Why Parisians Are The Rudest People In The World

I lived in Paris for a few years when I was 20 years old. Growing up in the French countryside, I dreamed, like all country people, of living in the capital of France. The romantic city, with majestic monuments, where you never get bored as long as you have money to spend. I didn’t idolize Paris so much because in France, too, Parisians are considered to be rude. And living in Paris, I immediately understood that this is not a stereotype but the truth. Parisians are the worst people in the world.

How Parisians live

If you want to see an authentic Parisian life, take these trains at rush hour: the Metro 1 and the RER A. These are the two lines that most Parisians take to get to work (FYI, their destination is called La Défense). I worked there for six months as an intern, and taking the metro and getting there every day was chaotic. The scene always reminds me of the beginning of Steve Cutts's short movie, with the rats taking the metro packed to the brim with Parisians.

I know that this is one of the problems of metropolises where everyone leaves for work at the same time. But what makes Paris worse than any other major city, from my point of view, is the tension among the passengers. If you are interested in discovering French swear words, the platform of the train station at rush hour is the ideal scenario to improve your practical French. Parisians allow themselves to be insulted since few people respect the rules. People who want to get in leave a second for passengers to get out, and instantly after, everyone rushes to push each other to be the first to enter. The concept of queuing at the station does not exist in France. Of course, because of the lack of respect for one another, the insults get worse. I’m still surprised that there are no reported injuries every day.

The difference between a Parisian and a normal person

Paris is really nice to walk around, especially in the Parks and along the Seine with the charming and elegant view of the city. I often prefer to walk rather than take the metro because I enjoy walking around Paris when I have time.

There are beautiful alleys, where sometimes the crosswalks are very tight. When you see someone coming towards you in these tight passages, it is one of the best moments to guess if the person in front of you is a Parisian or a tourist. Tourists will see you and will try to make space for you to pass by. If you are the first to move, they will flash you a smile or thank you. Whereas if you have a Parisian in front of you, he or she will walk straight ahead as if they don’t even see you. They will do anything to ignore your presence. They will even bump into you without uttering a simple “pardon”. They see you as a Parisian pigeon. These encounters are small things, but it’s never pleasant and doesn’t add to the charm of the city. The architecture, history, and cuisine of the city of Paris are all spectacular. Unfortunately, Parisians don’t do much to add to the city's charm with their lack of manners.

Why are Parisians like this?

I understand why they act the way they do, not considering other people as humans, being bad-tempered, and serving customers poorly. Life in Paris is suffocating. There are many factors that make them physically and mentally tired. There are many Parisians who do not respect the common rules, like letting others pass, thinking about a good experience for customers, and picking up their dog’s poop. You might think I’m joking about the dog poop comment because it seems so ridiculous. As crazy as it may seem, the city of Paris has a real problem with dog poop because Parisians have such little respect for others that they won’t even pick up after their dogs! Therefore, you always have to be on the lookout even though you’re trying to appreciate the architecture of the city.

Generally speaking, French people focus a lot on problems rather than on the luck and opportunity that are available to them. This is part of French culture, where complaining is one of the topics of discussion that every French person appreciates and participates in. The French also blame a lot. And Parisians are no exception. Paris is the heart of France, where the major events of demonstrations are organized. It’s the busiest city in the country. And with the blame mentality, individuals tend to see only problems, only negatives.

This perception seems childish and futile, but I believe that the reason why Parisians are actually rude is as simple and ridiculous as I explained. Personal development is something that we don’t learn about in France, we would rather focus on Philosophy and knowledge because we believe that it is the only way to become un vrai Français. Therefore French people would work on their culture générale (common knowledge) rather than on their inner self-development. You can’t even find many self-help books in bookstores in Paris. When living in the U.S., I was so surprised to find out how Americans are interested in personal development and psychology. Though Parisians are quick to dismiss it, I think this interest in personal development would greatly benefit them.

How to change and make things better

In Paris, there is a very unhealthy way of life that I see evolving in the wrong direction, and it’s making the city of Paris less charming. I think this mentality exists in many metropolises, but I sincerely didn’t feel the same while living in Tokyo, which is the most populated city in the world. Parisians have a mentality that is eating away at their mental health and the city itself. I hope that one day, Parisians will be more proud of themselves and see the positive aspects of Parisian life so that Paris becomes the real pride of all French people. Because there are good things about Paris! For example, Parisians are sincerely some of the most fashionable people with strong spirits.

I must add that I don’t hate Parisians. I wrote this article because I love Paris, and I am proud of the place where I grew up. I truly believe there isn’t a city more beautiful and elegant than Paris, and it makes sense that it is the most visited city in the world. It must be said that to live in Paris, one has to commit to keeping a strong and healthy mentality in order not to be influenced by the negative aspects of life there. If each individual focuses on finding positive aspects of life, I am sure that these negative parts of Parisian life will subside.

I see hope in Parisians. I dream about Parisians being proud of all the tourists visiting their hometown instead of being annoyed by the crowds. I hope to see in the future Parisians helping tourists who are looking for Notre Dame instead of pretending that they don’t speak English and ignoring them. Every time I go back to Paris, I enjoy counting the red berets that tourists wear. I take time to take pictures of people when they ask me. I choose to laugh when, on rainy days, Parisians bulldoze me and hit my head with their umbrellas instead of simply creating a bit of space to let me pass by. I laugh and choose to fully enjoy my time in Paris, the city of lights.