joakes
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And BTW, don't judge all French by Parisiens (where i live we think they are aweful people). Some of us are ok !!!
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Paris is NOT the best of France. And don't get me started on Paris taxi drivers ...................
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Cheers,
Jerry

Other than companies blatantly stealing pay from employees, I would say that Parisians are OK from a long distance, but smelly up close when they have to take their coffee break and get paid for it!
 
Don't get me started on the French, other than music! My sister is still there in Paris, and she talks of it just like "Irreversible", when it comes to jobs and stealing and the government stealing from your pension/retirement!

do we need a diplomat here???
 
 

Moshkiae

joakes
...
And BTW, don't judge all French by Parisiens (where i live we think they are aweful people). Some of us are ok !!!
...
Paris is NOT the best of France. And don't get me started on Paris taxi drivers ...................
...
Cheers,
Jerry

Other than companies blatantly stealing pay from employees, I would say that Parisians are OK from a long distance, but smelly up close when they have to take their coffee break and get paid for it!
 
Don't get me started on the French, other than music! My sister is still there in Paris, and she talks of it just like "Irreversible", when it comes to jobs and stealing and the government stealing from your pension/retirement!

Your ignorence is incredible and shows how biaised you can be.

So you're saying US companies don't steal pay ? LOL - I though ALL companies did that.

When you know what you're talking about PM me and we can discuss further.

Adieu mon ami,
J

Wow, didn't mean to start an international incident ... good thing I didn't mention the Dutch.

SteveStrummerUK
 
I remember being taught that using the two fingered 'V-sign' as an insulting gesture had its origins back in the wars between England and France.
 
The Weapon of Mass Destruction of the day was the longbow, and all able-bodied Englishmen were required by law to practise using one at least once a week in peace-time.
 
English archers taken prisoner by the French suffered the amputation of the index and second fingers from the hand they drew the bow with to prevent them from ever being able to use one again.
 
Hence Englishmen who had never been captured would use the V-sign to taunt their French opposition and show they were able to draw and fire the longbow.

I don't mean to be critical of British customs and etiquette but it just seems like there is an awful lot of baggage and history associated with just giving somebody the finger(s).

I was in Paris last week and the Parisiens were friendly and helpful.  I tried in french at first and invariably I was answered in English.
 
I was Paris in the early 80's the last time and there was a lot less English spoken.  There is way more English spoken today it seems, this is not a good thing IMHO.
 
Paris is a beautiful city and if I could I would live there for a year.

sharke
The v-sign is hugely outdated. Nowadays if you want to signal disrespect to someone with your hands in Britain, you have to position your hand as if you were holding a can of Coke, then rotate the wrist up and down along its x-axis.

Is this to indicate that if you had a can of Coke ... you would shake it and spray it on them?  Please clarify.

I haven't been to Britain or France, though I would love to visit there.. in that order. I have been to Germany and found the German people to be very efficient and orderly. Just don't try to strike up a conversation with or smile at a stranger... they don't get that. Most of the southern US is od Scotch/Irish heritage and people (not in the cities bt in rural areas) routinely wave at anyone anywhere, driving down the road, anywhere. My daughter who lives in Germany visited Ireland and said the Irish are just like that... she also noted that you don't smile at strangers in Germany, they think it has some deeper meaning... LOL.
As for the French, you know of course that when the US entered WW II in North Africa they first had to fight the French... really. It makes some sense if you look at it in a really twisted way.
I've always heard that the people of Paris have a disdain for Americans or any other people for that matter but that the rural people are very nice. It is probably the same everywhere.
I think there is a more pressure to be sociable in a rural area where everyone knows everyone else or might. In a big city, you can go to a store everyday and never see the same person twice so there is little pressure to be social or to treat people with respect.
Surely the French have earned a little of it but I really think it is more of a big city thing than anything else.
I could be wrong... like I said, I have not been there. Britain will be first however!
 
J