Are Parisians really rude people?

Augmerson

Came across this article on BBC's website.

BBC wrote:

A dozen or so Japanese tourists a year have to be repatriated from the French capital, after falling prey to what's become known as "Paris syndrome".

That is what some polite Japanese tourists suffer when they discover that Parisians can be rude or the city does not meet their expectations.

The experience can apparently be too stressful for some and they suffer a psychiatric breakdown.

Around a million Japanese travel to France every year.

Many of the visitors come with a deeply romantic vision of Paris - the cobbled streets, as seen in the film Amelie, the beauty of French women or the high culture and art at the Louvre.

The reality can come as a shock.

An encounter with a rude taxi driver, or a Parisian waiter who shouts at customers who cannot speak fluent French, might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures.

But for the Japanese - used to a more polite and helpful society in which voices are rarely raised in anger - the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare can simply be too much.

This year alone, the Japanese embassy in Paris has had to repatriate four people with a doctor or nurse on board the plane to help them get over the shock.

An encounter with a rude Parisian can be a shocking experience
They were suffering from "Paris syndrome".

It was a Japanese psychiatrist working in France, Professor Hiroaki Ota, who first identified the syndrome some 20 years ago.

On average, up to 12 Japanese tourists a year fall victim to it, mainly women in their 30s with high expectations of what may be their first trip abroad.

The Japanese embassy has a 24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock, and can help find hospital treatment for anyone in need.

However, the only permanent cure is to go back to Japan, never to return to Paris.

I've heard it before from a few people that Parisians are known for their rudeness. Maybe this article says more about Japanese culture and society than the Parisians. Cities are a lot more impersonal, so many people in small places, people naturally get edgy and pissed off very easy. Anyway, the real for this thread is....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3o5SB1CfgU

Biggins

This thread while it lasts, is going to be fun!

Popcorn anyone?

starbelgrade

Parisians are fine.

Jim Carey's a knob end though. The man is terminally unfunny.

davet82

what a great article, bleedin japenese, mad bunch of lads

Green Diesel

Rude? Not really, not as friendly as people from the south in my experience, but isn't that the case in most cities?

Tristram

Definitely says more about the visitors than the hosts!

Mint Sauce

Thinly veiled Katie Middleton and her boobs thread.

:pac:

wendell borton

Your just racist, it's part of their culture. :rolleyes:

ejmaztec

It's probably no worse than the céad míle fáilte that people never get when they arrive here.










:pac:

sbsquarepants

A parisian metro ticket clerk woman once screamed her head off at me when i asked her to change the ticket she had just given literally 30 seconds beforehand becuase it wouldn't open the barriers, i had to spend the week jumping over them!
So fúck them all:D

Nuts!

Augmerson wrote: »

Came across this article on BBC's website.

BBC wrote:

A dozen or so Japanese tourists a year have to be repatriated from the French capital, after falling prey to what's become known as "Paris syndrome".

That is what some polite Japanese tourists suffer when they discover that Parisians can be rude or the city does not meet their expectations.

The experience can apparently be too stressful for some and they suffer a psychiatric breakdown.

Around a million Japanese travel to France every year.

Many of the visitors come with a deeply romantic vision of Paris - the cobbled streets, as seen in the film Amelie, the beauty of French women or the high culture and art at the Louvre.

The reality can come as a shock.

An encounter with a rude taxi driver, or a Parisian waiter who shouts at customers who cannot speak fluent French, might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures.

But for the Japanese - used to a more polite and helpful society in which voices are rarely raised in anger - the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare can simply be too much.

This year alone, the Japanese embassy in Paris has had to repatriate four people with a doctor or nurse on board the plane to help them get over the shock.

An encounter with a rude Parisian can be a shocking experience
They were suffering from "Paris syndrome".

It was a Japanese psychiatrist working in France, Professor Hiroaki Ota, who first identified the syndrome some 20 years ago.

On average, up to 12 Japanese tourists a year fall victim to it, mainly women in their 30s with high expectations of what may be their first trip abroad.

The Japanese embassy has a 24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock, and can help find hospital treatment for anyone in need.

However, the only permanent cure is to go back to Japan, never to return to Paris.

I've heard it before from a few people that Parisians are known for their rudeness. Maybe this article says more about Japanese culture and society than the Parisians. Cities are a lot more impersonal, so many people in small places, people naturally get edgy and pissed off very easy. Anyway, the real for this thread is....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3o5SB1CfgU

Most Parisians are fine in my experience. People are people the world over.

Biggins

Nuts! wrote: »

...People are people the world over.

Aaa up!

NEWSFLASH!

...And this is coming from someone that is Nuts!

There's hope in the world yet!

ejmaztec

My daughter and her pals went there on a school trip and were told by one miserable fecker (completely out of the blue) to "fuck off home you English bastards". The fact that they weren't English didn't seem to matter.

alphabeat

starbelgrade wrote: »

Parisians are fine.

Jim Carey's a knob end though. The man is terminally unfunny.

seriously ?

hes a lot funnier than you .

I just don't like how they pretend that they can't speak English.

BraziliaNZ

The French are nice I think. The Japs are weirdos, no one speaks to each other on the subways, they all seem to look at the ground, they almost completely ignore foreigners. So this does not surprise me!

ejmaztec

Deleted User wrote: »

I just don't like how they pretend that they can't speak English.

I think they do that so that they can be enraged when they overhear conversations about what people think of the French. They seem to get off on being angry.

Augmerson

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

The French are nice I think. The Japs are weirdos, no one speaks to each other on the subways, they all seem to look at the ground, they almost completely ignore foreigners. So this does not surprise me!

I've rarely seen, unless people knew each other, instances of passengers on public transport in any major city I've visited, talking to each other. The Japanese are a bit out there though, I'll give you that.

starbelgrade

alphabeat wrote: »

seriously ?

hes a lot funnier than you .

Someone piss in your cornflakes again?

Chuck Stone

la lune ressemble à un grand fromage

Kintarō Hattori

I was in Paris 2-3 years ago for the first time. Before heading over I was rather nervous as I don't speak a word of French and they are of course famously rude.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. I found them very welcoming and polite, so I'm not sure where this stereotype comes from. I've heard it said that outside Paris people are rude but not having been anywhere else in France I can't say.

goose2005

*shrug*

Border-Rat

I've always had nothing but positive experiences with the French. They like the Irish.

ahnowbrowncow

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Nothing could have been further from the truth. I found them very welcoming and polite, so I'm not sure where this stereotype comes from.

I'm sure the stereotype didn't come from nowhere, just because you didn't experience it doesn't mean it's not true

Benji1974

To any city or town dweller the world over, the most annoying people are tourists. They dodder and move slowly, take up lots of space and generally get in the way. It’s because they are on holiday, lack of awareness and essentially selfish behaviour.

At least they’re honest about in Paris and most Western cities. Get in their way over there and they’ll tell you to move or even push you of the way. Unlike in third world countries (and oddly, Ireland too) you have to be seen to be nice to tourists and treat them like royalty.



I suppose it’s because our economy would collapse and we’d all starve to death without tourist revenue which comprises 95% of our income.


Anyway .. In most cases where a tourist claims locals are rude you'll find it was their fault by not having the basic manners to ask the introductory question 'do you speak English?' in the local lingo or that their sense and expectation of entitlement weren't met.

I thought it said Persians

ejmaztec

Benji1974 wrote: »

To any city or town dweller the world over, the most annoying people are tourists. They dodder and move slowly, take up lots of space and generally get in the way. It’s because they are on holiday, lack of awareness and essentially selfish behaviour.

At least they’re honest about in Paris and most Western cities. Get in their way over there and they’ll tell you to move or even push you of the way. Unlike in third world countries (and oddly, Ireland too) you have to be seen to be nice to tourists and treat them like royalty.



I suppose it’s because our economy would collapse and we’d all starve to death without tourist revenue which comprises 95% of our income.


Anyway .. In most cases where a tourist claims locals are rude you'll find it was their fault by not having the basic manners to ask the introductory question 'do you speak English?' in the local lingo or that their sense and expectation of entitlement weren't met.

I think that calculation is 150% wrong.

Sykk

starbelgrade wrote: »

Jim Carey's a knob end though. The man is terminally unfunny.

How dare you! :mad:

Elvis_Presley

Complete bollox, sure there's some rude people but there's lots of rude people everywhere you go.

I spend about 10 weeks a year in France, speak French, have a French girlfriend and many French friends. In my experience the French are very friendly, welcoming and open. I've experienced far better hospitality than in Ireland and met many very generous and kind people there.

Francie Barrett

Paris is the most overrated city in the world.

Son Of A Vidic

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

The French are nice I think. The Japs are weirdos, no one speaks to each other on the subways..

That's a pretty poor measurement to use, maybe try travelling on the London Underground or the New York Subway for awhile. Because I guarantee you won't find any chatterboxes sitting beside you.


Breaking News: People who don't talk to complete strangers while using public transportation, are officially declared weirdos.

Francie Barrett

Elvis_Presley wrote: »

Complete bollox, sure there's some rude people but there's lots of rude people everywhere you go.

I spend about 10 weeks a year in France, speak French, have a French girlfriend and many French friends. In my experience the French are very friendly, welcoming and open. I've experienced far better hospitality than in Ireland and met many very generous and kind people there.

I think it's the waiters, they really do seem to live up to their stereotypes in many cases. One time I was laughed at for attempting to speak French in a restaurant. Granted, my French isn't the best, but no one else seemed to have trouble understanding.

Einhard

I love the French. Sure, they don't suffer fools kindly, but why should they? They're proud of their culture and language, and in a world where everything is becoming increasingly Americanised and homogenous, I say fair play to a society which at least tries to hold out against such blandness.

Vive la France!!

Also, it does have the best national anthem in the world.

seven_eleven

Parisians are pretty damn rude, and Paris is a kip. Been there 3 times now and I still dislike it.
Japanese people are the nicest most caring bunch of people I have ever had the pleasure of encountering though. I can see what they mean by this article, the 2 countries are a world apart in attitudes.

mauzo

sbsquarepants wrote: »

A parisian metro ticket clerk woman once screamed her head off at me when i asked her to change the ticket she had just given literally 30 seconds beforehand becuase it wouldn't open the barriers, i had to spend the week jumping over them!
So fúck them all:D

In fairness you didnt have to spend the whole week doing it...:pac:

Funglegunk

I enjoyed Paris. You can eat and drink in restaurants till really early in the morning there. (Forgot to mention that the people there were very warm and polite. If you are seen to at least try to speak French they are delighted.)

Einhard

seven_eleven wrote: »

Parisians are pretty damn rude, and Paris is a kip. Been there 3 times now and I still dislike it.
Japanese people are the nicest most caring bunch of people I have ever had the pleasure of encountering though. I can see what they mean by this article, the 2 countries are a world apart in attitudes.

Hmmm, I dunno... have you ever seen Japenese porn??

:eek:

e_e

Are you implying that no strange American/British porn exists? :rolleyes:

Judging a nation's worth by its pornography is kinda ridiculous anyway.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Einhard wrote: »

I love the French. Sure, they don't suffer fools kindly, but why should they? They're proud of their culture and language, and in a world where everything is becoming increasingly Americanised and homogenous, I say fair play to a society which at least tries to hold out against such blandness.

Vive la France!!

Also, it does have the best national anthem in the world.

Whilst they mightn't suffer fools kindly they are fairly quick to whip out a white flag the frog eating surrender monkeys!

before the politically correct brigade come along that is a huge generalisation and a joke but still after France's record in most of its wars quite true.

shar01

Having been to both places, my experience is that, in general, the Japanese are more mannerly and those working in the service industry are more professional. Cannot recall one bad experience in Japan.

Paris - beautiful city, shame about the citizens - it's the rude waiters / bar staff / hotel receptionists in particular that stand out because let's face it, if you're there on holidays, they're the group you're going to have the most interaction with. Really don't know what their problem is.

stevedublin

Augmerson wrote: »

Cities are a lot more impersonal, so many people in small places, people naturally get edgy and pissed off very easy.

I think they may have cities in Japan too!

charlietheminxx

I don't like to jump on board with stereotyping, but I have had my worst travelling experiences in Paris. I would say like everywhere, it's a small group of people that give the majority of Parisians a bad name. Despite that, it's not a city I enjoy as much as I should, purely because of the people.

Lollipops23

Having spent a lot of time all over France (and in other European cities) I can say that, in my experience, yes the Parisians have what could be called a rude manner.

It took me 3 visits before I could categorically state that, up until that it could have been a coincidence.

Having said that, I did also meet some really lovely people there too. It was mainly shop assistants and restaurant staff that I found particularly rude and unhelpful, even though I do speak French and would always try to order in it out of politeness.

MaxSteele

You have to hand it to the orientals in general. Politeness seems quite common in their culture compared to western, middle eastern culture etc.

saiint

Einhard wrote: »

I love the French. Sure, they don't suffer fools kindly, but why should they? They're proud of their culture and language, and in a world where everything is becoming increasingly Americanised and homogenous, I say fair play to a society which at least tries to hold out against such blandness.

Vive la France!!

Also, it does have the best national anthem in the world.

what do they have to be proud of?
they lost two world wars
one of them in less then 6 weeks
and they smell

theholyghost

I've never understood the French are rude thing. It must stem from some US/UK cultural streotype that has just been imported into the mainstream and adopted by people who have never been there.

I'd never really been to France up until a few years ago and was almost put off going by accounts of their arrogance and unfriendliness.

Then in 2010 I spent a few days in the Alps and the next year I was there for 2 weeks and they were the nicest, most polite, most helpful people I have come accross in Europe. They genuinely seemed glad of your custom and the fact that you were there. I would rate them a lot higher than say Spaniards (and I can speak Spanish, I can't speak French), Germans or Norwegians (who have issues!). The only complaint I have about French service is they won't cram people into a restaurant if it is full, they will only take so many at a set time. So if you are late booking you might go hungry.


But seriously the French tourist board need to do something to conteract this crazy, negative stereotype! Going to France next month, yeah!

Cienciano

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I was in Paris 2-3 years ago for the first time. Before heading over I was rather nervous as I don't speak a word of French and they are of course famously rude.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. I found them very welcoming and polite, so I'm not sure where this stereotype comes from.

Exact same experience. Was expecting them to be assholes, but they were really nice and friendly!
TBH, people are generally nice and friendly, I've never been to a place where I could label the people as assholes.

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Paris is the most overrated city in the world.

I thought the opposite, one of the nicest cities I've ever visited! I want a week there.

Beruthiel

Augmerson wrote: »

I've heard it before from a few people that Parisians are known for their rudeness. Maybe this article says more about Japanese culture and society than the Parisians. Cities are a lot more impersonal, so many people in small places, people naturally get edgy and pissed off very easy. Anyway, the real for this thread is....

Like all places there are great people and assholes.
I've had some fantastic experiences in Paris. If you can speak a few words the Parisians in the small, back street shops will happily spend some time talking to you. They will give you directions and recommend places.
Paris is the most visited city in the world. I guess if you live there, that can be annoying sometimes.
As for the Japanese, considering the culture shock, I'd imagine that visiting any western city would be a challenge for some.
I'd say if more of them came to visit Dublin, they'd be rushing home in their droves!

flyswatter

Border-Rat wrote: »

I've always had nothing but positive experiences with the French. They like the Irish.

Was on holidays in France a few years back and the rest of the family visited some kind of chapel or similar.

French priest was asking where they were from, presumed they were English.

When he learned they were Irish though, he became really cheerful and instantly more welcoming.

Cienciano

flyswatter wrote: »

Was on holidays in France a few years back and the rest of the family visited some kind of chapel or similar.

French priest was asking where they were from, presumed they were English.

When he learned they were Irish though, he became really cheerful and instantly more welcoming.

That's happened me everywhere! Except west africa, most people didn't know where Ireland was

byronbay2

From long experience dealing with Frenchies (as they like to be called), I can explain why some seem unspeakably rude and others are "lovely". All French people are basically the same, it's just that they have a very highly-developed Jekyll and Hyde complex.
When French people are at work, they are the most annoying, superior, rude, anal and officious people in the world. Not just to tourists but to each other as well. [French public servants (of which there are MILLIONS) are utterly unbearable - even more smug than our indigenous variety.] Thus, your waiter, ticket attendant, gendarme etc. will make no effort whatsoever to help or understand you in any way, for the simple reason that they are "at work" - even if their work involves serving you.
However, that same French person, when they are "off-duty", is happy, unassuming, easy-going and will bend over backwards to understand your pidgin French (it must be said that they do like you to make some effort to speak the lingo) and help you in any way they can.
If you keep this in mind while visiting Paris, it will make things much easier for you. Unfortunately, of course, most of the people tourists encounter in Paris are "at work" so it's not surprising that visitors get a negative impression of the city.