Above is the link to a culture blog post and my comment on it. This post is titled "Les Facultés en grèves." It is about student strikes in France, and the impact it can have on students' education and on the universities. My comment on this post fulfills the goals for products and perspectives and social values and behaviors.
This post discusses the phenomenon of student strikes in France. In France, strikes are an essential part of the social and political culture. Citizens use strikes to influence the French institutions. Students and faculty often stage strikes when experiencing discontent. There are structured, hierarchical unions to organize student strikes and protect the rights of students and faculty, just as there are labor unions to protect the rights of workers. The French highly value their social and political democracy, and refuse to let it be infringed upon. Sometimes these strikes are successful; other time they are not. Regardless, they demonstrate the passion students have for politics. There are some possible downsides to excessive striking though. Student strikes can last for months, during which time students are not receiving any sort of education, but they still get the credit for classes. As a result, parents are hesitating to send their children to schools with frequent strikes.
I feel this is a valid concern of parents and students alike. With so much time spent on strike, students are graduating not fully prepared for the workplace. French students usually attend universities that are close to their homes, but with increased striking– and therefore less time spent in the classroom– students will likely become more selective when choosing their colleges. French students and parents clearly value their education as well as their political rights, and a quality education is now necessary to compete in today's job market.