Very bad experiences with the French

• Those of us who have had bad experiences with the French are obviously not alone and we must remember not to take it personally nor let it ruin our day or attitudes toward others by considering the source...just like when you get a compliment from someone whose opinion you don't respect anyway, you don't take the compliment seriously, do you? Well, this is the opposite, but with the same meaning. If a person from a culture that is known to be miserable and classist is rude to you, take it for what it is, a result of their prejudice and misery and be proud and happy that you are not like them. It is true that every culture has rude people, but the French more often make it a point to be rude and cruel. From all of my experiences with French people, I have found that it is more the norm to be this way and kindness is the exception. I have heard that it is particularly the Parisians that are rude and when I think about it, that is who I have been most often exposed to, so this may be true and other French people may just be getting a bad name as a result of the Parisians. I know their attitude toward me is not the result of anything I have done to deserve it and that is where it is WRONG. No, I don't speak French fluently, but I am pleasant and make an effort. From the bottom of my heart, I know that in the reverse situation, where a foreigner would be in the USA without being able to speak English, MOST Americans would be kind and friendly and go out of our way to help. We certainly would not go out of our way to be rude, because we are not generally unhappy, nor without true pride, nor jealous. It would be the exception that a visitor to the USA who does not speak English would be made to suffer by cruelty being inflicted on them. The rule would be to treat them with the same respect we have for ourselves and our own people. This is where the BIG difference really is. The rudeness and cruelty that the French (or perhaps just the Parisians)inflict on others is a result of their inferiority complex and lack of respect for themselves and other humans. Think about it, if you lived amongst a bunch of miserable, rude people, you would be getting treated that way every day yourself and it would be normal behavior to then treat others this way. Honestly, the French have my pity, I feel sorry for people that are that deeply unhappy.

  JT 12 Apr 2008, 05:37 - Report

French people are rude?