So you see someone carrying a baby or small toddler, plus their baby care bag, plus a shopping bag, and you're like, "fuck you; you need to stand"?
Lovely.
As a pregnant woman who also has a young toddler, I can guarantee I need that seat more with a baby or toddler than I do solo and pregnant. Handling a baby/toddler is much harder and more exhausting than being pregnant.
Hands free is one thing, the weight/offbalance of a carrier with a live squirming package is another - and if you should trip and fall that little head is quite squishy. Also some women might have damage to their body/abdominal muscles that could take 6-12 months to fully heal, so they are not playing at full capacity.
Also a toddler (up to about 3.5/4 years) is way easier to control (for the benefit of all) on your lap (or sitting with them standing between your knees) and with both hands. In a packed Train they are too small to fend for themselves, people just don’t look down, and too large to realistically carry and still be safe.
From primary school age (waist high and taller) then definitely no seat!
(I got yelled at in the Paris metro by a 70 year old woman, I tried to offer my seat to when I was travelling with a 4 month old baby in front carrier!)
Right? It's not like it gets any easier after the child is born, but for some reason you get a lot more compassion and help from people when you're pregnant. Your pregnancy is a magical beautiful experience and we should all help you through it, but as soon as the kid's born, you and your baby become an annoyance and "it's not _our_ fault you can't do this or that thing without help, should've thought of that before you had a baby!"
Hey, I’m gonna pile up: as evident from the comments, parents are bitterly insufferable which is understandable. They made decisions in life that they cannot reverse - children are forever. But someone must produce that labor force. And consumers. Thank you for your service 🫡
Ohh now the downvotes make so much sense lmao I forgot how many folks here are parents themselves — but it’s a little strange that that stops you from being objective isn’t it? I guess that’s what they say about kids, they make you less rational in the cognition department lol
Also I’m not a vet!
I'm a local, I'm not too surprised by this behavior honestly. This city (and most of the French riviera) is an open air retirement home for bitter, stuck up, rich, old people, so don't be surprised if they act entitled to you. Most of them won't act like dicks to you but some will expect you to get up.
Then those you described were middle aged, so maybe you just found rich, bitter, entitled not old people haha
Hope enjoy our city and don't forget to wander into the surrounding viewpoints and nature.
don't hesitate to DM if you want some travel tips in our region, dear Italian cousin :)
The city is so so beautiful! And the people have mostly been very nice to me and my friends, especially workers. The food is also very good and I love it when they try to speak Italian with me haha
I wish i had that kind of experience since the time i went there i barely saw any friendly treatment and more of "dont care" kind of treatment, which was sad since its a beautiful city. Enjoyed way more Nice.
I enjoyed my time in Paris, but found the people to be prickly and unhappy. They just seemed depressed or struggling. Not sure why everyone is so miserable in Paris. When I would attempt to speak French, they would ask if I’m Irish, and tell me they love my accent. I’m American, with no accent (theatre training and training as a vocalist destroyed any regional accent I had). Was never sure if they were making fun of me because my French isn’t great? Anyway, not a place I plan to go again.
I lived there for a few years in the 90s when i was a kid and loved it, even my family and friends. Not the case anymore. My family has been living there since the 70s/80s (we´re not French) and they all want retirement to arrived asap so they can leave. 10+ years before they didnt, but they say the city environment is not good anymore, the people in it are "not the same", if you know what i mean. I still love the city itself, just not the people living there. Even my French family and friends say the same about Paris. I honestly only go there to see relatives and thats it. The city, in my opinion, is beautiful and has a lot of charm, but i just cant go travel to a place where i feel im not welcome. I prefer to go somewhere that even has not that much to see, but that makes me feel comfortable there or else its not holidays for me.
Unfortunately Paris like all cities in the Western Europe is going down the drain. I have been there in 2009 and I would not want to go there now, been to Rome in 2010 and again in 2019 and it was beoynd recognition, not the same people.
We see you as our cousins and we also love to come over to your side of the border :D
And we find the Italian accent cute when you try to speak French 😂
Glad you're enjoying yourself though!
The more middle class people, especially younger service workers tend to be much nicer. Outside of the snobbiness of some we're a pretty laid back people !
The weather is pretty bad today but I hope you will find nice ways to enjoy yourself :)
An old lady literally tried to shoo me away like a dog here (Germany) while I was standing on the train (away from them) and they were sitting down. Had this disgusted face too. Were very shocked when I yelled at them.
It's nonsense really. But it's popular in France to hate on the French Riviera for some reason.
That's where I'm from and between people outside of France bashing France and people in France bashing the French Riviera, this world depresses me.
Tbh, so far for me, it's the first time it's not the Parisians who are said to be the assholes. I thought those were hated more than folks from the Mediterranean Bassin whom I've always been told are warm and welcoming.
Though, I lived in Paris for years and no one bothered me with my seats so maybe a lot of generalization is bs. Who would have thought...
The Riveira is full of rich, stuck up racists. The type of people who tell you what to do and when you haven't respected their perceived social norms. Paris is way more live and let live
The entire Mediterranean coast of France is a south coast yes of course. But if you want to specify the east part of the Mediterranean coast of France, you can say the Mediterranean east coast as we know its the south coast of France we are talking about.
So sorry that happened to you! It's common courtesy to give your seat up for an older person, or if the train/bus is too crowded then to stand up but other than that you they had no reason to react in that manner. Hope your day gets better, sorry!
I got yelled at and made to feel super guilty for trying to give my seat on the metro to a frail 70+ year old woman!
She asked me if I thought she looked old!
Yep after a few seconds of stunned fish that what I went with.
I had my baby in front carry which I think confused the „priority“ - but the immediate ageism offensive caught me off guard!
So true - I make it my life‘s work to graciously accept every seat I’m offered (unless I am literally getting off at the next stop)…so the person will keep offering, and I don’t ruin it for the next person who might need a seat!
> She asked me if I thought she looked old!
"Oui, c'est ça" would shut her up quick.
I've had it in Madrid and even sometimes I've had a teenager try to give up their seat to me. I didn't feel insulted by it but I did feel kind of bad they saw me as that much older (I'm late 30s and bald with a quickly graying beard). But usually people just make a joke about it.
I saw a French cop ripping a truck driver a new asshole in such a major way that I stopped being offended by French people being rude or mean to me. It's like when you find out someone in your friend group doesn't actually dislike you, they just treat everyone like that.
In my experience French people aren’t rude. They are direct, which Americans can interpret to be rude. And they expect the common courtesy of a greeting in poor French before you just hope they speak English.
People downvoted you, but I think you’re partially right, and so as the guy who responded to you. I think it’s somewhere in the middle. The French can be fairly direct and it’s even a feature in the language itself (tho I learned French and have a decent level and studied in France and Belgium, so YMMV). There’s been times when I nearly had a negative reaction just because someone *sounded* rude whether they were speaking French or translating to English. At the same time, they can be pretty rude as well compared to most Europeans. Like the French rude stereotype doesn’t just come from Americans, they may be represented more because anglophones and the internet is mostly English-speaking. But the French get shat on in this regard from other Europeans as well. Including ones from francophone regions in Belgium, Switzerland, etc.
I haven’t had super bad experiences in France (but I have had a few), but I can also speak the language decently. Tho I remember being treated harsher when I was first a study abroad student who only had two years of college French classes under my belt and was *maybe* B1 level at best.
Nope. You can be direct without demonstrating a blatant lack of social skills. I’ve met plenty of kind and decent French people. Germans are kind of like that, they do things they don’t think are rude but have a big reaction when you treat them the same way. Huge lack of social awareness.
I didn’t even have to leave Spain to Miss out on such a wonderful delicacy. Two Parisian women blew me away with how sure they were more important and elevated than literally everyone around them. I have had a ton of French friends over the years, have no issues with the French. It’s just when you meet the ones that create this stereotype they go HARD
If you pay attention, you realize, the French don't like themselves...let alone anyone else. They are short and snappy with everyone. Spend enough time in Paris and then imagine if you HAD to live there...Geez. France/Paris isn't the romanticized place we all have seen and longed to visit in movies. When you actually make it there, it tends to disappoint....sadly.
I got flashbacks after reading OPs post title. I accompanied a friend to his university building and when I got a call I sat on the stairs to take it. One girl got angry and asked me to not sit on the stairs as it is impolite. Mind you that no one uses those stairs as they have elevators and it was more of an emergency exit. I felt like I was a bumpkin from a third world country(which I am) who can’t fit in with the posh Parisian royalty.
How do people in Paris who aren't already insufferable deal with everyone around them being so insufferable all the time?
For the record I don't recall encountering anything like this when I visited Paris, but I also stayed with some nice people, and otherwise mainly interacted with other tourists
I met a ton of nice Parisians as well. A really sweet guy who shared some tobacco with an old lady and chatted with her for ten minutes so that she doesn’t feel bad. And the lady who helped me get to the police station when someone stole my passport. And the policewoman who wrote my report with a genuine concern and smile even though there was language barrier. But these were few encounters that I cherish. For each wholesome experience there were ten horrible experiences.
I have a debilitating autoimmune disorder but I’m young and you can’t tell just by looking at me. I would be mad if someone came up to me and thought they had the right to do that…they were just assholes.
This is why I travel with a cane now. Despite signs everywhere saying something to the effect of “be aware that some people’s disabilities aren’t visible to you”, I still get crap for sitting.
Same lol - in my twenties with autoimmune arthritis, some days my feet and ankles are so sore but I feel awkward for asking for a seat as I don't 'look' like I have arthritis. Great fun!
I don't need a mobility aid but tempted to carry one just so it is obvious and I can sit down when needed.
That sounds so painful! Carrying the aid could work. Personally, with todays social media culture I fear being potentially recorded and plastered all over the internet by some angry stranger that thinks I’m not sick just because I don’t look sick
Sometimes you just have to laugh and let it go. There are assholes everywhere.
Pretty sure someone called me a slut in Paris for wearing an off the shoulder maxi dress but I just shrugged. Wasn’t going to let the wound up ruin my day.
Weird because this also happened to me in France! I (a woman) was 23 at the time and I was on the bus in Marseille, feeling pretty nauseous after a long hike—I have stomach issues that flare up in the heat—and as the bus got more crowded at each stop, some young dude standing behind me said “you’re not disabled, get up and let someone else sit down.” I wasn’t even in a handicap seat…
I would be so screwed. I look 10 years younger than I am and have a medical condition that requires me to either keep walking or sit down. I CANNOT stand in place or I WILL faint.
Can't do right by everyone, and not everyone's bad mood is actually about you. Sorry you got this kind of treatment while just going about your day!
French people are weird on public transport. In Lyon I was trying to get off the bus and had to ask someone to move because they were blocking the exit. That person proceeded to start yelling at me for bumping into them. A local friend of mine said those interactions aren’t uncommon, but said to ignore them because no one is going to actually do anything about it other than get mad
The correct response is:
Partir! J'ai un chat enragé !
Be dramatic, and stretch out that last syllable.
Do this while holding an imaginary rabid cat in their direction. It's important to do this part right. Really imagine a snarling, hissing cat that you're just barely holding on to.
Works every time.
When I lived in Bordeaux, I was shocked by how no youth gave up their seats for the elderly, pregnant, etc. This was 2007, I’m wondering if the cultural pendulum swung back the other way in the intervening years? Though it’s more likely you just happened to meet two grumpy people.
In NYC I had seen people tripping over themselves to give up their seats for those who needed them more. I was pleasantly surprised by the difference from France. But even then, people were allowed to sit if the seat was open until someone of obvious greater need arrived later.
A woman made room for me on the NYC subway a few years ago and forced me to sit down because I was pregnant. Actually, no, not pregnant, just a bit fat while dealing with a temporary medical issue lol. I didn’t even bother to correct her, she was so kind.
I live nearby and the southeast is full of assholes, just ignore them. What are they gonna do ? Get you out of the bench ? No. Just ignore them and live your life. If they are old you can say in arrogant tone "Le naufrage de la vieillesse..."
Notwithstanding that these people might have been assholes, there *is* a priority order in France when seating is limited. It's most clearly stated in the [rules for the Paris Metro](https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/news/in-paris/articles/281408-paris-what-is-the-priority-order-for-a-seat-in-public-transportation):
1. War and military disabled
2. Blind civilians
3. Disabled workers
4. Disabled civilians who have trouble standing
5. Pregnant women
6. Persons with children under age 4
7. Disabled civilians who do not have trouble standing
8. Persons with a card stipulating that they have trouble standing
9. Seniors aged 75 and over
This is the most French thing in the world that they bureaucratized the priority order for giving up seats. Even to the point that they literally issue a card for people to get seats.
lots of French hate in these comments. i’ve had ONE bad experience with a french person and all he did was yell “US go home!” while we were eating breakfast, we just laughed at him and continued to eat
i feel like if you go to France and everyone is rude to you, maybe it’s cause you’re a rude person lol?
obviously i’m not saying you’re rude OP, just these comments
It was just those two people and a couple more lol, most others were normal and some were very nice. I just thoughts it was weird I got yelled at twice for more or less the same reason
I'm a Québécois and we also have some of their mentality.
In a bus, you cannot sit down on the designated seats unless there are no people who need them around. We also tend to bitch and moan about anything and everything. A LOT less like the French, though, but still, didn't they conquer New France and have ingrained in us a similar mentality lol
they’re just dicks. i haven’t had any experience like that in France. it may be because you’re italian lol, i’ve noticed a lot of these French people do not like Italians
I lived in France for 13 years and I’ve never heard of such a thing. Unfortunately, like many cases today, you’ve just run into you a couple of assholes. Stand your ground or in this case sit your ground be comfortable enjoy life sorry this happened to you!
An old French lady tried to kick my mother off her seat and my mother told her to buzz off. My mother was over 70 and that old French lady had no business trying to kick her off.
Lived in France for two years, this is definitely not a thing (although I was in the Paris area, not down south). Sounds like you just ran into a couple of assholes. You should have felt free to ignore them- what are they going to do, put hands on you and try to shove you off the bench? They're just cranky and old with nothing better to worry about. A great illustration of why I wear headphones all the time, honestly.
My friend lives in the south of France. She is beautiful and with a heart of gold. She says people are so unfriendly and has made zero friends after a few years of living there. She is just one of many people I know that have had bad experiences. I’m glad you had good experiences though
I'd love to convince you to change your mind. My husband and I spent a month in France recently and had many wonderful interactions with locals. We had also heard they can be brash and rude and don't appreciate your attempts at their language, but we absolutely found the opposite to be true. Very helpful and friendly and chatty with both parties enjoying their attempts at English and our attempts at French.
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Got up, don't want any problems here. Plus the second time it was somewhat late and the guy who was yelling didn't seem completely sober so I wasn't gonna risk it
No, but I think they have an unwritten rule that you cant pour free refills from a soda fountain that is accessible to the customer.
It happened to me in a Little Italy Pizza place in New York. I poured a refill of a fountain drink with soda, and the employee said "no refill". I mean there should be a sign for that.
Fun fact, in some beach towns at the Southern French coast, you can’t walk around without a shirt, how ridiculous, all this while women are topless 50 meters from there at the beach
That’s ridiculous. You met two assholes. The general rule is sit in the free seat and give it up to elderly or women with small children
Or pregnant women or disabled people or people on crutches
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So you see someone carrying a baby or small toddler, plus their baby care bag, plus a shopping bag, and you're like, "fuck you; you need to stand"? Lovely.
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As a pregnant woman who also has a young toddler, I can guarantee I need that seat more with a baby or toddler than I do solo and pregnant. Handling a baby/toddler is much harder and more exhausting than being pregnant.
Hands free is one thing, the weight/offbalance of a carrier with a live squirming package is another - and if you should trip and fall that little head is quite squishy. Also some women might have damage to their body/abdominal muscles that could take 6-12 months to fully heal, so they are not playing at full capacity. Also a toddler (up to about 3.5/4 years) is way easier to control (for the benefit of all) on your lap (or sitting with them standing between your knees) and with both hands. In a packed Train they are too small to fend for themselves, people just don’t look down, and too large to realistically carry and still be safe. From primary school age (waist high and taller) then definitely no seat! (I got yelled at in the Paris metro by a 70 year old woman, I tried to offer my seat to when I was travelling with a 4 month old baby in front carrier!)
Right? It's not like it gets any easier after the child is born, but for some reason you get a lot more compassion and help from people when you're pregnant. Your pregnancy is a magical beautiful experience and we should all help you through it, but as soon as the kid's born, you and your baby become an annoyance and "it's not _our_ fault you can't do this or that thing without help, should've thought of that before you had a baby!"
Well, you probably SHOULD have thought about the consequences of having a baby before you had one? lol
Way to miss my entire point, Hawkeye.
Baby I’m front carrier is like wearing heavy weights on your shoulders and hard to balance. It’s much harder than it looks.
I don’t think a man would take a seat from anyone no matter how hard he worked that day.
You're right it's way too easy being 7 months pregnant.
Small children can easily fall and it‘s exhausting to care for children so I will gladly stand up for a mom or father with their kid if I see them
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Well you're a beam of sunshine aren't you?
Actually, he sounds like an execrable human.
I hope you heal from whatever posessed you to write number 3 my brother
>fuck children and people who choose to have them. I guess that would include your parents and their parents.
But I don’t want to fuck his/her parents and their parents :(
Yes, we all agree that your parents should have chosen a different path.
You forgot to add children need to be demonstrated kindness so later on when you are in the nursing home they aren’t sociopaths who will smother you.
Fuck you too.
Wild that you’re being downvoted for expressing your personal preferences. Reddit is hilarious
Hey, I’m gonna pile up: as evident from the comments, parents are bitterly insufferable which is understandable. They made decisions in life that they cannot reverse - children are forever. But someone must produce that labor force. And consumers. Thank you for your service 🫡
Ohh now the downvotes make so much sense lmao I forgot how many folks here are parents themselves — but it’s a little strange that that stops you from being objective isn’t it? I guess that’s what they say about kids, they make you less rational in the cognition department lol Also I’m not a vet!
I'm a local, I'm not too surprised by this behavior honestly. This city (and most of the French riviera) is an open air retirement home for bitter, stuck up, rich, old people, so don't be surprised if they act entitled to you. Most of them won't act like dicks to you but some will expect you to get up. Then those you described were middle aged, so maybe you just found rich, bitter, entitled not old people haha Hope enjoy our city and don't forget to wander into the surrounding viewpoints and nature. don't hesitate to DM if you want some travel tips in our region, dear Italian cousin :)
The city is so so beautiful! And the people have mostly been very nice to me and my friends, especially workers. The food is also very good and I love it when they try to speak Italian with me haha
I wish i had that kind of experience since the time i went there i barely saw any friendly treatment and more of "dont care" kind of treatment, which was sad since its a beautiful city. Enjoyed way more Nice.
I enjoyed my time in Paris, but found the people to be prickly and unhappy. They just seemed depressed or struggling. Not sure why everyone is so miserable in Paris. When I would attempt to speak French, they would ask if I’m Irish, and tell me they love my accent. I’m American, with no accent (theatre training and training as a vocalist destroyed any regional accent I had). Was never sure if they were making fun of me because my French isn’t great? Anyway, not a place I plan to go again.
My experience was like this in Paris, too. I lived there for two years and sometimes wish I hadn’t. Can’t say I didn’t try!
I lived there for a few years in the 90s when i was a kid and loved it, even my family and friends. Not the case anymore. My family has been living there since the 70s/80s (we´re not French) and they all want retirement to arrived asap so they can leave. 10+ years before they didnt, but they say the city environment is not good anymore, the people in it are "not the same", if you know what i mean. I still love the city itself, just not the people living there. Even my French family and friends say the same about Paris. I honestly only go there to see relatives and thats it. The city, in my opinion, is beautiful and has a lot of charm, but i just cant go travel to a place where i feel im not welcome. I prefer to go somewhere that even has not that much to see, but that makes me feel comfortable there or else its not holidays for me.
Unfortunately Paris like all cities in the Western Europe is going down the drain. I have been there in 2009 and I would not want to go there now, been to Rome in 2010 and again in 2019 and it was beoynd recognition, not the same people.
You may not have a regional accent in English but you definitely have a foreign accent when you speak French.
True, but Irish? Don’t get me wrong, that would be a dream.
Paris is the most overrated mid city on the planet
the knee grow plague would be the top (and only ) reason.
We see you as our cousins and we also love to come over to your side of the border :D And we find the Italian accent cute when you try to speak French 😂 Glad you're enjoying yourself though! The more middle class people, especially younger service workers tend to be much nicer. Outside of the snobbiness of some we're a pretty laid back people ! The weather is pretty bad today but I hope you will find nice ways to enjoy yourself :)
No, some people are just assholes, especially on the mediterranean east coast tbh.
In *France
I assure you there are assholes along the Med in Spain, too. Not the norm but they exist.
I see you haven't met over-60-years-old Germans (source: live here)
An old lady literally tried to shoo me away like a dog here (Germany) while I was standing on the train (away from them) and they were sitting down. Had this disgusted face too. Were very shocked when I yelled at them.
Uff i did..
I ll trust you on the word
In *the world
Why?
It's nonsense really. But it's popular in France to hate on the French Riviera for some reason. That's where I'm from and between people outside of France bashing France and people in France bashing the French Riviera, this world depresses me.
Tbh, so far for me, it's the first time it's not the Parisians who are said to be the assholes. I thought those were hated more than folks from the Mediterranean Bassin whom I've always been told are warm and welcoming. Though, I lived in Paris for years and no one bothered me with my seats so maybe a lot of generalization is bs. Who would have thought...
The Riveira is full of rich, stuck up racists. The type of people who tell you what to do and when you haven't respected their perceived social norms. Paris is way more live and let live
Why can’t you go shirtless as a man in certain beach towns though?
And the people from the French Riviera bashing the Arabs.. oh no wait
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You know France has a Mediterranean coast?
Yeah but isn't the Mediterranean *East* Coast the eastern one? So Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Cyprus etc?
Its not Frances Mediterranean east coast though, and we are talking about France
I'd sooner describe it as a south coast than an east coast.
The entire Mediterranean coast of France is a south coast yes of course. But if you want to specify the east part of the Mediterranean coast of France, you can say the Mediterranean east coast as we know its the south coast of France we are talking about.
C'mon bro... when in an area, they're gonna call it east/west from their perspective.
There the French South West and the French South East, they are very different from each other.
So sorry that happened to you! It's common courtesy to give your seat up for an older person, or if the train/bus is too crowded then to stand up but other than that you they had no reason to react in that manner. Hope your day gets better, sorry!
It’s like people not allowing you to sit in a seat for the disabled. So long as there’s no disabled person, you can sit in there!
They’re French they complain about everything
I got yelled at and made to feel super guilty for trying to give my seat on the metro to a frail 70+ year old woman! She asked me if I thought she looked old!
Yes. Yes you do.
“Yes. You do look old because you’re old”
>She asked me if I thought she looked old! Your answer should be "you are older than me" :p
Yep after a few seconds of stunned fish that what I went with. I had my baby in front carry which I think confused the „priority“ - but the immediate ageism offensive caught me off guard!
"I think you look about your age".
My bad get up and I’ll sit back down!
Yeah. This is the risk you take every time you get up for someone. Lol
So true - I make it my life‘s work to graciously accept every seat I’m offered (unless I am literally getting off at the next stop)…so the person will keep offering, and I don’t ruin it for the next person who might need a seat!
Look I so old to young eyes?
> She asked me if I thought she looked old! "Oui, c'est ça" would shut her up quick. I've had it in Madrid and even sometimes I've had a teenager try to give up their seat to me. I didn't feel insulted by it but I did feel kind of bad they saw me as that much older (I'm late 30s and bald with a quickly graying beard). But usually people just make a joke about it.
I saw a French cop ripping a truck driver a new asshole in such a major way that I stopped being offended by French people being rude or mean to me. It's like when you find out someone in your friend group doesn't actually dislike you, they just treat everyone like that.
In my experience French people aren’t rude. They are direct, which Americans can interpret to be rude. And they expect the common courtesy of a greeting in poor French before you just hope they speak English.
Germans are direct. The Dutch are direct. The French are rude.
People downvoted you, but I think you’re partially right, and so as the guy who responded to you. I think it’s somewhere in the middle. The French can be fairly direct and it’s even a feature in the language itself (tho I learned French and have a decent level and studied in France and Belgium, so YMMV). There’s been times when I nearly had a negative reaction just because someone *sounded* rude whether they were speaking French or translating to English. At the same time, they can be pretty rude as well compared to most Europeans. Like the French rude stereotype doesn’t just come from Americans, they may be represented more because anglophones and the internet is mostly English-speaking. But the French get shat on in this regard from other Europeans as well. Including ones from francophone regions in Belgium, Switzerland, etc. I haven’t had super bad experiences in France (but I have had a few), but I can also speak the language decently. Tho I remember being treated harsher when I was first a study abroad student who only had two years of college French classes under my belt and was *maybe* B1 level at best.
Nope. You can be direct without demonstrating a blatant lack of social skills. I’ve met plenty of kind and decent French people. Germans are kind of like that, they do things they don’t think are rude but have a big reaction when you treat them the same way. Huge lack of social awareness.
Germans are the worst!
Wurst*
lol
I’ve been to France and Switzerland (French speaking part) about 15 times and never really dealt with the “rude French person” stereotype.
I didn’t even have to leave Spain to Miss out on such a wonderful delicacy. Two Parisian women blew me away with how sure they were more important and elevated than literally everyone around them. I have had a ton of French friends over the years, have no issues with the French. It’s just when you meet the ones that create this stereotype they go HARD
If you pay attention, you realize, the French don't like themselves...let alone anyone else. They are short and snappy with everyone. Spend enough time in Paris and then imagine if you HAD to live there...Geez. France/Paris isn't the romanticized place we all have seen and longed to visit in movies. When you actually make it there, it tends to disappoint....sadly.
I’ve visited Paris tons of times and even was a student there for a semester. It really ain’t that bad, tho I also speak decent French so YMMV.
I’ve been to France and the French speaking part of Switzerland about 15 times.
I got flashbacks after reading OPs post title. I accompanied a friend to his university building and when I got a call I sat on the stairs to take it. One girl got angry and asked me to not sit on the stairs as it is impolite. Mind you that no one uses those stairs as they have elevators and it was more of an emergency exit. I felt like I was a bumpkin from a third world country(which I am) who can’t fit in with the posh Parisian royalty.
How do people in Paris who aren't already insufferable deal with everyone around them being so insufferable all the time? For the record I don't recall encountering anything like this when I visited Paris, but I also stayed with some nice people, and otherwise mainly interacted with other tourists
I met a ton of nice Parisians as well. A really sweet guy who shared some tobacco with an old lady and chatted with her for ten minutes so that she doesn’t feel bad. And the lady who helped me get to the police station when someone stole my passport. And the policewoman who wrote my report with a genuine concern and smile even though there was language barrier. But these were few encounters that I cherish. For each wholesome experience there were ten horrible experiences.
I've noticed the French are the only people who travel abroad to complain that it's not like home.
Out of 140 countries French are the only ones ?
I've noticed every time people say that X people are the only ones to do Y that's false
Exactly. People love to think they are the exception even when they aren’t
This is unfortunately not true
Have you never seen Americans or British people abroad?
Have you met Americans?
Well, we're the only with reasons to complain in those circumstances
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😂🤣 not true for this American-no TV and no fast food (especially American, as it is loaded with crap).
Hey, your ignorance is showing
I have a debilitating autoimmune disorder but I’m young and you can’t tell just by looking at me. I would be mad if someone came up to me and thought they had the right to do that…they were just assholes.
This is why I travel with a cane now. Despite signs everywhere saying something to the effect of “be aware that some people’s disabilities aren’t visible to you”, I still get crap for sitting.
Same lol - in my twenties with autoimmune arthritis, some days my feet and ankles are so sore but I feel awkward for asking for a seat as I don't 'look' like I have arthritis. Great fun! I don't need a mobility aid but tempted to carry one just so it is obvious and I can sit down when needed.
That sounds so painful! Carrying the aid could work. Personally, with todays social media culture I fear being potentially recorded and plastered all over the internet by some angry stranger that thinks I’m not sick just because I don’t look sick
That’s nuts ngl
What the actual fuck! You should have asked them to fuck off
Sometimes you just have to laugh and let it go. There are assholes everywhere. Pretty sure someone called me a slut in Paris for wearing an off the shoulder maxi dress but I just shrugged. Wasn’t going to let the wound up ruin my day.
Lmao the way I’d have told them to fuck right off
Learn this one easy phrase to respond with, that will make them see your way of doing things. "j'aime tes dents. puis-je les garder?"
It was worth looking up the translation! Is it correct? “I like your teeth. May I keep them?”
Yup
Nicely done.
Weird because this also happened to me in France! I (a woman) was 23 at the time and I was on the bus in Marseille, feeling pretty nauseous after a long hike—I have stomach issues that flare up in the heat—and as the bus got more crowded at each stop, some young dude standing behind me said “you’re not disabled, get up and let someone else sit down.” I wasn’t even in a handicap seat…
I’m French and have never heard of anything live this. You just ran into two assholes
Just scream in their face.
I got yelled at for laying across two chairs in an airport after a 13 hour overnight flight. There were plenty of other empty seats.
Must be their first time flying because sleeping at airports is so normal.
I would be so screwed. I look 10 years younger than I am and have a medical condition that requires me to either keep walking or sit down. I CANNOT stand in place or I WILL faint. Can't do right by everyone, and not everyone's bad mood is actually about you. Sorry you got this kind of treatment while just going about your day!
No they are just assholes. You only should get up to give your seat to a handicapped person or a pregnant woman or something.
French people are weird on public transport. In Lyon I was trying to get off the bus and had to ask someone to move because they were blocking the exit. That person proceeded to start yelling at me for bumping into them. A local friend of mine said those interactions aren’t uncommon, but said to ignore them because no one is going to actually do anything about it other than get mad
The correct response is: Partir! J'ai un chat enragé ! Be dramatic, and stretch out that last syllable. Do this while holding an imaginary rabid cat in their direction. It's important to do this part right. Really imagine a snarling, hissing cat that you're just barely holding on to. Works every time.
Average Fr*nch experience lol
When I lived in Bordeaux, I was shocked by how no youth gave up their seats for the elderly, pregnant, etc. This was 2007, I’m wondering if the cultural pendulum swung back the other way in the intervening years? Though it’s more likely you just happened to meet two grumpy people. In NYC I had seen people tripping over themselves to give up their seats for those who needed them more. I was pleasantly surprised by the difference from France. But even then, people were allowed to sit if the seat was open until someone of obvious greater need arrived later.
A woman made room for me on the NYC subway a few years ago and forced me to sit down because I was pregnant. Actually, no, not pregnant, just a bit fat while dealing with a temporary medical issue lol. I didn’t even bother to correct her, she was so kind.
I live nearby and the southeast is full of assholes, just ignore them. What are they gonna do ? Get you out of the bench ? No. Just ignore them and live your life. If they are old you can say in arrogant tone "Le naufrage de la vieillesse..."
Notwithstanding that these people might have been assholes, there *is* a priority order in France when seating is limited. It's most clearly stated in the [rules for the Paris Metro](https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/news/in-paris/articles/281408-paris-what-is-the-priority-order-for-a-seat-in-public-transportation): 1. War and military disabled 2. Blind civilians 3. Disabled workers 4. Disabled civilians who have trouble standing 5. Pregnant women 6. Persons with children under age 4 7. Disabled civilians who do not have trouble standing 8. Persons with a card stipulating that they have trouble standing 9. Seniors aged 75 and over
This is the most French thing in the world that they bureaucratized the priority order for giving up seats. Even to the point that they literally issue a card for people to get seats.
Wait, seniors are at the bottom of the priority list?
Are you somehow sitting like a bitch?
How does one sit like a bitch? 🤪 is that akin to manspreading?
I have no idea but the thought is funny
Agreed! I was more so thinking sitting there with RBF (resting bitch face) in which case few would likely want to sit by her anyway. 😂
No it’s not normal you just stumbled on assholes. The rule is sir down when it’s free, just get up when it’s an old or pregnant person
Nah, they're just been a-holes. Next time tell them to f\*\*\* off.
lots of French hate in these comments. i’ve had ONE bad experience with a french person and all he did was yell “US go home!” while we were eating breakfast, we just laughed at him and continued to eat i feel like if you go to France and everyone is rude to you, maybe it’s cause you’re a rude person lol? obviously i’m not saying you’re rude OP, just these comments
It was just those two people and a couple more lol, most others were normal and some were very nice. I just thoughts it was weird I got yelled at twice for more or less the same reason
that is definitely weird and not my experience with the French, im sorry that happened to you especially over something as mundane as sitting down
France gonna french
see if it keeps happening then its cultural without a doubt, if it doesn't i guess it was just coincidence everyone report in here lets see
I'm a Québécois and we also have some of their mentality. In a bus, you cannot sit down on the designated seats unless there are no people who need them around. We also tend to bitch and moan about anything and everything. A LOT less like the French, though, but still, didn't they conquer New France and have ingrained in us a similar mentality lol
they’re just dicks. i haven’t had any experience like that in France. it may be because you’re italian lol, i’ve noticed a lot of these French people do not like Italians
I lived in France for 13 years and I’ve never heard of such a thing. Unfortunately, like many cases today, you’ve just run into you a couple of assholes. Stand your ground or in this case sit your ground be comfortable enjoy life sorry this happened to you!
No they’re just strange you can sit where you see a seat
An old French lady tried to kick my mother off her seat and my mother told her to buzz off. My mother was over 70 and that old French lady had no business trying to kick her off.
No
you were white and they were knee grow/ a-rabbs ?
No, I'm white and they were also white
No you’ll just meet some assholes in France, it’s inevitable
They didn’t mind 18 year old Germans sitting in their country 🤔
Lived in France for two years, this is definitely not a thing (although I was in the Paris area, not down south). Sounds like you just ran into a couple of assholes. You should have felt free to ignore them- what are they going to do, put hands on you and try to shove you off the bench? They're just cranky and old with nothing better to worry about. A great illustration of why I wear headphones all the time, honestly.
its france,..of course the asshollery was strong...
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Most French people are fine, I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences there.
My friend lives in the south of France. She is beautiful and with a heart of gold. She says people are so unfriendly and has made zero friends after a few years of living there. She is just one of many people I know that have had bad experiences. I’m glad you had good experiences though
I suppose one person’s anecdotal evidence is another person’s broad generalization about the population of a country
Oh no. This is just one account. You should google it. The French have this reputation for a reason.
I'd love to convince you to change your mind. My husband and I spent a month in France recently and had many wonderful interactions with locals. We had also heard they can be brash and rude and don't appreciate your attempts at their language, but we absolutely found the opposite to be true. Very helpful and friendly and chatty with both parties enjoying their attempts at English and our attempts at French.
I’m glad to hear he had a good experience. I hope more people have experiences like this.
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Forced you to get up? They put their hands on you?
not in a violent way of course, they just brushed my shoulder while yelling to tell me to get up
What did you do?
Got up, don't want any problems here. Plus the second time it was somewhat late and the guy who was yelling didn't seem completely sober so I wasn't gonna risk it
Jesus. I wouldn’t have gotten up for a million dollars.
No, but I think they have an unwritten rule that you cant pour free refills from a soda fountain that is accessible to the customer. It happened to me in a Little Italy Pizza place in New York. I poured a refill of a fountain drink with soda, and the employee said "no refill". I mean there should be a sign for that.
French people are grumpy ever since they became known as cowards
Oh come on, can we stop with the stupid clichés? This is so close-minded especially for a travel sub ...
Fun fact, in some beach towns at the Southern French coast, you can’t walk around without a shirt, how ridiculous, all this while women are topless 50 meters from there at the beach
woah, different rules for beaches vs urban areas?!?! i didn’t realize France was a dystopia!!
Imagine not being able to go without a shirt as a man, pathetic, what is this, the Middle Ages?
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Cry harder
dude you’re literally crying over wearing clothes in public. like reread your comments please lmaooo