In May 1968, power was already in the hands of 50-​​year-​​old people in France. They had and con­trolled all the authority: politics (except for De Gaulle, who was an even older schmuck), eco­nomics and the media. To justify this dom­in­ation over the whole society (youth, espe­cially), this gen­er­ation had its own founding myth: Gaullist resistance.

This myth is central to the end the the sixties:

It jus­tifies the authority of elders (who all took part - of course! - in the res­istance…). It gives alibis/​values to a society whose central ref­erence point has become money and con­sumption. It excludes youth born after the war.

Youth, revolting against the dom­in­ation by the 50 year-​​olds, thus attacked this Gaullist myth ("Die, General!"), to which elders responded that young people, never having known the war, could not know ("oh, if you’d only been through a war, you wouldn’t com­plain that way").

It took decades to dispose of the Gaullist myth: during Papon’s trial, the French right wing fretted that Gaullism could be cri­ti­cized (through Papon). Anyway it didn’t matter, a gen­er­ation simply replaced another. The important fact was not that the myth of France being whole­heartedly involved in the res­istance has been proven wrong, because it had become socially obsolete (and useless).

Today, same thing: the gen­er­ation of 50 year-​​olds dom­inates every aspect of society. They reign over politics (all of Europe’s prime min­isters are 50), own the media (one common point between all TV anchormen is their age), and eco­nomic power (how old are your boss, your landlord, your banker?)

To justify its absolute dom­in­ation of society, this gen­er­ation also needs a founding myth. No need to look too far, as we’ve been served this myth during all this month of May 1998: the founding myth of nowadays’ powerful is May 1968.

"They" were able to change the French society in 68. It’s thus normal that they take on the task of dir­ecting world politics. "They" rejected bour­geois values in 68, so we can trust them to build an economy with a social aspect. "They" rejected their parents’ media, hence they bring us a better press and TV. Yeah right!

Young people are now faced with sen­tences such as "oh, if you’d known how it all was before May 68…"

Here’s why this com­mem­or­ation of May 1968 is unbearable to me: self-​​glorification of their own gen­er­ation by the powerful. 50 year-​​olds already have all the power they can handle. Do they want a statue to their glory now?

May 1968 is nothing but a myth that his­torical studies should strive to tone down (some­thing that this com­mem­or­ation avoided at all cost). Just like not all Frenchmen were in the res­istance, not all of them were involved in the events of May 68. Maybe a few tens of thou­sands of stu­dents, at best, sons and daughters of the Parisian bour­geois elite.

Politically, May 68 was an awful failure. Proof: Chirac is president.

Things are not any better when it comes to the media. The ones launched in 68 are tied to the economy (more than ever before). Michel Field works for TF1 and there are ads in Serge July’s "Liberation".

Same thing, as far as political con­science goes. The only one who didn’t betray his ideal is Alain Madelin. Once a fascist, still a fascist.

The only con­tri­bution of May 68 was to replace backward moral values of the bour­geoisie by the egot­istical and hedon­istic values of con­sumerism. A gen­er­ation used its so-​​called desire for freedom to impose neo-​​liberalism on us.

Another use of that myth (and of its silly com­mem­or­ation): excluding the next gen­er­ation. Of course, "I don’t know how things were before"! Every article about that cel­eb­ration com­prises a part about "today’s youth". Every time, an old hero of the revolution is depicted along with his dreams, his actions, his slogans… and he’s then com­pared to his children. Children who, on the whole, have no political con­science, don’t know how to revolt, have no dreams… Yep, instead of free love and revolt, we like AIDS, unem­ployment and neo-​​liberalism better. I’m telling you, we’re not worthy of our parents! Indeed I keep receiving mails saying some­thing like: "bravo, I’m happy to see that the ideas of May 68 are not dead and that there are still young people who have a political con­science"… Well, yeah, ideas of May 68 are dead. They died on the day you became an old pat­ron­izing fart.

But all those reports had their own con­tra­diction within, bringing about a sweet revenge. Those old May 68 people put up a pitiful and hideous show: they had become, within 30 years, sad symbols of today’s normality.

Normal and old.