paris is simply trading on the beauty of centuries old architecture without which, even the french wouldn't live there...I was in Paris once, will never go back. I had a rude waiter and we told him to take his food and stick it where the sun don’t shine. We left and went some place else.
Sharia will fix it.
Karma can be a bitch.
Incivility is an urban thing, prevalent in big cities everywhere, and probably due to their overcrowding. There is the old joke about the Canadian tourists in New York. One of them goes up to a New Yorker to ask for directions: “Could you tell me which way to the Empire State building — or should I just go f— myself?”
Overpriced and overrated.
I think I will go order some Freedom Fries at McDonald’s
I misread the title at first; I thought it said INVINCIBILITY. Thought it was some kind of joke!
A silly article, the equivalent of one that writes about New Yorkers to represent Americans. And it ignores the fact that for more than a century, Paris has been overrun with rowdy, druken tourists - and then there were two German occupations.
The French, even the Parisians, are wonderful when you get to know them. Remember that Paris for more than a century was the international capital of the arts and of modernism, and that was in part because Paris welcomed, and made space for, artists and writers who could not find a place in their own countries.
I consider that to be more than hospitable.
I’ll bet if the French created a new government cotillion bureau all of these problems would go away.
“French fed up with own incivility ..”
Can you surrender to yourself?
Paris has still got to be the world's most magnificent city. I can't wait to return. Only one world city astonished me at every turn like Paris did, and that's New York City. Until you see the landmarks of Paris with your own eyes, no photographs can do them justice. I also admired how no Frenchwoman would dare go out in public for any reason without dressing to look her best.
I did whisper to my wife several times in the Metropolitain subway that I was taller than everyone on the train. Walking through Paris I noticed that I seemed to be taller than almost everyone except other tourists and Africans.
paris is simply trading on the beauty of centuries old architecture without which, even the french wouldn't live there... I'm SHOCKED!
Because if there is anything French Socialists don't like, it's MORALS.
Another —”one of the many ways France is changing” -— most of the names in the article are not French names.
Is the attitude the same in the rest of the country, or is it just Paris? (similar to a New York City attitude?)
Funny enough, the people were nicer when I visited way back in the early 80s; young girls would say «pardon» rather than push past you. The elder folk who were manning the public restrooms weren’t so nice; you’d hand them the money and they’d say «là» (“over there”) while pointing at an empty stall.
I didn’t find the French to be any different than Americans.
People in Paris were often rude. That is true of any big city. How is this any different than the rude people in DC or LA or San Francisco? Big city people are stressed out and defensive.
I found French people in rural France to be warm and friendly.
I toured the Normandy beaches for the 60th anniversary of D-Day. We had someone on our tour fall terribly ill. One of our group took them to a house in the rural town of Caen, which was the first town liberated on D-Day, by the Canadians I believe.
They knocked on a door only to ask for a hospital location. The French resident not only told them, he took them to the hospital, waited while the member of our tour received treatment, and then drove them back to our hotel.
FWIW, I found even the French city people were less rude when you made a strong good-faith attempt to speak French, and not be the ugly American acting like the waiters and clerks are your house slaves just because you are throwing US dollars at them.
You want rude? I am 53 years old born and raised in San Francisco. That city is RUDE! Massed immigration and years not teaching children manners results in a city of people that are just rude, opportunistic, selfish, self-centered takers. I lived in San Francisco from 1996 to 2007, and in all that time MAYBE 10 drivers waved to me when I let them in my lane or let someone in a street from a parking lot. Seriously. This used to be standard fare in the 70s. Now they act like they deserve to be let in rather than acknowledging a courteous act.
I think the people of San Francisco are at least as rude as those in Paris. At least.
It was "magical" compared to what I remember.
My wife and I met an unbelievable amount of nice and kind people randomly throughout the city.
At one point we got on a city bus to head to a certain area for touring and shopping. There was a large black woman driving the bus, smiling and greeting everyone who got on. When we saw an elderly woman step on, I noticed the bus was full and offered her my seat. She gave me a big beaming smile and I saw the driving with as big a smile in one of the mirrors. At the next stop there were more elderly and one of the young black men got up next and there was a steady sequence of people doing the same. There was an amazing vibe happening on that bus, maybe it was the driver? Who knows.
The whole trip was like that, though. I couldn't explain it to my wife and she was just loving, so why mess it up by downtalking it?
Anyway, I hear it's nothing like what it was a couple of years ago and bloomingnazi has destroyed all of Guiliani's progress. Very sad to hear.
Oh, screw Paris. They were rude as hell. The folks in the countryside were wonderful however. When Paris falls I hope they seal the borders to the city and leave them to work it out for themselves.
Had a meal in France once. Actually it was Monaco, but close enough. Food was very good. The waiter was actually a black from Cuba. Works in France/Monaco for awhile, then goes back to Cuba. Nice fella. Tried to order a Mocha. Big mistake. He told me they do not have Mocha’s in France. What ? Thought the French loved chocolate. Just not in their coffee apparently. Well he tried to make me one, and it was awful. Melted chocolate at the bottom of the coffee cup. Had to keep stirring it up. The moral of the story - Never order a Mocha in France.