THE TRUTH ABOUT FRENCH PEOPLE | French Stereotypes || FOREIGN REACTS

[@KyrilPG]

A few explanations : 1) Religion France is strongly secular since the very early years of the 20th century. It's strictly forbidden to exhibit religious symbols in schools, public administrations, civil duty, etc. So for example, a Sikhs policeman wearing a turban like in the UK would be absolutely impossible in France. Every mention of religion in school must be done as an outside depiction like an history lesson and cannot promote a religion. Any kind of religious proselytism in school can get you fired in a minute. In private schools, kids can refuse to attend Sunday school without prejudice, no one can force them. You can wear a religious symbol in public *places* however. But conspicuously praying in a public place like a street is technically forbidden. Politicians tend to hide it or at least to keep their religious beliefs private whereas they often publicly claim atheism. An elected official like the president can attend to a religious ceremony as a public figure but there are rules about this. In France religions are seen as a private matter that can become dangerous in the political domain so there are strict boundaries. Criticism and mockery of religion is allowed, you can spit and trample on a religion all you want (as long as it doesn't fall into the hate speech category). What is not allowed is to target people of a particular faith. In short : blasphemy is ok, hate speech is not. 2) Peeing in public Apart from drunken guys and college kids around bars, it's a lot overblown compared to reality. At least in cities. I'd say it's more of a European thing than a French one. I haven't seen more public urination in France than in Spain, Italy, Belgium and certainly not more than in the UK at pubs' closing time. 3) Taxes The tax she mentions "taxe d'habitation", has been suppressed recently. There are quite a high level of taxation but it is on par with Northern Europe levels and you get a strong and supportive safety net : healthcare (70 to 100% coverage, more than 12 million people are covered 100% and there are quite low caps of max spending), unemployment insurance, family benefits, low symbolic tuition for universities, public transportation and services, etc. As with much of Western Europe, people are more protected and have access to more services than in the US. And keep in mind that the lower taxes in the US are fairly recent. In mid 20th century the US had some of the highest taxation in the world with levels above 80%. In France, most of the taxation comes before you receive your paycheck. So, what you have to personally pay in taxes is smaller than what you actually bring to the public finances. Your employer is the one that spends the most, for healthcare, pensions, etc.

[@foreignreacts]

Thank you so much for the explanation I really appreciate it!

[@noefillon1749]

I would add that taxes like "taxe d'habitation" (which doesn't exist anymore) or "taxe foncière" (which is paid by the landowner) are local taxes that go to the local administration (companies pay other local special taxes if there is public transport in the city etc.). Their rate then depends on the city you live in and how they want to manage their land. The national taxes, financing unemployment insurance, healthcare, schools, universities, local state administrations etc... are mainly payed by the employer ("cotisation sociales"...) but also by the people, mainly via VAT (taxes on sold products, which is the tax that makes the most money for the State but is considered the least fair as the rate is the same for everyone, rich or poor) and income tax (whose marginal rate increases when you earn more).

[@mayfielcl]

T’as trop bien expliqué !!

[@KyrilPG]

@@mayfielcl Merci :-)

[@jossylove]

Well said

[@francisexbrayat1458]

You misunderstand the separation of church and state. You can absolutely wear a cross or a religious symbol, but only privately! Which means, not during duty if you're a civil servant or a cop or a teacher, it must not be seen. if you have a cross, you just put it under your shirt and that's fine.

[@chubbymoth5810]

There won't crosses and Jesus pictures ganging from the walls in public buildings. There are no oaths involving invisible friends of some kind. My invisible friend tells me he has an issues with yours perhaps, so let's keep them out of the discussion.

[@geladice4755]

Yeah that's why a lot of French dislikes muslims religion : the women are forced to wear clothes to hide themselfs, they are not allowed to show their hair...

[@zefyrisd69]

On the subject of secularity, a major problem comes from something that is... lost in translation. The French concept of separation between the State and religion is called in France "Laïcité" or "Laic" for the adjective. Meanwhile, in English, it's as you know, called "Secularity"/"Secular". So in a conversation between a French and American on this subject, the two will use those two words as if they mean the same... The problem is, they don't. The concept is fundamentally different and Laic shouldn't be translated as "Secular", while "Secular" shouldn't be translated as "Laic". The USA for example, or most secular countries in the world, are NOT "laic", and it's not close at all. So you'll get that weird qui pro quo when speaking with a French about it where he'll point out that "your country isn't secular" because he's using the definition of "laic" instead. I've followed conferences on this subject held by state authorities on this matter and they usually try to avoid the confusion by adding "american" and "french" in front of laïcité/secularity so that we know which definition to use. "Laic" separate your life in 3 "areas". Public, private, and civil. This separation is fundamental and religion can only dictate the way you live inside the private sphere of your life only. In the civil sphere, meaning non state related person to person relations, you are allowed to show your religion, but this gives you no right to ignore the law, and showing your religion must no go overboard. Wearing a religious symbol for example is 100% acceptable and allowed. In the public sphere however (school, political /state matters, etc), it will NOT be allowed to show any religion allegiance. Furthermore, there is like I said, no special treatment for any religion. This means that it's perfectly acceptable to caricature any single religious figure if you want to, as part of your freedom of expression, and the freedom of press as well. During the crisis of the Mahomet caricatures a few years ago, this is something that the US had a major problem understanding. Laic is not just freedom of religion, it is freedom FROM religion as well, as in, religion cannot dictate any law. The state cannot fund any religion in any way or form, French agent of the state are not allowed in any way or form to involve their religion in any matter of the state (mentions of God like American politics often do would be a huge NO NO here). French citizens are very fond of the "laic" aspect of the French state, and will easily offended/angry at anyone suggesting to infringe on it to "favorise" any religion. Even most French religious peoples would look at a politician funny if he even dared to mention God in any official speech, in a true "wtf is this guy doing" kind of moment. tl;dr there's a major disconnection between French citizens and other secular countries citizens when it comes to laic/secular concept. They sound similar but are fundamentally different, and because they are usually wrongly used as a translation for one another, this leads to major confusions and misunderstanding on that point between French and non French peoples. As for the peeing part, it's only done by rude peoples lacking manners. They're facing the wall usually in places where anyone else can't see their junk, but they'll indeed to that. And it's super annoying to the rest of the population, as you can imagine.

[@christianc9894]

Rosie knows France very well and what she says is true, but she has a Parisian and urban view. Things are different in the provinces, in the countryside.

[@laurabel1724]

We have that funny saying in France : religion is like sex life, it should remains private. That doesn't mean you can't have a religion it's just means that you shouldn't impose your religion to other, because no religion is above an other and especially not above the State and the Law. We have a tumultuous past with religion and that's why we decide to break appart from it (on a state pov), proselytism isn't tolerated because it tend to manipulate people in a religious or a political way. But freedom of religion doesn't mean you can do what you want. Every citizens are equal in their rights and duties but for that you're a citizen first and then you're an individual person.

[@korrigan6698]

we pay a lot of taxes which finance a lot of things: infrastructure (they are quite good in france), unemployment benefit, housing benefit (help to pay the rent), health, family allowance (help for large families or poor families), RSA ( help for people with no income)...the list is very long but this is called solidarity and it's very good. read the suit personally I had cancer, fully covered by social security (zero to pay) and during my sick leave, my salary was paid by social security. Following this illness, I am disabled and unable to work: I am entitled to a disability pension paid by social security, a disabled adult allowance (share) and a housing allowance. and all my health care regarding my disability is 100% supported.

[@zorglub20770]

in 50 years in France I maybe saw 3 or 4 guys trying to hide to pee. So I do not know in what neighborhood she lives tbh. And those are mostly homeless people.

[@maelgank6046]

can be drunk people too .

[@zorglub20770]

@@maelgank6046 true

[@quentin6893]

I think it is referring to the smell in public transports like in the metro, even though it is mostly in Île de France.

[@jean-noelthomas]

In Paris. Lot of people do that because.. they used to do that in their original country. And because free to pay "Vespasiennes" disappeared from Paris streets. Désolé je suis français.. et en effet j'ai vécu la moitié de ma vie en métropole et si ça sent la pisse, c'est que cette "culture" vient d'ailleurs.

[@jean-noelthomas]

@@quentin6893 Second souci avec le métro: la proximité des égoûts... Et les fuites..

[@giniemery8022]

It always bothers me to hear "France this, France that..." It's not "France", it's "some places in France". People don't openly pee in the streets unless it's the middle of the night and they're drunk. Actually there is a 35€ fine if you're caught doing it. And if you go to a lot of places you'll see in the streets there are poop bags dispensers. And again, if you're caught not picking your dog poop up, it's 135€. It's not like it's commonly accepted, it's just that some people still don't want to make the effort.

[@EthanWake]

Video about French people ? No ! It's a video about Parisians ! Anywhere else in France, beside some dummies or drunk people, nobody pee in the streets ! If we pee outside, it will be alongside side some country road or in the forest. I do not take a video about France seriously when it only speaks about Paris, because Paris is not France ! And I would say, that most of the time, the people peeing in the streets, are "non-French". South America ? I don't think that an insane part of French care much about South American countries 🤷🏻‍♂ French food is bland ? coming from Americans or British is like if a snail is saying that a horse is slow 🤣 French food is far from being bland ! What have you tasted from French cuisine to say that ?! Every traditional french dish is rich in flavours ! Cassoulet, Coq au vin, Bouillabaisse, Escargot au beurre persillé, Grenouille à la persillade, Poulet de Bresse à la crème, and many more are full of flavours ! Do not talk about "flavour" if you are just talking about "spices" ! Traditional french cuisine do not use a lot of spices, except pepper et some herbs and some soft spices. We do not produce hot spices or red or green chilis, our land can't produce the same chilis than South America, Africa or Asia, that's why we use black pepper in everything. And that's why we have the best cuisine, we've searched a long time to perfect every dish and to have insane flavours with just a bit of spices. Putting layers and layers of spices is just a way to say that you can't cook properly if you don't have something hot.

[@jean-paulpotet1988]

The minister of religion will ask you your marriage certificate from cityhall. If you don't have it, he will not accept to marry you religiously.

[@katae32000]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you making me laught!!! thank you! La France est belle! les Français... anyway... im french and im still pride to be born in the country where the law protect the people and help them. we pay for us and for the one who can't, and it's beautifull, and yes it's difficult but i prefer to pay that and to be free and having time for my family and my friends, having time to take care of my health without pying too much. bref... as for religions.. well it's a question to be civilised... and respect.... and a lot of history. sorry for my language. see ya!!!! xoxo

[@mamed856]

Correction : You can not wear religious symbol when you are an official in public building : Scool, IRS, City hall... In school religous symbol are forbideen too for all, but outside you wear what you want This is the principle of the separation between the republic and the church, law of 1901

[@almamater9566]

The very strict separation between Church and State actually means that there is no nationally endorsed religion. Therefore all religions are equal and religion can't interfere with the government or be represented in public and/or official public places like public schools or administration. But for sure France is a very catholic country. The Pope even lived in Avignon at some point in History On average we do work 500 hours less than an American citizen, per year but our productivity is 25% higher than average among OECD countries. And 35 days of paid vacation on top of paid public holidays. A few facts about Culture and Arts : - France has the most theater screens per capita in Europe. - Paris is the city with the most museums in the world with 297. (140 in New York / 173 in Tokyo / 192 in London for example) and the Louvre is the biggest and most visited museum on earth. (almost 800.000 square feet and 12 million visitors every year). - France also has the biggest overseas cultural network worldwide with over 800 institutions in 137 countries. - France has won the most Nobel Prizes for Literature worldwide with 16 awards Taxes ... Yeah sure pretty high but best healthcare system worldwide according to the WHO / less than 400 euros per year for a PhD ... An American citizen spends much more for worse outcomes. At least our taxes benefit us Obesity rate ... walkable cities with great public transportation / strict legislation on food quality and additional taxes on sugar and so on. 17% of French people are obese when it's 41% in the US. There is something called the French paradox. We eat lots of fat cheeses and drink a lot of wine but stay healthier and thinner than many other countries.

[@fabs8498]

I never met some americans like her in France. I had the same problem with the girl who made a video about racism. Who are these girls ? It looks like current american french bashing from Usa since Iraq war. They spread there opinions like truth. France is the country which is the most visited in the world. I would like to have other opinions from foreigners.

[@zefyrisd69]

For the not spicy comment : that's because the whole idea of the French Cuisine is to balance the ingredient's flavour so that there's a harmony between them, as in, the resulting flavour is a combination of each ingredient's flavour to various degree. So you do NOT want anything that will hide the other ingredient's flavour. We look down on this as an attempt to hide how poor (for example, the high amount of salt or sugar in pre made food is sometimes referred as "cache misère", literally something to hide how poor the real taste behind it is) the taste of the food is. France uses a lot of different spices, but in low amount for each, and never strong enough so that it'll hide the taste of the other ingredients. So as a classic French rebuke of the whole "spicier is tastier", I'll simply say that while anyone can enjoy spicy food just fine, if you only like very spicy food, then the food you eat simply doesn't especially taste good; that's why you need all that hot spice to appreciate it. =) Though in reverse, this habit certainly has made most French peoples' tongue/stomach not very accustomed to very spicy food, indeed.

[@jean-noelthomas]

@@nco1970 Ah? pas de piments d'Espelette?

[@nathnn3419]

@@jean-noelthomas ho, il est mignonnet l'Espelette, il va bien sur le p'tit chèvre frais qu'on veut pas trop parfumer, mais l'ami plus haut a raison, si un jour tu foire ta sauce tomate maison et que tu as pas le temps de rattraper, sors le cayenne, ils vont rien sentir d'autre 😂

[@jean-noelthomas]

Moi le piment d'espelette j'en mets dans les truffes au chocolat...

[@nathnn3419]

@@jean-noelthomas ok! c'est où c'est quand? 😜

[@jean-noelthomas]

@@nathnn3419 généralement vers Noël...à... Nouméa....

[@nox8730]

Religion: Well, there are religious people, but i hardly know any. Many communities? Well... If you watched "French revolution oversimplified", you should remember that the 1st Revolution was not only against nobility, but against the Church, too. Religion was basically abolished at the time. This desire to keep matters of state and matters of faith separate stems from History, mostly, and tends to clash big time with some extremist muslim parties that consider religion to be the same as law (this may help understand the terrorism in France). Public urination.. I haven't seen it happen for years... Although, last time, it was in a student city, in the bar district, a saturday evening... Oh god... Everyone drunk af, it was hell. Once in a few years, i see a guy do that as if it was nothing. It is once in a few years, but it is already too much. Athough as mentions KyrilPG, this doesn't seem to be a french only thing. I don't know where she lives, but it is unthinkable to actually 'teach' kids to do that. The ONE thing that happened for me is when lost in nature, in the mountains or whatever, when you need to pee, you go in the forest because there are NO bathroom anywhere. That's it. Against tires...? Urgh... Who in their right mind...? Critiquing is understanding, not critiquing is not caring. One can't be a responsible citizen if he can't critique everything. Critiquing is progressing, it is debating, it is life. Because not critiquing is letting your mind go numb and accepting. And critiquing one's friend or close ones is healthy, it shows you do care. That is how i see it. English: I don't know how we rank with the english language, probably poorly. But it is only english. English is only one language, nothing more. We do not rank very high but we are far from being the worst when it comes to foreign languages overall. Actually, interestingly enough, the very worst in Europe, and by far, is... the UK. Not surprising. Which is why it irks me when english speakers dare complain that the french doesn't speak english. We did have a "taxe d'habitation" (which doesn't exists anymore), but it is not hundreds of euros. It is paid once a year, and it depends on your earnings (i paid 54 euros for a year last time, yeah didn't make much money :D). Plus, we do not have taxes on properties like in the US. No taxes on your car. And since people actually take a plane for their vacations, taxes are not all that terrible in France. The problem was never taxes, but what you get in exchange for your taxes. We get a lot. As for time... well, yeah, french society is not about efficiency. Living is not about efficiency, taking time to do things is the true luxury of life. Personally i can't ever be on time. That's not in my genes. Even if i try, i fail. If you are the type to dislike surprises or unexpected things, who like to find things at the right place and at the right time, who have every 10 minutes of a day being part of a schedule... yeah, France is not for you. Spain isn't either, nor is Italy. As you said, to each their own. In my case, even if the American Dream wasn't a scam, even if it was real, i wouldn't be interested in it in the slightest. It is about what everyone expects of life indeed. The important part is finding one's calling, and this is the most difficult.

[@loicrose9916]

Separation of churches and states is different in facts : we call it "laicity", and it basically means that any people representing France (officials, the president, people working for the government, police, teachers (schools are public) should not wear any religious symbol while in duty/at work). This does not apply to other citizens. The goal of this was to reduce the power of Church in France, who has been, historically, huge. This law exists since 1905, to allow more equality between the religions, and to avoid one religion to be more officially represented than another. A last thing : it doesn't mean at all that a president, a teacher, a police officer... can't have a religion. They can, but this religion should not interfere with work, in any way (for example, if the president meet a member of catholic church for his work, he would be expected to meet members of others religions too (it's oversimplified but basically that's it)).

[@loicrose9916]

The only rule about civilians and religion is that religion should not be practised in public spaces, like the street. You can however wear what you want if it respects the law: every religious place is considered a private property, so you should practice here, and it means too that the police can not enter this place without a good (legal) reason : this is a private property!

[@noefillon1749]

I think that's the best explanation I've seen in the comments so far

[@loicrose9916]

@@noefillon1749 Thanks!

[@quentin6893]

For the one that says we don't laugh a lot in cafe's etc... it totally depends with who you are and surely your age but, I think we laugh a lot even in public, that is my experience. I would says it totally depends on the person.

[@SiRcErOn_YuLmEr]

The peeing part is ridiculous and dishonest.

[@quentin6893]

For arts or culture and sports it is, for me perfectly balanced. We like music, cinema etc... but we like sport. A song or a movie can become a trend very popular but nothing can match a competition of sport in ambiance. Especially for football (soccer), in 2018 when we won the world cup they were thousands of people if not millions in the streets of all cities, we listened to a song called "Ramener la coupe à la maison" Bring back the cup to home, specially made for the event. To finish I would say we like art and we enjoy it alone (even if we can enjoy it with friends) and sport is a reunification thing for us.

[@gauth7313]

the clubs of each sports are pretty much the same as the cafe in france. we go there to exercise but also to socialise at the same time. It's a moment of "vivre ensemble" or "living together" so of respect and discussion.

[@misslacanau7846]

je ne suis pas allee jusqu au bout de la vidéo mais j espère que c'est ironique ... non les hommes ne font pas pipi dans la rue !!!!!

[@beldin2987]

I still wondern when the land of Marlboro Man has become so anti-smoking. Whats happening with the tobacco lobby, haven't they payed the politicans enough money anymore ? Or is it just that the americans prefer harder drugs these days and the industry now rather sells them their pharma drugs ? I just watched "Med Men" finally last year, and it feels so strange these days seeing these guys just constantly smoking in the office 😄😄

[@Poussindesdomtom]

No no, it's not about not having the right to wear a cross. First of all, it only concerns schools and public administration (for people who work there). Also, it's about _"over demonstrating"_ your religion. As far as you're discrete, it's ok. A pendant with a cross is ok. A giant wood cross around your neck is not ok... ^^

[@jeanfrancoisjosselin9685]

in france if you don t pick up shit of your dog you have 135 euros contravention

[@tixien]

Strong spices are meant to cover bad taste and smell, they literally anesthetise your palate. Originally it was because the food was barely edible due to a lack of preserving solutions. Now it’s just because the food tastes bad. If you need strong spices in your meal, you probably shouldn’t have cooked it in the first place. And if your meal is nice and you put strong spices in it, you just ruined it, well done. The French take great pride in their food, and rightly so. Of course they don’t use strong spices, they don’t need it,

[@polsteambeluga1827]

France imposes taxes to maintain its standard of living and public health services. the subsistence minimum for its population. the French are no more prey to deception than the rest of the world. I find this girl quite close to what she blames on French she spends her time criticizing France saying that France is the place where she would dream of living... it's quite typical of a person who propagates gossip under cover of a false intention to make content ... France is a country as complex as the other it is not easy to generalize about France. it is not forbidden to wear religious symbols in the street it is forbidden to promote them and it is actually forbidden to wear religious symbols in public schools because France the French system is based on the concept of secularism everyone can practice their religion but not impose it as a dogma on others because the republic is neutral about the religion of ethnic groups it makes no difference a citizen must therefore respect the rule of neutrality because nothing is stronger than the republic and the system that allows this equality. it is this balance that makes France a sovereign country and provides the necessary space so that individual freedom does not encroach on that of others. my freedom ends where those of others begin this could be the fundamental principle of secularism and French law. in short the republic gives me the security and the margin necessary to live in community but my community must not mess with the republic or it will simply be considered as an obstacle to the freedom of other citizens

[@caroledsd1243]

you can wear a cross if you want, if its discreet or hide under your shirt. Symbol that are too "big" or obvious are forbidden. Yes men pee when they can, in France and in other coutries too. I travelled quite a lot and you can see men peeing in every country. And concerning the dog's poo, I have two dogs and I use poobags. It's not everyone in France, I agree. Concerning the fact of being always late, it can be true, not for all the french of course, but generally, you can say that people from the north are very ponctual and latin people are more free about time, but in France we have the both culture.

[@JulienNK]

Religions are bullshit for French State, since 1905..... It's a French cultural exception.....everybody can do what they want but privately (France is the most diverse country considering religions, as we can mix Christianism (but not extremism as lot a variation in the US) => immigration from Europe to the US concerned the most radical religious people from Europe, so it s not a surprise you have so many problems of guns and multicultarism..... In France, the Republic has no religion, but besides, the balance between Catholics, Muslim, and Jewish people is the highest in the world, thanks to this law.... No religion has any power in our institutions..... I'm not jewish but I'm wearing a David cross, for cultural attachment only. I always refused since I was young to go in a church, modern people don't do that here... even for death people, there are a lot a alternatives. I'm feeling always very very bad that the "biggest democracy" in the world is able to praise Jesus for politics, or seeing " In god we trust" in your trials.... It's ridiculous for us.....Maybe only Russia & South America could be worst.. Religion is the poor people opium, as Karl Marx wrote.... Think by yourself guys

[@laetitiak125]

Points about public urination & dogs poo are unfortunately true, due to lazy, irrespectful persons who don't care about others. Hopefully, things are improving, but there's still a long way to go. About critique: Some say that we are always pessimistic because of that. No, we were just taught that nothing is perfect and there are always room for improvements. e.g.: Yes, the cake is good BUT maybe it could be even better with less sugar / dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate / a touch of cinnamon that would be great with the apples,... In my firm which is international, it is VERY frustrating to be a French worker; we often see very quickly what is wrong and how to improve things but need to wait all the time before the other countries start to see the point we made several months/years ago. I am very proud of this "skill" even if I am pretty certain my colleagues all around Europe must be fed up by us Frenchies 😁. About lateness: in private life, meeting times are more flexible than in professional environment where lateness is not as well tolerated. If you are invited from 19h, it means that you can start to arrive at 19h but in general it is better to arrive at least after 19h15. It is even called "le quart d'heure de politesse", to leave a bit more time to your hosts to finish their preparation. But I think the farther you are from Paris, the higher this "politeness time" will be.

[@jean-paulpotet1988]

In Paris, the socialists have closed down or destroyed public toilets.

[@darksideofthemood]

we don't need to add spices to our food because it's good quality so the ingredients' taste is already there, no need to cover the blandness with spices. chemical tastes of hot sauces and lousy spices that have been air-dryed and put in little bottles don't interest us. adding spices is looked down upon as it's what americans (who are known to have very poor ingredients) and factories where they overprocess the food do. a good chef will have plants, vegetables and wine to make their dish better. NEVER will they have small bottles of random spices to throw on top of a plate, that's for quality-bankrupt people

[@kaihiroku8495]

Sadly, and that's the problem with most videos and stereotypes about France, they speak about Paris. So as a french person on the countryside, I'll do the very french thing of criticizing to educate 😂Religious signs are only forbidden in schools and if they are seen. You can wear a cross under your shirt, no issue. Depending on jobs, some are okay with religion being a part of it. You can have a break to smoke and you can have a break to pray on your mat for muslims. The pee thing is true, because restaurants and cafes usually won't allow you to use the bathroom unless you buy. French people are not serious at all! But I understand Parisians for being depressed, I'd hate living in a big city and paying 5€ for a bad coffee just because I'm sitting on a terrace which smells like pee 😂 I don't know a single french person who goes to museums out of their own free will. As you can see with this comment, french people's level of english is good xD BUT most of us suck at speaking, schools don't encourage oral expression enough. Spices as in "hot spices" are not really part of french cuisine, we do use a lot of pepper though. Great video btw!

[@KyrilPG]

And again, a bit of Paris bashing... If you pay 5€ for a coffee in Paris, you're a tourist in a tourist trap or a 5 star hotel. You don't know a single French person that goes to museums out of their own free will ??? I'm one that goes frequently and on it's own free will ! I usually go with friends. And I'm not even in a particularly arty environment. Some of my friends go to museums, exhibitions, shows at least once a month. Whenever they live, they go to museums and cultural activities as much as they can. Given the massive size and quite reasonable price of the cultural offer in France, it would be a choice not to go and bit the other way around. Many use the different vouchers, special promo tickets etc. There's a plethora of cultural things to do and visit. Just look at the success of the patrimony days, the number of festivals and tell me there's not a culture and French exceptionalism of cultural activities ?

[@j-rmarimoutou7767]

ah ah ah ! I started to watch videos reaction with her in 2019. But since she get back to New Zealand, I stopped, because entire or too long part of videos was about sponsors. But oldest videos still remain good enough observations "à propos des français et de la France".

[@thierrysanchez3161]

You cannot wear religious symbols in a public school or in an administrative role if you are an employee of that administration, but you have every right to wear a cross on the street and to express your faith. However, it is considered private

[@lachopedebiere43]

WE DON’T PEE ANYWHERE ! Do we ? Maybe we do…

[@thaleis]

Don’t people have to register a marriage license in a courthouse in USA to legally marry someone too ? It’s exactly the same in France but it’s usually done in the town-hall.

[@Havatselete]

I've said it a thousands time already, but for an equivalent salary, I pay in the US twice the amount of taxes I used to pay in France. And for what? No healthcare protection, no social protection if I was to loose my job or something, the public infrastructures such as the roads are often badly taken care of.... The tax rates are higher in France for those who earn a lot. The common folks live better than the US common folks, and without the fear of one day getting sick, or having a car accident and loosing everything. Also, people generally work over 35h per week, and they are more focused on their work than people in countries that make people work more per week. Look at the statistics: France's workes are among the most efficient workers in the world. I say all that, and I'm not even a big fan of France - i was born there and i live in another country for now. But there are so many misconceptions and misinformation about French people, it's really tiring.

[@contrerasfrederic6058]

I'm a French born and raise! If you need any correction to this ,feel free to ask . Btw like your channel

[@foreignreacts]

Thank you A few have explained and I understand more the aim

[@tetaomichel]

Count the wars for religion in Europe and see if separation was a good or a bad idea.

[@christopheb.6121]

Yes we all pie in the street ! 😂 What a bullshit. Anyway....🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵

[@pascalsettimelli449]

I liked your video it was interesting❤

[@foreignreacts]

Thanks for watching

[@dr-toto1223]

In France you can't force your religion to another people. You can have a cross

[@quentin6893]

11:44 for that one I think it is very unfair, even if we like the protests and that kind of stuff, a lot of farmers, workers, manual jobs or public security work for very long hours like 12h .

[@emmanuelgg8957]

French republic is a "laic" republic . It’s very important to know the french history about this : the separation between the catholic religion and the state ... since this date, no religion must interfer or take part in the politic decisions and the law . In US, the President takes an oath on the bible after his election : that makes a difference ...

[@patriciagateault6773]

Bonjour 😊 90% des gens trouvent répugnant que certains ruinent dans la rue et 100% des femmes trouvent ça écœurant. Donc oui il y a des porcs qui le font mais ce n'est pas une généralité 😊

[@rockbleen4386]

Pardon me if someone said it in the comment but i didn't see it. Indeed since 1905 and the separating law between state and religion, there is a strict place for religion in the private sphere BUT, not everywhere. For exemple, the region which were German when the law was voted (East of France, lost in the prussian war in 1870, back after WWI), came back in France but on the Concordat "law". In those regions, taxes goes to religions, priest are paid by the state, religion can be in public schools. But this is one of the exceptions, the majority of France territory is under the law of 1905. Also the pee thing made me laugh. So inaccurate xD I wonder where she lives. Or at which hour she saw that (like after bar close and drunk people are in the streets).

[@francisexbrayat1458]

Let's dismantle stereotypes by making other stereotypes. Many thing in this video are either not true, completely exaggerated, or only true in some specific town in France (Paris is in France, but it is not France)

[@KyrilPG]

Yes, it is France. It's not all France but it is France. Paris is as much France as Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse or Moncuq. 😘 Enough with the Paris bashing !

[@Kamonohashiii]

@@KyrilPG but foreigners for the vast majority believe that France is only Paris and that the entire French population are Parisians

[@francisexbrayat1458]

@@KyrilPG No, a part of something is not the entire thing, it's simple logic. Like one frenchman is not tous les français, like your hand is not you, and one brain cell is not a brain. If you get one euro of your salary, would you consider it complete? Where's the bashing? It's just a fact.

[@KyrilPG]

@@Kamonohashiii Not the foreigners I know. But the uneducated ones that believe France is only Paris also believe England is only London, Italy is only Roma, etc. It's the same for every country. The exception being French people from the countryside being quick to answer that "Paris is not France"...

[@KyrilPG]

@@francisexbrayat1458 Saying it's France doesn't mean it is all France like I precisely said in the very first line of my comment !

[@noefillon1749]

The religion being quite taboo in France has something to do with its history and the French Revolution. During that time, they tried to really get rid of everything of the past and make a whole new society based on equality and rationality. - There were thousands of measurement units, some of them had the same name but not the same size (like the Orleans foot was not the same size as the Paris foot) => they created new measurement units : the metric system. And to do so they sent people crossing France and Spain to measure precisely the size of a portion of the globe, it lasted several years. They chose to cut the earth's circumference by 40 million and got the meter. (rationality and universality)* - They created the départements which were territorial subdivisions based on what distance can be cover by a horse in one day (again : rationality). Today their map changed a little bit and there are 101 of them (including 5 overseas). Their names were based on the names of the rivers, mountains in it etc... no religious bias, no mention of the old medieval subdivisions. - They renamed some cities, especially those whose name had a reference about the king/queen etc... (today most of them got their old name back) - They abolished the privileges of the nobles AND of the priests : the FIRST article of the Declaration of Man and Citizen's Rights or 1789 (showing how important it was to them) says "Men are born and live free and equal in rights. Social distinctions can only be based on common utility." ** - They also got rid of the king who was approved by the church Therefore the church which had privileges and legitimated the power of the king was one of the enemies of this revolution. They had to reduce its power over the society. You sure have the right to be a christian, but the religion and especially the religious elite mustn't have power over the state or rule over people "The Law has the right to forbid only actions harmful to the Society. Anything that is not forbidden by law cannot be prevented, and no one can be compelled to do what it does not order." => At the same time they changed the measurement units for length and mass, they also made a new calendar which had no religious bias : 12 months of 30 days, the names of the months were based on the seasons : again no religious bias, plus the 5 (or 6) "days of the Revolution" to make 365 (or 366) days, each month was composed of 3 weeks of 10 days each => no more sundays. The year 1 was no more the birth of Jesus Christ but the date of the French Revolution. The time too became rational and got rid of religious biases. The rythm of life was no more ruled by the religious celebrations (6 work days then sunday) but the religion had to cope with the calendar that was given to it.*** All this to finally say that France have a very complex history regarding religion and the church and this has a lot of influence on the culture, especially the politics in France. It has very good sides, but not always in my opinion. I find France a little bit too close-minded, or more precisely, suspicious about religion, even though most people won't actually judge you, but it is what it is. *They also invented the kilogram at the same time : the weight of 1/1000 m^3 of water. **By the way this Declaration (that you can read if you are curious, Google can translate it to you or I think you can find translated versions, but the French title is "Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen") is mentionned at the beginning of the French constitution : "The French people solemnly proclaim their attachment to the Rights of Man and to the principles of national sovereignty as defined by the Declaration of 1789, confirmed and supplemented by the preamble to the Constitution of 1946, as well as to the rights and duties defined in the Environmental Charter of 2004." ***To make a long story short (and because I don't know all the intricacies of this history), this calendar only lasted a few years until 1804 (I think) when Napoleon took power and was never brought back. In my opinion, the main differences between the calendar and the metric system, why the latter succeded where the former didn't is, first, that unkile the measurement units that were a huge mess, the calendar was the same across all Europe, so there was no need to reform it, whereas the measurement confusion was among the main complaints of the population, slowing down trade etc... and second, because the calendar had a cultural and religious meaning. Most of the French were in fact catholic at that time so they needed to plan accordingly to the catholi calendar (sundays, easter, christmas...). It had to stay in use in parallel of the Republican calendar unlike the old measurement units.

[@raphkun4536]

what is she talking about? drunk people may pee on a wall but that's it rofl

[@foreignreacts]

😥

[@MrApocalyptica83]

forhot food that depend where you live if you are in the french west indies the food is very spicy as also in all colonial , and taxe in france are jigh for sure but if you do the math of wgat taxes are paid in the usa the proble taxe in the usa isnt used in the good way

[@liul]

You can wear a cross in France, don't panic

[@svendevarennes520]

French people criticize mistakes in french amongst themselves. You'll quite easily end up made to look like a fool if you make a mistake as a native. They're quite rude in those circumstances that's for sure.

[@noefillon1749]

Well... embarrassingly too accurate. We love to correct each other in French. But most people do it with friends or people theiy know well. It would be considered rude (a little less by French standards but still) to correct someone you just encountered in the street. Also it depends on the mood. If it's quite serious, then it's rude, but if it's in a relaxed mood and made in a relaxed way not to make the person feel awkward, it can be fine.

[@Romanball5677]

Can you please do reaction of Prussia’s rulers please

[@quentin6893]

I love spicy food but it is not good to put spices in all your dishes because it will block other ingredients taste.

[@eliechevrinais6115]

The way she talks about France... yeah she went in that shit hole we call Paris. I understand that. Thankfully i don't live in Paris🎉

[@olivierdk2]

14:53 If you live in a place you have to participate in the local public finances via a tax otherwise how can a town properly function without funds.

[@johnveerkamp1501]

this is not true

[@mayfielcl]

Quelle partie ?

[@skdoremi6666]

Hmmm Finland or France???? Economically France. Way of life France. Intellectually France. History France. Food France. Family life both. Outdoor activities Finland. Vacancy France. Cultural aspects France. Income France. Health France. People interaction South France. Climate France. Tourism France. Sport France. Racism definitely both. Religion none. I am a Mediterranean so for me it's almost impossible to live in the northern countries, I visited Iceland,UK,Denmark,Norway,Netherlands,Belgium and Germany and I can assure that their way of living is completely different from Portugal,Spain,France,Italy,Greece,Croatia....its almost the opposite.

[@fisheye375]

You can wear your cross. Nothing will happen. But if it’s the rapper style cross….just put it in your shirt. No need to show it to everybody.

[@drin2949]

Ur probably gonna see more hijabis in france than in the uk , u miss understood the religion part a little bit 😅 and also u can wear religious signs in schools if its not that visible, like a cross is ok.

[@lulu6328]

some times i don t know were she lives .... she s parisian ....

[@esthellearfaoui6647]

N'importe quoi

[@emmanuelfani5385]

She has a parisian view. This video is full of her own stereotypes toward franch as she is a NZ. But of course, I’m french and France is not a paradise country

[@just42tube]

You need to listen these videos with more care, more carefully, and not jump to assumptions, which can easily go totally wrong. Reactions with not much though process can be funny, if that is what you really want. Perhaps it is what you want from this format.

[@foreignreacts]

Oh I listened Most of these comments tells me y’all didn’t listen The original video did not speak specifically or clearly regarding any of the matters I was concerned about In fact there are other comments on this video that explains what she didn’t clearly explain

[@just42tube]

@@foreignreacts She did speak about religious symbols in schools and in public life, but didn't in that sentence narrow down the limitations very clearly. I give you that. But jumping to assume that there is censorship and rules not to wear religious symbols in private context was unreasonable. Perhaps you suffer from the bad situation common among the so called Black Americans, where various religious movements still have very strong strangling hold of political movements and actively interfere to politics. It is common in other ethnicities also, but in Black American movements or is very common to have churches and religious leaders to dictate and direct people opinions and political behavior. That has made them less successful in making beneficial changes since they represent so outdated values and views.

[@foreignreacts]

@@just42tube again you totally missed it My issue is that you can’t wear symbols of your religion in public not private Privately wearing a necklace or something religious literally is so pointless that I think most of us wouldn’t ever do that. You’re defending her for whatever reason and I’m totally not defending her or bashing her but according to what I heard and understood You can’t wear religious symbols in public and that goes against my free will beliefs I believe each and every human has the right to express themselves while taking into consideration others Meaning not being rude or loud about anything And as far as I see it Living in Finland I’ve seen many people wearing religious symbols and also I’ve seen Muslims and they walk freely and if you can’t do that publicly in France that’s just not a country for everyone That’s a country for only a specific few

[@just42tube]

@@foreignreacts Obviously you aren't from a culture where religious beliefs are private matter when you think that religious jewelry is a public statement. Just ask Christians in Finland about their necklaces with Christian crosses.

[@gauth7313]

@@foreignreacts wrong. If you want to have symbols of your religion on you, you can. you are just required in places of public administration or of education not to show signs of belonging to any religion so that if there is a huge crowd of people of that religion in the same place, people that do not belong to it won't feel pressured at all. and it was indeed originally made because of christians but that is due to how much the clergy had an influence on france politics all over history.

[@jossylove]

I think that not wearing you religious symbols it make everyone in France “One Peoples”

[@foreignreacts]

Idk Could be But I think a lot of people would love to be themselves

[@jossylove]

@@foreignreacts what I mean is in France no matter where you are from or the colour of you skin if you are born there you are French. In America for example Africans are still called African American in France they are not called such a way they are French. These religious symbols keep everyone apart and the not putting them on display stop the mockery of different beliefs as it make you equal to those around you! I personally think it’s great. Ya you can be yourself in you home and with your family but don’t parade it around. Most wars have been about religion and power remember that.

[@foreignreacts]

@@jossylove I understand your point

[@ac8907]

When a video bout African people ?

[@olivierdelatouche9453]

I know her channel, girl isnt in france anymore and seems just to be hatin in nearly every video

[@carmenstrugarek6296]

Sérieusement elle ne connaît pas les français comme elle le prétend. Tout n'est pas exacte dans ces commentaires. Tout le monde ne fume pas la nourriture est variées moi je cuisine asiatique, maghrébine etc je ne comprends pas ses préjugés erronée pour la plupart et pisser cela arrive malheureusement mais cela arrive ailleurs faut pas généraliser.

[@victoriajane9687]

Just plain bullshit and clichés😂😂

[@fromdusktilldusk2856]

There's that big thing in France about Hijab (keep in mind that most of french racism tend to be directed toward arabic/muslim peoples) : Since public displa of religious symbol is prohibited, a women wearing an Hijab is technically against the law, but you can't ask someone to trample their religion like this, so what's the plan ? The things you'll hear the most are about women's rights, like "is she wearing it by religious choice or is it her family's beliefs forcing her to do things she don't want ?", that's an old (pretty racist) debate, but it's been at the heart of political debate or some years now. The consensus right now is that Hijab are okay but more "integral" veil like the Burka are prohibited. The biggest problem being obviously that displaying signs of any other religion (catholic sisters are wearing veils too for exemple) is not as punished as anything muslim.

[@soa8181]

La france n'est pas raciste. C'est un pays universaliste et laique, la religion fait partie de la sphère privée. Quand au port du voile c'est un signe de domination des hommes sur la femme.