Curiosidade do dia

"Nicolas, a thirtysomething professional, sits in his tiny Paris flat with his head in his hands. Despite a degree and a job with a big brand company, he and his wife Julie are barely managing after the state takes its huge cut from their pay. 

More than 500,000 people have tweeted sympathy with the young manager since his plight went public. Ministers and MPs have offered support and he is worrying President Macron's staff. All of which is remarkable given that Nicolas does not exist. 

He is the fictional embodiment, a viral meme, of the frustration of a generation of white urban middle-class millennials who feel they are being milked to pay for the French benefits system and for boomers living it up on state pensions. His name is one that peaked in popularity with middleclass parents in 1980.

The slogan "C'est Nicolas qui paie" (Nicolas foots the bill), which emerged in 2020, has taken off this year, channelling anger in a section of the electorate that was the heart of initial support for Macron's centrist En Marche party, now called Renaissance.
Targets for Nicolas's ire include Bernard and Chantal, generational names for 70-year-olds who are depicted sailing the oceans on cruises, thanks to pensions that this year gave retired recipients higher incomes than average full-time workers.
Also in his sights is Karim, the Muslim-African immigrant whose life is supposedly financed by Nicolas."

Trecho retirado de "'We are Nicolas: middle-class rebels rattle French elite" publicado no The Times de hoje.