Sensitive topic

I will be going to Paris for the first time in the spring. I know how French (or at least their press) regard the US (or more specifically, US foreign policy and culture). Is %26quot;anti-Americanism%26quot; evident in day-to-day encounters? The reason I am nervous is that I was in Benin (a Francophone) country last year and felt very awkward when the French I encountered were very vocal in their opinions. I am your basic Berkelely liberal so while I felt some sympathy towards their views , it definitely soured my visit. Am I nuts to be concerned about Paris? I want my first visit to be as delightful as the ones I read about in TA. Thanks

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We were there as recently as July and not once did anyone bring up politics, policy or culture to us. In fairness, we were just going about our business as tourists, and not engaging in lengthy or %26quot;deep%26quot; conversations with locals, but I wouldn%26#39;t worry at all. Unless you bring it up -- either as a topic of conversation, or even as a tangent, I don%26#39;t think anyone will pay any attention to your nationality other than asking if you%26#39;re American. We were asked that a few times, but it was just to satisfy their curiousity. It was always in a friendly and polite way and usually with a smile.

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You have nothing to worry about. French people have a long and hard won, shared history with the US that goes back centuries and in all the years we%26#39;ve been coming to/living in France, we%26#39;ve always been treated with the greatest of respect, probably more than we deserve given our slow progress with the language.

Put this out of your mind. It will not be an issue if you learn the basics; please, thank you, good day, good evening, etc. The stuff you%26#39;d expect from foreign visitors in your city.

There is little %26quot;anti-americanism%26quot; among French people in general. Again, we%26#39;ve never encountered it and we live here.

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thanks for reassurance, everyone!

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Don%26#39;t sweat it! We were there last month and never encountered ANYTHING that could be construed as anti-Americanism. Of course, we didn%26#39;t really chat up the locals. Our conversations were usually pleasantries and didn%26#39;t extend beyond that. We used French when appropriate and were always easygoing, polite and pleasant (except with the rude tour guide in the Louvre who asked us to move out of her and her group%26#39;s way - ha ha).

But that had nothing to do with anything...she was just rude.

Don%26#39;t go there expecting anything negative to happen. However, if it should, brush it off and go about the business that you came to Paris for....enjoying the most beautiful of cities!

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We were in Paris in May %26#39;04, and I am going again in a few weeks. Further, I work for a very large French bank here in NYC.

I think the French are quite fond of Americans--they just don%26#39;t like George Bush and the filth that report to him. That%26#39;s fine with me--I pretty much feel the same way.

I%26#39;ve never encountered anti-American hostility in Europe, and don%26#39;t expect to this time around, either.

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Yes, you are nuts to worry about Paris.

Just back several weeks ago from my 5th

trip to Paris and never have had a problem.

If you want to get in a discussion about

politics, they can more than hold their own.

ps. I did my graduate work at Cal and

lived in Berkeley.

You will love it in Paris. The people

watching is on par with Berkeley too.

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Actually, if you support George Bush and hold your own, they usually don%26#39;t have a problem. Expect a very lively discussion though. On the other hand, if you%26#39;re bigot%26#39;d enough to say that any group of people is %26quot;filth,%26quot; whether you hate Bush or not, you%26#39;ll have a problem, and rightly so.

Yes. Paris is safe.

If Benin is anything like Nigeria, you can get some interesting things occurring.

For a new twist to this topic, here%26#39;s some excerpts from one Nigerian thread (Why do people travel to these places?)...

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g304026-i9116-k189…

“Travelling inside Nigeria is done mainly by air, since there are no trains and roads are in extremely poor condition and with Police extortion checkpoint every now and then. Taxis are most of them 25 years old, no a/c and I will not recommend to hire one. Meet and Greet at the airport is highly advisable.

Crime is rampant (70% of unemployment) and those employed get an average of $80 a month. Expatriates normally live in totally enclosed compounds with security and go to the Airport in armoured cars with Police escort.

Hotels are extremely expensive and the quality is poor. For a 4 star Hotel in Lagos (equivalent to 3 in the rest of the civilized world) be prepared to pay more than $300/night)

Electricity is totally unreliable. Tap water cannot be drunk. There is not garbage collection, therefore people throw the garbage everywhere. Malaria is a real danger and you need to take preventative medication if on a short visit. The funny thing is that the medication affects your liver. Funny, isn%26#39;t it?

What is good about Nigeria? Of course the Nigerians. Most of them are very happy people although living in a hellhole.”

“It can be as dangerous as any western country you go to, however they dont have the senseless killings we have in UK.”

“whats the difference between a senseless killing and a killing?”

“I think the difference btw a senseless killing and killing is that whereas we have people runnung aroud killing just for the pleasure of it which occurs a lot in western countries, we might say that the idiots in Nigeria we might say kill in order to survive”

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Forget Paris.....I%26#39;m booking my next trip to Nigeria!! Can you imagine the treatment you%26#39;d get at one of THEIR airports?

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I was in Paris last year just after the disaster known as the 2004 Presidential election. The cincierge at our hotel said everyone he knew in France was simply perplexed that Bush had not been re-defeated. He said he felt sympathy for us citizens, not anger or disdain.

Also. I think Parisians obviously know that any visiting Americans are not Freedom Fries yahoos.

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I just returned from Paris 10 days ago. We did not encounter any anti-American sentiment. In fact, I don%26#39;t recall any rude French people at all. Everyone was very polite - even the waiters!

My husband got into a lengthy political discussion with the desk clerk at our hotel (which made me nervous at first). My husband is a HUGE Bush supporter, and the desk clerk was totally Anti-Bush BUT told my husband how lucky he thought we were to live in America and it is his dream one day to return to and live in the %26quot;best country in the world.%26quot; (he lived in the US for a few years before moving to France) In all fairness, the desk clerk was not French, he was Romanian. But still. It was nice to hear.

I guess the point here is - if you don%26#39;t want to hear anti-Americanism, don%26#39;t risk it by getting into political discussions. You are supposed to be on vacation remember?? Just relax and enjoy yourself. Greet everyone in the shops and restaurants with %26quot;Bonjour%26quot; and don%26#39;t forget to say %26quot;Merci%26quot;. You will be fine. :)