Holidays, what an invention! Not so much to rest from work, but to keep consuming. Yes, because the word “holiday” doesn’t equal rest, but rather consumption – and this also means the consumption of land and resources, and thus becomes synonymous with pollution.
If the 1950s were the boom years for summer seaside holidays in the West – and winter holidays in the mountains – today, the ritual continues with the growth of tourism and its various forms, such as the monstrous cruise ships of all sizes and for all monstrous tastes.
In France, one can still find a beach without thousands of umbrellas planted in neat rows, all crammed together like in Italy, where summer tourism has devoured the entire coastline.
Who knows what Monsieur Hulot would come up with today to avoid the boredom of banal holidays…
