Please be honest. Have you been treated rudely in Paris? Because I haven’t. No one (with the exception of my non-French travelling companions) has ever been rude to me anywhere in France.
Your experience might be different – but are the French really any ruder than anyone else on the planet? Or is French arrogance an unsubstantiated global myth? I say it is. But an acquaintance, recently returned from about five minutes in the place (okay, 24 hours), disagrees – vehemently. This is so predictable and so very boring. I can’t even be bothered arguing about it.
Photo by Photofusion
I am therefore delighted to announce that, contrary to popular opinion, the French are not the rudest nation in the world. Parisians are politer than residents of Sydney, and as polite as Londoners. They’re politer than the Thais in Bangkok, the Dutch in Amsterdam, the Russians in Moscow (no surprises there!) and – surprises here though – considerably more courteous than the Singaporeans. The world’s rudest city is Mumbai, second rudest is Bucharest; third rudest is Kuala Lumpur.
Photo by Angellote
On what do I base these seemingly wild claims? A survey of 35 cities by Reader’s Digest. Somewhat surprisingly, New York comes out tops, Zurich second, Toronto third, with Berlin, Sao Paolo and – of all places, Zagreb, fourth equal. I experienced extreme rudeness and supreme arrogance in Zagreb, but that was a few years ago. Times have obviously changed.
Anyway, next time you hear a Francophobe dissing the French, you can set the record straight. And if you’re going to Paris for the first time, please don’t do so with your mind made up. Because you could be in for a rude awakening. You might just find that Parisians are polite...especially if you can dredge up a word or two of their language.
PS. Okay, the French have their impolite moments. But they’re the first to admit it. This is absolutely true. And vive la difference!
Photo by malia