The problem with your post is that you haven't made a travel comment, you have merely jumped on the political anti-French bandwagon thats been rolling merrily along since March last year.

You obviously went into the wrong shop by mistake, which can happen to anyone, but as you were unable to speak the language of the country you were a guest in, you couldnt understand the explanation being offered. That happens too. But being unable to speak a foreign language in their own country is NOT rude or ignorant, while expecting a native to speak YOUR language is. Sadly this is often an Anglo-American disease - and a very rude one indeed.

Next time take a phrase book with you - and leave your prejudices at home - you will have more fun.

Consider yourself scolded. Now, did you have any positive experiences in Paris?Didn't you meet any French people who were polite and/or kind? We went for the first time this year and never encountered any rudeness at all.

Posters here would most likely have been kinder, if you had told about the positive experiences you had in Paris, and then mentioned one negative one you had (one that you did not understand the reasons behind or you suspected was a racially motivated incident).

Susan, people that anger you, control you, even long after the fact.

You run into rude fools in all countries. Let it go and move on.

The area you describe is the wholesale handbag district. It's pretty tempting--one walks by window after window of beautiful handbags. But each store I saw had signs saying that they sold to the trade only. Did you miss those or not understand them?

Even in Manhattan, if you tried to go into a wholesaler or to-the-trade showroom, you'd be treated just as brusquely. And you might find that those merchants didn't speak any better English than the ones you encountered in Paris.

I hope you will share your positive experiences with us.

Well said Degas.

cymbeline, no a "blow-by-blow/proverbial slide show trip reports" isn't necessary (especially since Susan has already posted what was obviously the highlight of the trip) But it seems odd that after planning and taking a trip, the one and only post she ever made is to "vent". Did she think we would all say that it was terrible that she was scolded in a language that she didn't understand, after shoving a stroller into a small shop, and oh my God the people in the shop weren't dressed like she thought they should be? Funny, these things can happen when you visit another country! Next time remember that you are a guest, don't be angry that you can't understand something that is spoken in another language, or that someone's mannerisms are different from your own or from what you think they should be. Besides, they are probably posting on a forum somewhere about the mad woman who barged her way into their wholesale shop with a baby stroller.

BTW, curious to what Susan thinks a wholesale customer looks like as she stated: "I looked around the store and saw people went in and they don't look like wholesaler to me."

A "wholesaler" may easily look like you or me, but certainly would not be pushing a stroller.

"Author: cymbeline
Date: 10/04/2004, 07:24 pm
Message: Why are you people being so rude to susanyang? She said she was just venting!

She had a highly embarrassing experience in a foreign country. She felt she was being singled out in a racist way."


Huh? Where in the post is there even a hint of anyone being racist, except in susanyang mentioning that she was Asian and they were white. You mean she was being a racist for pointing out they were white? Yes, I guess that is racism. She said nothing about them doing anything to indicate her race had anything to do with it. But her making a point about their being white while she is Asian is the only racism I find here. Why was that even mentioned?

Almost every trip I have ever taken has involved an encounter with at least one rude person. I get mad for about 5 minutes, then I get over it and go on to enjoy my trip. When I come home and talk about my trip, the encounter with the rude person never enters into my story. Please do not let this one incident color your entire memory of your trip or predjudice you against the French people. There are a lot more good people in France than bad.