Why do we always think that "ELSEWHERE" is better than our own country? (page 6 of 23)

I think you’d do well to watch the plank in your own eye... Generally, when I meet friendly or annoying French people, I don’t focus on where they’re from. Your comment is stupid and tinged with real animosity toward Parisians,

Totally agree with you on that!! Stupidity isn’t any more localized in Paris than anywhere else... And some people just don’t adapt anywhere!

I have amazing Parisian friends whom I adore, and they’re the first to admit that in Paris, the mentality is "generally" every person for themselves—if we’re being polite.

I spent part of my life in Paris and the eastern suburbs, and now I live in the southeast (Vaucluse). Without generalizing, even though I personally find the quality of life better in the southeast, I’ve experienced way more solidarity and sharing in the Paris region than in the southeast, where individualism and superficiality are everywhere. That said, I’ve still made some great friends here...

Good evening,

I sincerely believe it all depends on who the tourist "ends up with"... I’ve had experiences in Kuala Lumpur—a generally welcoming city—where I ran into a jerk upon arrival, or a corrupt taxi driver in Bangkok... On the other hand, I’ve met charming people who helped me with directions in both places, just as an example.

A foreigner who—without bragging—crosses my path will likely find Parisians charming. I speak English, I’m patient, and I even offer to help tourists I see struggling with a metro map, warn them to watch their belongings, etc.

Of course, the same people, if treated like "a bull in a china shop" by someone rude or in a hurry, will leave with a bad impression of Paris. We need to stop stigmatizing—Paris, like all megacities, isn’t necessarily the ideal place for pleasant, friendly encounters... What’s more, it’s become a hotspot for pickpockets, but that’s not the fault of the French...

Just my two cents, warmly shared. 😉

Possibly... I’ve never lived in Paris and I never would. I assume it’s easier for a native to live in their home region and experience solidarity. But I wasn’t talking about solidarity among people who know each other—I meant the spontaneous welcome given to visitors. The "superficiality" often criticized in the south of France is actually the friendliness that many mistakenly see as "friendship," when in reality, friendship takes time to develop, just like anywhere else in the world.

Being welcoming, smiling, and friendly has nothing to do with solidarity. Every time I’ve passed through Paris, I’ve mostly encountered closed-off and dull people... But I’ll take your word for it... we shouldn’t be too far off from having a great reputation for welcoming tourists :))

What a controversy, what a fuss about this and that; some people clearly enjoy getting tangled in the OFF-TOPIC meanders so much that they forget Voyage Forum is first and foremost about TRAVEL, period! That said, I’m definitely not targeting you personally, Sylviasenva, since you’re just responding to certain assertions. I’d love for this forum not to be distorted by partial and often unjustified outbursts, so that what we read is more digestible while avoiding going in circles around the same old remarks and other mood swings without real substance. Have a good evening to all of you who truly love travel and nothing else. Best regards, Vietalier.

I share your opinion, but in every country we visit, there’s a general behavior that tends to reflect travelers' positive or negative views of the place...

The catch is that we travelers rarely venture beyond Paris—with a bit of luck, we might also visit the French Riviera or Bordeaux...

I was lucky enough to meet someone (from another continent) who had traveled extensively in France. The first question I asked him was how he’d been received here. Outside Paris, people almost took his hand to show him the way, while in Paris, they wouldn’t even answer him. Clearly, he didn’t have the chance to meet you :)))

I really don’t understand your point. What’s the point of traveling if not to discover others and EVERYTHING that comes with it? Traveling alone doesn’t mean anything. We’re talking about tourism, and tourism is tied to travel. If you only want to talk about the latest hill you’ve photographed, that’s your prerogative, and I respect that—but please, as far as I’m concerned, let me have the freedom to talk about what I want and how I want.

Paris, the great desert for wild souls With no oasis of love for lonely hearts Tribes of barbarians, adorned with concrete Paths of asphalt without a hint of an estuary

A glass jungle, opaque and spartan Where predators and vultures have metal fangs Dens made of checkbooks, and spears of ties And the stag’s call echoing in the wedding tower

Where forests of antennas for satellite rain Are plugged into "stars," false screen idols When the air far from the alpine meadows is breathed through hoses And the blue water stops at the bridges of sighing lovers

I’ve never lived in Paris and I’d never go.

So your claims and all your fine arguments are only based on what others have experienced… and told you.

Why be such a willing echo chamber, amplifying clichés, stereotypes, fantasies, and rumors you haven’t even checked out for yourself?

Here or anywhere else, you only get back what you bring out in people.

You shouldn’t just read what you like. We were discussing the reputation of the French in tourism—both as travelers and as hosts—and those who amplify it. The worst part is that it always comes from the same corner of France. I don’t see how living there changes anything.

I’m not repeating clichés but sharing real experiences, and if I’m going to do that, I’d rather they come straight from the people involved—meaning the tourists who’ve visited us. As for the rumors about those "nasty French people," I always dig deeper to find out where the person spreading them is coming from. It’s always "pretty funny" to realize that it’s always those (our fellow citizens) who’ve never left their own country who have a negative opinion of France.

But visiting France is more expensive than visiting poorer countries—those famous "elsewheres" that are supposedly so much more wonderful... I respect that everyone does what they can, but I don’t respect reducing France to just Paris, or judging it without even knowing it. Even though I haven’t lived in Paris, I’ve traveled my country enough to make comparisons and get annoyed by these rumors—which, I’ll remind you again in case you "forgot" to read everything, mostly come from our Parisian friends. That said, I’ve been happy to meet some great ones, but they’re not the majority.

What you seem to "forget" is that a debate, a clash of ideas, thrives on more than just examples drawn from your own tiny personal bubble ("people say," "I know someone who"), your feelings, your emotions, your self-righteousness... or your obsessions.

Insisting on stigmatizing a whole population or a tiny corner of France (are all Parisians from Paris *really* the same?) in loooong posts, where the systematic bias to belittle everything strips away any credibility... doesn’t prove anything. But it does say a lot about you.

Trapped by the system? We always have the choice to take a different path.

There are also some really nice Parisians—friendly, down-to-earth, humble, and generous. In my opinion, they mostly belong to one category of Parisians: those who want to get the hell out of Paris (but can’t always do it).

I’m far from perfect and don’t want to be seen as a role model. I can be unpleasant like anyone else, but when it comes to tourists, I always try to behave with civility and kindness—it’s the least I can do... Wishing you a good life and happy travels!

In response to your second message, I’m Parisian and I can assure you that most city dwellers here are indeed closed-off and cold... I’m hesitant about moving to the southeast precisely because I’ve heard from many people that it’s very difficult to form deep connections with the locals on the Côte d'Azur... I love the warmth, which motivates my desire to move, but I also need warmth in communication. Aside from one friend, I don’t know anyone on the coast. I have an open and outgoing nature, but from what I’ve heard, that might not be enough...

I’m 60 years old, not at all a "mémère"... What do you think if you live in that region?

Good evening Sylviasenva, Sorry if I ruffled your feathers, but please note that my post emphasized I didn’t mean to attack you personally or your literature. That said, if you’ve been following V-FORUM closely enough, you might have noticed some time ago that I was talking about travel in terms that align with what you’re asking for—for goodness’ sake—letting you choose freely. Indeed, back then, I believed that travel is about the eyes, the ears, the taste buds, AND ABOVE ALL THE HEART, all to be fully shared with locals or fellow travelers the moment you’re on the same wavelength or willing to tune into others—except, of course, those whose shallow and annoying habits my last post called out, the ones that never end! Sorry for not making myself clearer, and please accept my sincere regards. Vietalier, a bit contrite but hoping this time my message comes across as intended...

The French Riviera isn’t really the place where you’ll find what you’re looking for. Mass tourism means it’s pretty superficial. That said, you’ll find sunshine all over the Southeast and Southwest.

The Mediterranean coast is long enough, though, that you can still find sunshine and a good quality of life. My mother-in-law, who’s 70, lives in Perpignan and has made tons of friends. You just need to find a way to connect with people—affinities and time will do the rest.

Best,

Don’t worry, Vietalier—even if I can come across as quite direct when I reply, I won’t form a negative opinion based on just one message.

Writing can sometimes lead to odd reactions, and I’m no exception. What we write and what the other person perceives aren’t always the same, so sometimes we need to clarify.

Cheers, and looking forward to more.

Thanks, Sylviasenva, for staying on the path that should be the only one taken by V-Forum regulars when it comes to travel. Happy travels and forum vibes; see you soon, I hope. Sincerely, Vietalier.

Anyway, whether here or 'elsewhere,' whether 'rich or poor,' stuffing ourselves with luxuries or living in misery, humans are never content or satisfied. These rutting primates, overpopulating the world, prove that copulation is far from being the exclusive domain of other animals, who are often much wiser—especially since humans have been exterminating or exploiting them for ages. In short, even those who have a big polluting car, a wife and kids, a house or even a villa, a second home, and who burn through flight tickets every three days will always want more—often even more than the simple gardener tending his vegetable patch and content with little.

Desires are insatiable, and consumer society (including in the realm of 'tourism,' that hotspot of oil pollution) pushes us to satisfy them, to 'work more to consume more,' then to 'work even more to consume even more,' and so on. But happiness isn’t created that way. It’s a society of slaves—and the more desires they have, the more enslaved they become, even if they can satisfy them. Because they’re addicted to desires (whatever they may be): the desire to possess, to buy, to have more money, sex, to cheat on their spouse or partner, or to collect them like they change shirts every three days or countries every week.

It’s this limitless greed that’s destroying this poor planet, lost in a solar system, itself in an insignificant cluster of stars, itself in one of the arms of an ordinary galaxy among others in an expanding universe... The problem is that this tiny rock we call Earth has finite resources and space. And it’s only protected from ionizing rays, UV radiation, and solar radiation (not to mention the freezing void) by a very thin atmospheric layer, which barely shields life on Earth.

In just a few thousand years, humans are destroying this fragile balance, which took millions and billions of years to create.

They keep buying round-trip tickets to the other side of the planet, hoping their 'descendants' will do the same, and so on, in the best of all possible worlds. Except they prefer to stay blind to reality: oil and kerosene are rapidly killing the atmosphere, climate change is causing ever-greater and more obvious disasters, and fossil fuels are running out anyway—even if humans double down by exploiting hyper-polluting shale gas, nuclear power, and more.

Humans will wipe out all life on this planet in just a few decades (7 billion now, and soon 10 billion by 2025—basically tomorrow). Frankly, aren’t you tired of reproducing? 🤪 They won’t even be able to feed everyone, especially since over 1 billion people already lack access to drinking water, and billions more don’t have enough to eat or are starving.

If humans disappear as a result of these extreme behaviors, it’s the least of our worries—they’ll have deserved it. 😉

I think it’s because not everyone loves routine... spending your whole life in the same place. We always want to discover new things. The planet is so vast, varied, and full of happiness everywhere, and we just want to make the most of it all.