Not-for-Everyone: Tactless and Sometimes Tasteless Insights into the Underbelly of Paris/France
As you may have noticed, my weekly updates are generally pretty tame, and discuss only the good, "family" things. This is because it goes out to people of all ages and temperaments. Of course, that does not mean other things have not occurred or that I have no perspectives on the "not-exactly-kosher" topics. I decided these were too interesting to just ignore completely, however, so I composed this list of tidbits. Warning: this email may contain potentially offensive, tactless, or exceedingly liberal information. If you are faint of heart, read something else :)
1. The French are obsessed with love. Everyone is taken, everyone is entwined around someone else in the subway, on the street, in the grocery store. PDAs are much more widespread, and much more wide in scope. The French still look down on gay love a lot more than Americans, so it's rare to see guy-guy or girl-girl couples even holding hands, whereas heteros are touchy-feely and kissy-kissy all over the place. Double standard much?
2. Corollary to the obsession with love - everyone either is, or is trying to be, in a relationship. Hence, there are ads on the radio and on billboards all over Paris for dating services or matchmaking online or what-have-you. My personal favorite (because it's sooo ridiculously shocking to see on a public billboard for me as an American) is this service called "3615 CUM". Yes, you read it correctly. There are huge billboards in the subways of a girl and a guy tumbling about (clothed, however) in some grassy field. It's a closeup of the chick's face. I'd also heard this advertised on the radio, but let me tell you, it is 10x more forceful in person. Now, I have no idea if it means the same thing here as there, but it's doubtful they have never heard Americans or American porn using the term. So I guess it's just a sign of how repressed and protective of anything to do with sex we as Americans are - that sort of ad would never make it to public view in the US.
3. Related to the idea of advertising interesting things - rolling papers. Now, yes yes I know they can be used for tobacco. However, when was the last time you saw an ad for a rolling papers firm in America? Even though they exist for pseudo-legitimate purposes in the US, people would rather not be reminded of that aspect of society by large billboards in the subways...
4. On the subject of rats: I was under the impression that rats in city subways and sewers were humongous (especially in NYC). However when I have spied rodents down by the tracks, they've always been teensy tiny little things. Perhaps they were mice. Where are all the rats?? Once I was sitting on a seat waiting for the subway when I saw a little rat-mouse-thing peek out from under the vending machine. It saw me and ducked back. Another time, one ran right behind me and I was so disturbed I had to stand up and not sit anymore because I hadn't seen where it went. :) Rat stories from the Paris Metro: do you think it's a seller?
5. Returning to the subject of couples and who is and isn't allowed to mix, interracial black-white couples are much more common here. The French don't have the prejudices against minority blacks built into their society like we have, even though they had large colonies in the African continent. The group that the French really look down upon is northern Africans, from Algeria or Tunisia or the like. I'm not sure why northern Africans are taboo but not sub-Saharan ones. Perhaps it is a religious thing - France is a Catholic state, and northern Africans are typically Islamic Arabs. Anyway so you never see mixed couples involving an Arab. Goes to show America is not the only place social prejudices exist.
6. The blacks who live here are much more likely to be direct from Africa (Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal, etc) or at most 1 or 2 generations removed. Hence, much more "ethnic dress" is present than in American, or in Philadelphia at least. Women in muumuus or men in whatever their costume is called. All over.
7. The most tactless piece of information I have to include is regarding lazy eye. The French seem to have a lot more of it. Not a clue why. But it was something I noticed, and most anyone would have, even though no one is supposed to mention stuff like that. Sue me for being observant. :)
8. Ahhh the subject you were all waiting for: the omnipresence of porn in Paris. Of course they have revues like Moulin Rouge or Lido which are kind of like the Rockettes (buxom women can-canning in large feathered headdresses), except here they are more likely to only be wearing the feathers. I have not been to one - I think it is not the best idea to be a single girl seen at one of these things. That is also the reason I have not gone to the Museum of Eroticism, although I wanted to. Anyway porn is everywhere, even besides that. In journal/news kiosks all over Paris they of course have the daily news and magazines and even postcards, but then up above the counter, or directly behind the vendor, are large busted naked women in various positions and with various companions. You reach for a copy of Time and immediately next to it is "Barely 18! Girl on Girl!" Truly scary. Is it me or is this exclusive to France? In America, don't vendors have to hide them more? I once saw two girls walking by one of these, one stop and point out a cover with two "barely 18" girls who looked about 12, comment (in English) on them looking 12, and the other one said "perverts", and they walked off in disgust. I attempt to not notice the stuff, but it's really my own American Puritan background making me uncomfortable seeing that in day-to-day life. French women seem completely nonchalant.