Young people were better before? Well, not really. Are they lazy, uneducated and selfish? Not really either. In any case, this is what Salomé Saqué is trying to demonstrate who, on March 15, publishes her first book, Be young and shut up (Payot & Shores). In this rich, sometimes piquant investigation, the journalist of the online media Blast, of France 5 and France Info – and identified by The world as a worthy representative of “the next generation” – undermines certain clichés that stick to youth – supporting figures, studies and testimonials. By drawing a portrait of 18-29 year olds, she also paints a picture of their living conditions, between social determinism, unemployment, network sirens and fear of the future. If, for methodological reasons, the author has focused on France, she argues that many issues go beyond its borders, “the fact, for example, that young people are in a numerical minority in so-called “developed” countries, or that ‘there is this breakdown of understanding between the generations. If young people are discredited, says Salomé Saqué, it is because they are not listened to. “Intergenerational solidarity is essential to face the upheavals that threaten us all,” she writes.
