn that if this recklessness continues, Europeans may begin to believe that life can be predictable, safe, and quietly pleasant - without fear. A deeply dangerous precedent for strongman economies everywhere.