Ever been treated rudely in France?

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Space Bluesman

According to a recent poll, waiters/waitress and shopkeepers are the most rude in the whole Europe.

Also, French anti-Americanism is, say, legendary, though not based on sound and rationalistic tenets. Yes, all this stems from mere envy, overwhelmingly.

French are very frustrated people owing to an absurd and authoritarian domestic policy which puts the French population on its nerves. Direct taxes and disguised forms of taxes constitute an unbearable burden for the average French whose salary and purchase power has been steadily shrinking since about 1991. Rate of unemployment in France is very high, though official statistics released by state controlled poll institutes pretend the contrary.

For a French, being pro-U.S. is a cause of social discrimination and even a motive of harassment at work sometimes, though the new French government of Sarkozy pretends to be a friend of America. But French are wont to this kind of "double talk" since long.

If you want to know more, I recommend you the excellent French Negotiating Behavior, by Charles Cogan, a book whose subject does not limit to negotiation, in fact; and it explains a lot about French behavior when compared to American behavior.

Also, you can read a long answer about tripping to France I previously posted (see my links below).

Cabal

You find rude people everywhere, and if you were in Paris which sees more than 40 millions tourists a year you will have better chances to see people with little patience for tourists. You will also find tourists who are incredibly rude to the French, and then being surprised that the French lash back. Not counting on cultural misunderstandings which makes things worse (do you know that the French do not smile to people they don't know? That is politeness to them. The American grin is an insult).

As for envying the US... Maybe 20 years ago we did, but right now... School shootings, taser wielding cops, middle class people not being able to pay for medical insurance, two wars and a third on the way, the handling of New Orleans disaster, Guantanamo, non respect of your own laws... Bush...
Why should we envy the US?

lyloo142

Lola, I'm french, and I cannot say you're wrong though you're also not right, lol. I mean : you could be treated rudely everywhere, it depends just on the person you're dealing with, rude people are everywhere, not just in france, and it's not because you're american, I've been treated rudely in france too, and I'm french...I've been treated rudely by americans too.
As to envy USA...mmm....lol, I can swear you I don't, but this also depends on the person, some people are inclined to be jealous, but those will also envy their own neighbours...
All these facts are more a question of personnality than nationality.
I just hope you won't stay stuck on this bad experience and meet once kind polite and nice french people, believe me you can find many :o)

Terry 81

The cab drivers are awful, not just in Paris, but in other cities as well (and I speak French). Most of the French ppl I met were civil or even nice. A few were rude, but they were few and far between.

Jules

Ok i m french and i am currently an exchange student in the USA, i have never been so badly treated in all my life.
I have been treated like trash because of my nationality, i think americans are merely racists of french people, you can t stand us because we are different.
Sometimes i tried to understand, why do you hate me so much ?, they just answer me ' because you re french' , i think we are becoming the new jews.
And Overall America is a racist country, people here don t mix black people with black people, white people with white people.

Santa C

Yes, I have been. I've also been treated rudely in Switzerland, and New York. OTOH, I have met friendly, kind ppl in all of these places. It does help to speak French in France (and some parts of Switzerland). I found that shopkeepers are generally polite especially if they think that you are going to buy something in their store. Some will even answer in English (even though the questions were asked in French). Ppl in a hurry (e.g. late to work or late to a business meeting) might be curt. In any part of the world.

abuela Nany

I have been treated rudely by people in France, and also by people in the USA, or Spain where I live now!
Unfortunately, there are rude people all over the world!... Perhaps nowadays more than the friendly kind...We can just hope for luck on running into the nicer people!!!
I always try to answer with a smile...this is often a charm that turns a rude answer into a returned smile and a different attitude! (Although it doesn't ALWAYS work!)
As to envy of the USA, perhaps it used to be, I doubt that it exists much any more!

Bo -Kasparovâœ¡

You seem a bit arrogant to blanket I whole country and assume they all 'envy' the U.S.A.

No, I've never been treated rudely by the French.
Perhaps you were unknowingly rude, and they were unknowingly rude back toy you?

--Russian, living in France.

Ralph S

When I was there folks I encountered were all in all pretty nice. They varied from politely cordial to genuinely friendly. I was there in the 1990's, so take that how you will.

MRS.torressanz

ok i have to admit..i fake a wonderful british accent..i can do it all..scottish irish or whatever..i'm 17 so i watched alot of movies..lol..ok anyways..when i was there..i've experimented with the accents. how they would treat me if i was an american of european..american accent..they were nice..some kind of rushed answers..british accent they were very jolly..i mean..very jolly..i love the french..but you got to hate them sometimes..on the metro, i was wearing jeans..typical jeans with holes and whatnot..a parisian commented with "ugh, americains" and totally gave me the eye...not very nice.. does that answer your question?

deirdrezz

I was treated very rudely by a few French people. (most of them were owners of places) The general French people were nice or just ignored me.

partyanimal101

I'm in 7th grade and i take French. Last year, my teacher told me that when she was in France she asked a man for directions(in English). He simply mumbled something mean and ignored her. After, she started talking in French. He turned around and apologized. My teacher said once you show appreciation towards the other country they will show respect to yours. I don't know if it's true but Good Luck!

Vladimir ILL

What % of French chicks shave their pits?
In Other - France - Asked by Dean G - 3 answers - 2 days ago - Open

What about this question ? Rude or insulting ?

You ask, I answer

never been to France, but i worked in an International terminal at an airport. French and French-Canadians were the rudest. i agree.

morgane515

je suis francaise et c'est vrai que les francais ne sont en general pas trÃ¨s sympa surtout si vous allez dans le sud des vrais cons!!!!

~jenz~

Yea, it's true the french despise Americans.

GREEK BARBiE

yesss they are so BORING!! everything goes dead after 11.. i like the Italians and the Greeks much better. France is so overrated.

Fred L.

One time, a family friend stepped in to a cab. The guy speaks fluent french, and asks a cabbie to drive him to a business meeting. The cabbie says that he doesn't want to, and to ask the driver behind him. Our friend goes there, and the driver of the second taxi asks what the first driver says, then promply refuses to drive him. Finally, he told the third cabbie that the second told the third to drive him. That got the final lazy frenchie off his ***, and our family friend to his business meeting barely on time.

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