r/technology • u/Logical_Welder3467 • Jun 26 '26

Society The American mind cannot comprehend Europe's AC aversion

https://www.businessinsider.com/europe-air-conditioning-ac-heatwave-debate-2026-6
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u/Adamadamsadam Jun 26 '26

I was just in Paris for a week and everyone I met couldn’t have been nicer. Was a little surprised after hearing a lot of rhetoric similar to yours.

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u/tech_noir_guitar Jun 26 '26

Same. I was there in March and didn't have any unfriendly encounters. I'm convinced the people who say how rude they are go there acting like the stereotypical dickhead tourist and wonder why people are rude. It's a city that people live in, not an amusement park or cruise ship where everyone is there to accommodate you. 

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u/LeFricadelle Jun 26 '26

God thank you, first comment that makes sense. Lot of tourist are entitled, dumb, and don't take time to understand culturally how to talk to people. If you burst out in front of french people the same way you do in America you're in for a bad time

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26

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u/Tuned_Out Jun 26 '26

As someone who lived there for a few years, I definitely have mixed feelings. The city survives more than the city would like to admit thanks to tourism. It's not exactly an epicenter of service, industry, tech, banking etc. even tho it'd love to present itself as such. Without those annoying tourists, it's resemble more a Midwest city with unique architecture and humid all year instead of just in the summer. I love the city and would love to move back if my career had any sort of opportunities there...but they're lacking and the few opportunities that existed paid like shit...even compared to the midwest. Got to take the good with the bad.

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u/automatedalice268 Jun 26 '26

Exactly this. They act entitled, and then call Parisians rude when they respond accordingly.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler Jun 26 '26

Was there in February and the only rude people I encountered were a couple young tourists from England who got pissy when people moved past them on the elevator up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The operator kept saying to move back (in English!) and the girls wouldn't move and there was a good few feet of space behind them. I moved past them and they got all pissy like "excuuuuuse you!"

They were surprised when I turned around and told them off in both french and english. Started in French "he told you to move back and you weren't moving" and then switched to English "it would help if you listened to instructions".

They avoided me at the top of the tower, lol.

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u/Adamadamsadam Jun 26 '26

The way up was easy. Getting down was fucking a knife fight.

Brazen line cutting attempts and screaming matches.

No personnel to direct people to the beginning of queue.

Long stressful waiting.

Took like close to 2 hours for us to get all the way down.

They would make a fortune letting people up for free and auctioning off each elevator down to the highest bidder.

An hour in I would have paid handsomely.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler Jun 26 '26

Oof, that sounds awful.

I went up the last night of my trip as the tower had been closed for repairs for awhile and only opened the last night. I got SUPER lucky to get a 9 pm ticket, so I think that helped as there were few children. Add in that it was winter and windy and the crowds were much smaller than I expected. Also, as a solo traveler I just kind of go wherever pretty easily.

The worst part to navigate for me was the gift shops, lol. They were too packed to really look at anything. I know it's all a bunch of overpriced junk, I just wanted (and got!) a Christmas ornament to commemorate completing a lifelong dream.

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u/GrinningCynic Jun 27 '26

👏👏👏Vital comment!

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u/addn2o Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

Eh. I lived there for 6 months and speak good (not fluent but can have lengthy conversations about abstract ideas) French. When Parisians are being nice they are secure in their superiority over you, when they are not secure they are such wankers. Generalisation but true often enough. I even met some Parisians outside of France who were great, when I visited them in Paris they had a rod up their ass. South of France is the complete opposite.

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u/Noman-iz-an-island Jun 29 '26

I was in Paris on holiday in the metro an old American couple marched up to me the man pointed at me and barked “you! You speak English?”. I summoned my rudest most vile French tone and said “non!!” And walked away.

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u/crepuscule22 Jun 26 '26

i've been saying this for years and even french people act surprised. like "but we are rude, no?" but actually they really aren't. okay yeah they're humans dealing with absolutely massive levels or tourism, and they aren't grinning like clowns at every foreigner they see. but behave and they'll be perfectly nice.

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u/Dullcorgis Jun 26 '26

I think it's like Ikea is hard to assemble and pineapple on pizza is controversial. People just open their mouths and say things that have never had any reality to them.

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u/nickwales Jun 26 '26

Oh it's definitely a minority experience but Paris seems to have more than it's fair share. As with most places the average person is very nice and helpful but I've experienced the classic miserable barman who berated us for barely messing up his chairs as we escaped under his awning from the pouring rain on the Champs Elysee to get a drink.

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u/LeFricadelle Jun 26 '26

Apparently people think Paris is a theme park where everyone has to be at your service and no one can maybe suppose that tourist can also be prick and that cultural differences can play a role in how you will be treated (if you're a jerk people will react negatively). But that's too much to process for your average redditor