vorpuni

France has objectively not great schools but also very high inequality of access to the top schools:

https://theconversation.com/inegalites-scolaires-la-france-mauvaise-eleve-joue-son-avenir-economique-et-social-233496

https://www.inegalites.fr/L-essentiel-des-inegalites-d-education-Rapport

https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8242339?sommaire=8242421

And choosing your path in life is a very early choice and most if not all alternatives to the path to the top are dead ends (not literally but it takes a lot more time to catch up which costs extra money that people may not have): https://www.franceinfo.fr/societe/education/parcoursup/parcoursup/manque-d-informations-choix-trop-precoces-inegalites-quatre-chiffres-a-retenir-d-une-etude-sur-l-orientation-des-jeunes_7289151.html

https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/cour-des-comptes-lorientation-une-politique-sans-boussole

https://shs.cairn.info/revue-administration-et-education-2021-3-page-35?lang=fr

Sorry all the sources are in French, DeepL does a good job usually, if you have questions I may be able to shed some light on stuff.

A few ideas: poverty is rising, violent crime is rising, TikTok and Instagram are extremely prevalent and most parents seem to let teenagers use them, schooling in France is inegalitarian and deterministic.

Jim Green shoes/boots come very wide, decent quality. Gel insoles (replace as recommended by the manufacturer) help a lot with comfort for those kinds of traditionally built footwear. Size up a bit so you have plenty of room to put a nicely cushioned insole.

Metal contamination in food is a double edged sword as well: if you live in America it’s unlikely you’d ever need selenium supplementation, in Europe there’s basically none in the soil so it’s not impossible to be deficient.

But that would be communism.