Social Categorisation and situation in France

Self-categorization theory seeks to understand and explain the processes by which people form cognitive representations of themselves and others in relation to different social groups. The underlying premise behind this theory is that people place themselves and others into social categories on the basis of the underlying attributes that are particularly salient, and this process of social categorization shapes a range of attitudes, emotions, and behaviours[1].

Through this theory we will try to analyse the social movements and the political situation in France.
France has been experiencing one of the most significant recent social mobilisations, with people protesting against President Macron’s controversial fuel tax which further intensifies the living costs of the middle class, expanding the gap between the rich and the poor. Growing inequalities and the need for social justice has lead people to stand up against the political establishment by blocking streets and clashing with the police.
The “yellow vests” require a redistribution of wealth, increase of salaries, pensions, social security payments and the minimum wage.

The government was forced to suspend and permanently shelve its proposed taxation plans. However the protest encompassed wider anger and frustration towards President Macron as well.
Macron worked hard to differentiate himself from the establishment throughout his election campaign. He appeared to be carrying no political baggage, aligned neither with the left or right. Many viewed him as a saviour who could stop the far right from taking power, so the French electoral voted for him. But it didn’t take long for his supporters to realise that his “reformist”, “new world” image was nothing more than an illusion.

People are becoming more suspicious of all mainstream politicians on the right and the left. The general belief is that the political elite protects the interests of the wealthy and does not care about the wellbeing of ordinary citizens.
Macron's failure to bring about change should not have surprised anyone. Even though he seemed "young and new", he was part of the establishment.

He had served as the minister of the economy, industry and digital affairs from 2014 to 2016 under Francois Hollande - he was in charge of implementing the former president's infamous Labour Law reform, which caused widespread protests across the country. Before that he was a Rothschild investment banker.
Once elected, Macron showed his true colours almost immediately. He decided to amend the wealth tax - known in France as "ISF" - by narrowing it to a tax on real estate assets, rather than covering all worldwide assets over the value of 1.3m euros. This led to him being swiftly labelled the "president of the rich"[2].

There is a clear distinction in the division between the political ruling class and citizens who are fed up by the way state economy is unfolding. Manifested signs of violence in the protests express the anger and frustration that has been accumulated over a long time. We notice signs of depersonalization taking place in the protests, whereby people categorize the self in terms of a particular social group rather as an individual[3].

Being part of the oppressed “we” makes individuals to be perceived as members of a larger entity which is being exploited by the wealthy people who have the financial power to help all.
“Green taxes” are just a new cover form of further exploitation. If these people who, when getting elected promise to solve problems and apply practical solutions, would be really interested in improving environmental issues, there are many solutions that even an intelligent 7 year old kid can come up with to reduce CO2 emissions.

First is getting rid of oil as an outdated energy source which has been a concentrated monopoly in the hands of a few for over 100 years now. It is the biggest contributor to global warming and rich people and corporations are excluded from taxation.

There are alternatives such as biodiesel from hemp, which was made illegal by the same people just because it made their consumer based markets obsolete and offered a source of diesel that could be used for free by everyone. Hemp[4] has dozens of other usage purposes such as pharmaceutical, paper extraction, textile, ropes and building materials, replacement for plastic and synthetic fibres, wood and so much more. It does not need a rich nutrient soil to grow and if you cut it, the plant regrows up to 5m in 4 months only. It also absorbs the toxins from the environment and its seeds are a very good source of proteins[5].

With the large amount of financial power that could have been invested in free energy technologies since 1900’s with Tesla’s inventions, there would be no need to fight wars and force people to buy alternatives that profit only a few. Just ask yourself why are big banks and Wall Street fighting electrical vehicles and their widespread use[6]?

Second of all slowing down deforestation rates would allow the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere to be reduced. The same politicians backed by corporations and lobbyist are very interested into turning forests into cattle ranches and plantations to feed animals[7], who are one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation, energy consumption and CO2 emissions as well.

A smart alternative would be switching our diets from relying heavily on meat to using insects as a food source[8]. It is proven scientifically that they are a better source of proteins and require a lot less energy to grow, use less space and can be feed on organic waste.

Alternatives to extraction of non-renewable natural resources have also been proposed to halt the oil frontier such as carbon capture and sequestration[9].

None of this government people propose solutions that really work. They make their way into those positions of power through lies, propaganda and manipulation. On the contrary there is plenty of evidence suggesting that they will fight anyone who comes up with alternative solutions that destabilizes their markets of profit.

What is stereotypical[10] for membership in the Yellow Vests is their will to resist, unite and fight back against ignorance, greed and de-humanitarian values that are destroying the planet. One day Gaia will just decide that it had enough with the behaviour of the parasitic organisms called humans, and she will update the system through some natural cataclysmic forces that will make us rethink our actions and ego games.

References:

1. Turner, J. C. (1985). Social categorization and the self-concept: A social cognitive theory of group behavior. In E. J. Lawler (Ed.), Advances in group processes: Theory and research (Vol. 2, pp. 72–121). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
2. Edition (2018) Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/15/europe/france-paris-gilets-jaunes-protests-intl/index.html
3. Abrams, D., & Hogg, M. A. (1990). Social identification, self-categorization and social influence. European Review of Social Psychology, 1, 195–228. doi:10.1080/14792779108401862
4. Ministry of Hemp (2016) Retrieved from: https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/hemp-products-list/
5. Hemphelps (2017) Retreived from: https://www.hemphelps.org/why-hemp-is-illegal/
6. CBSLOCAL (2018) Retrieved from: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/05/03/teslas-elon-musk-picks-a-fight-with-wall-street/
7. Environment News Service. “Greenpeace Links McDonald’s With Amazon Destruction.” April 6, 2006. Retrieved from: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2006/2006-04-06-01.asp
8. Edible Insects as Sustainable Food Alternatives (2017) Retrieved from: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/edible-insects-as-sustainable-food-alternatives-4153360
9. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) (2017) Retrieved from: http://www.ccsassociation.org/what-is-ccs/
10. Hornsey, M. J. (2008). Social identity theory and self-categorization theory: A historical review. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 204–222. doi:10.1080/14792772043000040
11. Turner, J. C. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. New York: Basil Blackwell.