Meghan Cox Gurdon: Cracking the code of French rudeness
As Barlow and Nadeau explain, the enduring stereotype of the rude Parisian springs from the fact that Americans and the French have different concepts of public and private space.
In the United States, we regard stores as public spaces where we can come and go without obligation. In France, a shop is regarded as an extension of the proprietor's home.
A Parisian would no more silently enter a neighborhood shop, finger the merchandise, and walk out again without comment than we would march into a stranger's living room, poke around, and exit without a word while they stand there open-mouthed at our rude intrusion. So when American tourists wander in to French shops without greeting the staff, we're behaving unbelievably impolitely.
