France is a big country. A country which fits a lot of differences. A country that seems kind and accepting to excentricities - at large at least. I have never seen so many crazy/bum-like people in such a short time anywhere else. In the middle of society. In the restaurants with a glass at mid-day, in the shops or walking around town asking for cigarettes and talking to themselves. And people treat them well, polite, friendly with a smile, patiently. In Partheney there is a village bum who since 30 years walks around dressed up in all his medals and talk nonsense. Everybody knows his name, and people say bonjour, talk a couple of sentences and gives him a cigarette. In Lyon there was this old vagabond in the mobile phone store orange. It took him a really long time to understand the instructions for his abonnement or whatever he was doing, the sales lady was patient, the people in line were patient, he said he was sorry to the others after 20 min, with a smile, very slowly. And things were fine, no signs of irritation. And there are some other examples. Maybe it is because we have been around Emmaus and their companions so much so we have seen disproportionally large amount both of old, scrubby ex-alcoholics and of strong values of kindness and humanism. Maybe there is notion of acceptance and respect for original people in the French culture? A further opposition to American mainstreaming and conformity? Of course there are the hardknackered and extremely conservative socialists with their constant strikes. There is the rightfully critizised, expensive and crazy CAP to feed the regional pride and keep the living standard up for the highly held farming class producing all that small-scale local specialities. Of course there are the real Sarkozists, racists and pure elitists around keeping the status high in everything from fashion to fancy cars and the riviera lifestyle. And you for sure meet the occassional severe snobbism around narrowly defined criteria of quality. However maybe the humanism that we luckily met here often, encompasses acceptance of that too, just as we should respect the old harmless farts talking nonsense, taking up time and bumming surplus coins or fags.
Humble is not really a keyword. It was THE enlightment with its Rousseau and Voltaire. It was THE revolution with the freedom, euality and brotherhood. Napoleon who chose the sligthly different path of becoming emperor and start a lot of wars. The icons of history we all have been taught: the three musceters, that evil Richelieu guy, the Marie-Antoinettes and Bernadottes. And our times exhibitionists: Simone de Beauvoir and Juliette Binoche. Depardieu and Dior. Sartre and Sarkozy. The chateaus, the countryside picturesqueness and depression. The Paris hype. The cafes and the culinary tradition. The cheese plate after the main course of EACH meal. The wine (also to EACH meal). Hard headed nationalism, centralism and its bureaucrazy. The crazy drivers. The crazy language. But it is really rather friendly - even chatty in a good and pleasant way - when you manage the French. It has many many immigrants. And originals. So in a way you never feel THAT strange. Even if you dont eat cheese. Its interesting.
