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by sdsd 1040 days ago
>don't go to Y they don't like Americans

As an American, this has been my experience with French people. Everyone tells me how rude they are, and how they dislike Americans. Meanwhile, I've met a ton of French people and they have all been absolutely wonderful, polite, and totally friendly.

Actually, I brought this up the first time I met two Frenchmen when I was 19 in NYC. They were tourists and I was surprised and mentioned that I was under the impression that French people disliked Americans, and they said "No, we love them! Just maybe in Paris, you will not like it, but the rest of France is much better!"

Idk what to take from that, but the point is, French people are great ime.

3 comments

Part of it is that many Americans really are obnoxious as tourists and with a big population that can afford to travel we are sending a lot of those obnoxious people around the world.

If you make some effort to learn the basics of the language and blend in to the existing vibe rather than acting like you're on spring break in Daytona Beach, mostly people will realize you're not one of those Americans and you won't have any problem.

This is a good point. I bet it's much more that locals are tired of obnoxious tourists, and not tourists in general or tourists from any particular country.
I've never had any issue with anyone, French or otherwise, in Paris as a tourist, so I'm not sure where it comes from. I can only assume it's people who treat Paris as if it were some funny form of a US Walmart.
I've heard many places still remember (at least generational memory) of America liberating France from the Nazis.