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| Europe |
| Paris sends Japanese into suicidal state: report |
| 2004-12-14 |
| A strange illness has descended on Japanese living in Paris, tipping many of them in a state of profound culture shock after realising their ideals about the French capital were unrealistic, a study published in Monday's Liberation newspaper said. More than a 100 expatriates a year are sinking into a state called "the Paris syndrome" which is characterised by feelings of persecution or suicidal tendencies, according to the mental health facilities of city hospitals. Part of their clinical depression stems from having to reconcile their romanticism about Paris with reality, psychiatrists said. "Magazines are fuelling fantasies with the Japanese, who think there are models everywhere and the women dress entirely in (Louis) Vuitton," Mario Renoux, the head of a French Japanese Society for Medecine was quoted as saying. After a relatively short period of only three months or so, Japanese immigrants expecting to find a haven of civilisation and elegance instead discover a tougher existence with many problems dealing with the French. "They make fun of my French and my expressions", "they don't like me" and "I feel ridiculous in front of them" are common refrains heard by the doctors. The need to forcibly express one's self to be noticed - seen as vulgar in Japanese society - and exposure to a humour sometimes seen as offensive adds to the unhappiness. "The phenomenon manifests itself in those who are unable to adapt to France because of the shock resulting from the confrontation between the two cultures," Dr Ota, a Japanese psychologist treating some of the patients at Sainte-Anne Hospital, said. He and other experts underlined Japan's ideal of collectivism, or putting the group first, as a barrier for some of the immigrants who suddenly find themselves in a Western society based more on individualism. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #17 dubois... 'racism' has little to do with race today, in modern language it seems to have more to do with ethnic/culture groups.. sides calling someone an ‘ethnist’ sounds stupid ;p |
| Posted by: Dcreeper 2004-12-14 11:46:42 PM |
| #16 If you think this was a racist slur, tell me which race you believe populates all of France. |
| Posted by: dubois 2004-12-14 10:57:09 PM |
| #15 Still, it must be a shock for the Japanese And the Parisian women and the restaurants are surprisingly lame. The former tend to be scrawny and pallid; the latter are vastly overrated and overpriced. Paris has fewer beautiful women per capita than any major international city. NYC and even London leave Paris behind in this respect. And of course Moscow's in a class by itself |
| Posted by: lex 2004-12-14 5:17:52 PM |
| #14 Most other French can't stand Parisians LOL! That's because they speak the most respectable French. LOL! A certain look, roll of eye, a way of walking, a toothy smile? Where's Lucky! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-14 5:05:51 PM |
| #13 Lex is right on this one. Most other French can't stand Parisians because they make New Yorkers seem polite. I've found that if you call bullsh*t on them, basically give them some grief for being typical Parisians, then they lighten up and are more civil. Still, it must be a shock for the Japanese. |
| Posted by: Remoteman 2004-12-14 3:45:18 PM |
| #12 The Parisians adore Manhattan and v-v. Tells you most of what you need to know. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-12-14 3:41:37 PM |
| #11 Ah, it's mine's bigger 'n yours. I get it. My experience was merely the incredible disdain they held for me when I attempted to speak French. Not recommended unless you are raised with it and can pull off the appropriate accent for your current locale. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-14 3:38:04 PM |
| #10 More a problem of Paris than of the French generally. Parisians are notoriously competitive, aggressive and self-aggrandizing. In their basic interactions, the Parisians are extremely combative. It's hugely important to them to demonstrate one's superiority to someone, anyone, around you. Usually this is done through vigorous intellectual argumentation; often it's done by pulling rank; ccasionally it's done through simple class snobbery. Whatever the motivation, it's self-aggrandizing in a way that must completely mystify and depress the Japanese. Ironically, proving one's superiority is equated in Paris with saving face. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-12-14 3:33:00 PM |
| #9 SPoD Could you avoid that kind of racist jokes? In 1944 French houses were quite old, meaning very few of them had baths or showers and people had to go to city showers (plus a shortage of soap due to German occupation). But this was sixty years ago. Today, people I know take a shower or batrh every day, two when it is hot. Of course we have higienycally challenged people a la Micahel Moore but so you have. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-12-14 3:22:19 PM |
| #8 Thats what I get for not wearing my spelling hat :D |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-14 3:12:19 PM |
| #7 Japanese culture is oriented towards group harmony, hard work, and integrity. French culture ... is not. |
| Posted by: AJackson 2004-12-14 9:07:55 AM |
| #6 I just passed a kidney stone. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2004-12-14 8:30:26 AM |
| #5 he just passed a final. A final what? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-12-14 7:49:24 AM |
| #4 Hey cut SPoD some slack, he just passed a final. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-14 7:43:42 AM |
| #3 SPoD - you may want to lower your egg-nog dosage. :-) |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2004-12-14 1:18:27 AM |
| #2 Ain't that what purfume is for? No modern metropolitian France is farm more less cultured than even the US from what I can see. A person from North America could feel more at home than any most Japanese would. Plus teh Frence are more Xenophobic than Japanese are. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-14 1:04:43 AM |
| #1 I have an alternate explanation for this phenomenom: In the 19th century, when even Americans typically bathed just a few times a year, an American diplomat reported in wonderment that even the lowliest Japanese coolie spent an hour a day soaking in hot water. This long-established custom carries over to the present, so one can imagine the Japanese reaction to French standards of cleanliness, such as they are. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-12-14 12:52:30 AM |