by Eddy Fougier, Le HuffPost, 25 April 2018
The French are considered one of the most pessimistic peoples in the world; yet the ‘positive’ has never been so fashionable. The article describes a genuine ‘revolution of the positive’, driven by four families: hedonists, solutionists, the benevolent and transitioners.
In brief
- For almost ten years, distrust, weariness and gloom have been the words that come up most often when the French are asked about their state of mind.
- At the same time, an underlying trend celebrates optimism and happiness: it is not a school of thought so much as a state of mind.
- The author identifies four families, ranging from personal development to ecological and social transition initiatives.
The four families of ‘positivisers’
Well-being and innovation
The former rely on personal development and positive psychology, the ‘science of happiness’. The latter, often young entrepreneurs, count on digital technology and innovation, from FoodTech to AgTech, to solve problems.
An economy that wants meaning
Entrepreneurs, brands and consumers want to take account of their impact on society, health and the environment: the social and solidarity economy, brands regarded as positive, and committed consumption.
The joyful transition
Citizens and associations want to break with mass consumption and dependence on oil, through social innovation and concrete solutions in agriculture, energy, housing and education.
‘And yet, and this is the great paradox of the present period, the positive has never seemed to be so fashionable in France.’Eddy Fougier, Le HuffPost, 25 April 2018
Why this debate interests us
APALA recognises itself in several of these families: we believe in innovation, in corporate commitment and in concrete transition initiatives. This map helps us see that optimism is not a monolith: it can rely on technology, on responsible consumption or on sufficiency. It also invites us to reflect on what brings these families together rather than on what sets them apart.
Questions for debate
- How can we explain that a people reputed to be pessimistic should also have such an appetite for the ‘positive’?
- Can solutionists and transitioners work together, or are their visions opposed?
- Can optimism become a driving force for the ecological transition?
To go further on apala.fr
Summary written by Claude (Opus 5.5 model), an artificial intelligence, for APALA, based on the article published on the HuffPost website on 25 April 2018. The positions expressed are those of the author. A mistake? Write to us.
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