Quick, name a French technological innovation in the last 100 years, how about in the last 300, or perhaps 3000. No matter the barometer, one isn’t likely to find a lengthy example French technological prowess or forward thinking ideas. This view naturally contrasts sharply with the views of French Trade Minister Christine Lagarde, in responding to questions about a recently passed French law on interoperability for digital music downloads. "It annoys me when France is portrayed as an awkward, backward country. It is not," Ms. Lagarde said.

While France may not be in the same category as the Neanderthals, France isn’t exactly a haven for scientific breakthroughs. French culture is one, which suppresses innovative thought, this is evident in the country's draconian approach to free enterprise, which stifles business competition and leads to economic stagnation. This characterization of France, however, is not entirely new, nor is it inaccurate

Whereas the British, the Dutch the Germans and so one, were well regarded for their early embrace of freemarket ideas on competition and capitalism, spurring economic growth and innovation, France languished hopelessly in a backward agrarian stupor for much of the modern era. French roads remained hopelessly impassable for months at a time, French manufacturing was small, inefficient and unappreciated by the population at large. French businesses were notoriously slow to adapt, a reality, which drastically weakened France during the industrial era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this same period, France increasingly adopted a socialist model beginning with the Paris Commune in 1871, with a full embrace of the entitlement mentality that so cripples society.

Socialism is the death knell for innovation and progress, as well as threatening representative government. Socialism is a system based upon the notion that inequalities should be abolished and it is the responsibility of the state to plan and control this socio-economic structure. Socialism, however, is inherently unequal. Rooted in the primacy of the state, the rights of the individual become secondary to that of the state, thereby laying the foundation for authoritarianism.

Competition and profit motive, rejected in socialist philosophy, allows for success or failure based upon the merits of ingenuity, initiative and hard work. Inevitably, there will be those who will not prosper, as they have not employed the qualities essential for success (these individuals have chosen the path of least resistance, opting to squander opportunities and waste resources). The free market does not reward sloth, and it is not kind to those averse to hard work, which for those who embrace an entitlement mentality, is threatening, witness the riots over the French jobs law.

Socialism offers no incentive for creativity or initiative, without which there can be no great innovations or advances in science, technology or medicine. Socialism is the path for those averse to progress. It is the refuge of the unproductive, the unimaginative, the indolent and those who have a sense of entitlement, regardless of merit. Such individuals are perfectly willing to give up their rights and their liberty, as long as someone else (i.e., the state) is willing to provide for their needs. Those who embrace such a mentality are very much backward and deserving of the moniker.
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