I must say, those French are damn impressive. They work only ten hours a week (probably eight because – honestly – you just know that they will take fridays off) and still manage to be the fifth largest economy in the world. Isn’t that something we all should try to imitate, not scoff at?
If there is a country we should imitate, I think it would be Israel. Now that's ambition, dedication, and of course, resilience. I think Tel Aviv has the highest concentration of tech startups in the world also.
Why would you think French people only work ten hours per week? My French roommate never understood sarcasm either. He also kept putting the damn eggs in the cupboard even after I told him he would get sick.
I don't think Israel's economy should be of any particular interest to the U.S, it's like a huge elephant trying to imitate a nimble rat. However, maybe if the U.S stopped giving away billions to Israel every year, it could put more of its own people to work.
If I saw one of my employees put the eggs in the cupboard and then take a nap in my New York office, my brain would implode.
I'm not suggesting to operate like a sweatshop and I'm aware that manufacturing power in the United States is quite volatile right now, but even when people focus on those right-brain activities, the earth still spins and capitalism still exists. Some of my best work is produced when my fatigue becomes delusion :D