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But these problems just seem to no affect day to day quality of life as much as the problems in France.
I was raised in one of the bad suburbs of Paris. It was a bad places where you could get insulted or worse in the street or bus just for starting too long at someone
When I was a teenager I got beaten up by a group of other teenagers in the street for no reason. I later learnt from the police they were roaming the city(suburb), attacking people randomly because they were bored.
Another day, I was in a quiet street when some guy put a knife under my throat and asked for my wallet.
Another time hey took my phone.
I don't want to make it sound like it's a war zone, but it's a bad place, and being on your guard all the time is exhausting.
In Quebec I feel safe (I'll admit there are very rare exceptions).
I was able to progress in my career that was stuck in France.
I like the "live and let live" attitude.
5 years since I arrived in Quebec, and I would never go back to my Parisian suburb. It actually feels like a bad dream now.
The rest of France is nothing like the bad parts of Paris or Lyon and has much lower costs of living than Paris too. American cities like Detroit, Camden, Baltimore or St. Louis and many more make the Paris suburbs look like Disneyland. Canada is nowhere near that bad in that sense but France has a far superior climate which is an important factor in quality of life.
The rest of France is nothing like the bad parts of Paris or Lyon and has much lower costs of living than Paris too. American cities like Detroit, Camden, Baltimore or St. Louis and many more make the Paris suburbs look like Disneyland. Canada is nowhere near that bad in that sense but France has a far superior climate which is an important factor in quality of life.
They actually don't. Some of the ghetto parts of Paris, from what I remember, look like absolute crap holes, lots of urban decay.
Some people have a very idyllic vision of Europe.....even people that claim to have "lived there" which probably meant rented a nice house in the south of France for six months enjoying the good life and shooting at the breeze, or some university exchange programs or some cushy corporate transfer jobs.....well reality is a bit different.
Try to move there and actually get a job.....first of all mobility within the EU is limited in real life because unless you speak the language, all you will get is menial low level jobs at best....it's not like an Italian can pick up and leave for France or Germany.
To the people that bad mouth north american houses....take a tour of any European big city suburbs with their hive-like concrete cells condos....because that is where the vast majority of middle income European can afford to live...and tell me if you will not miss your good old backyard in North America.
Even in the most advanced EU countries, bureaucracy can be stifling compared to NA.
Food.....in any decent sized North American city you can eat as healthy as any European if you do choose to do so.....it is entirely your choice.
Universities are anything but free in Europe...there are little things called university taxes paid by the students and they can be stiff.......true not as expensive as NA but you pay that advantage with more disconnect between college programs and what corporations really need...meaning it is way harder for find a job, on average, for a European graduate.
France is almost in an actual economic depression.
Lack of space, but that can be subjective.
I'm a born and raised European and I can tell you that Europe is a great place to visit......if you are independently wealthy any place can be highly liveable so that is a different story...I'm talking about the average Joe here.
Young ambitious Europeans still dream about America or to move to Australia....even South America is starting to appeal to them.
A former co-worker of mine in Rome (middle manager for Siemens) recently bought an apartment in this street and he is very happy about it because he got it "for a very good price"......no thanks, I prefer my wooden house in Seattle with my backyard....
Last edited by saturno_v; 08-22-2014 at 02:28 PM..
Some of the images are old, but it gives you an idea of how bad parts of Paris were.
That thread later says most of those have been destroyed and have been replaced by new developments. That doesn't get rid of the people though. Anyway, the (gun related) violence in those Northern American cities still make Europe seem like Disneyland.
That thread later says most of those have been destroyed and have been replaced by new developments. That doesn't get rid of the people though. .
Those places in the photos may no longer exist but there are still lots of areas like these in and around many French cities. This is not to bash on France BTW - most countries in the world including rich ones have crappy areas. This includes Canada as well.
The rest of France is nothing like the bad parts of Paris or Lyon and has much lower costs of living than Paris too. American cities like Detroit, Camden, Baltimore or St. Louis and many more make the Paris suburbs look like Disneyland. Canada is nowhere near that bad in that sense but France has a far superior climate which is an important factor in quality of life.
If climate is such an important factor in quality of life, why do you still live in the Netherlands?
Those places in the photos may no longer exist but there are still lots of areas like these in and around many French cities. This is not to bash on France BTW - most countries in the world including rich ones have crappy areas. This includes Canada as well.
I agree, France is a dump. The urban decay and depressing cities, the economy, the tax rates, the completely failed integration of immigrants from Northern Africa, the failed welfare state. It is basically only good for a holiday at the beach. Don't take France as representative for Western Europe, there are far better countries in Western Europe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
If climate is such an important factor in quality of life, why do you still live in the Netherlands?
Because, contrary to popular belief, the climate is not bad at all. The summers can get pretty hot, the winters are generally mild and it really doesn't rain that often where I live. Just like the stereotype that Canada is always cold is wrong too. I like this climate, Northern America gets either too hot in summer and/or too cold in winter for my taste.
I agree, France is a dump. The urban decay and depressing cities, the economy, the tax rates, the completely failed integration of immigrants from Northern Africa, the failed welfare state. It is basically only good for a holiday at the beach. Don't take France as representative for Western Europe, there are far better countries in Western Europe.
Well this thread is about why people from France move to Quebec.
What I was saying basically is the problems in France as well as the exotism, yet comfort (language) found in Quebec are the main reasons a lot of French people immigrate there.
Which is basically what I did.
Now I would not call my country a dump (not bothered that you do though), but I agree with the negative points you mention.
There's good things in France for sure. But I don't care enough about them to miss them.
Only miss my family and friends.
You also mentioned that France is not only about the bad places around Paris.
Probably yes. I have honestly not traveled around a lot in France.
But you have to understand that France is a highly centralized country.
And obviously a lot of the jobs are in Paris.
Getting an apartment is a lot of paperwork and owners are entitled to a lot of guarantees.
You don't move somewhere without a job first
I'm convinced you will get exposed to social tension in any big city in France to a level that I'm yet to be exposed to in Canada.
I understand some parts of North America are worth than that, and gun violence is higher.
But it seems like if you are middle class in Canada, you get exposed to less annoyance, incivilities and violence than in France.
That thread later says most of those have been destroyed and have been replaced by new developments. That doesn't get rid of the people though. Anyway, the (gun related) violence in those Northern American cities still make Europe seem like Disneyland.
Who's being affected by most of the gun violence in America? Most gun violence involves black men killing black men in small sections of urban ghettos. You also have latino gangs which account for some as well. The majority of Americans are not even affected. I will say, though, that it's a crying shame it happens in our society. But, American isn't Sweden or Japan - homogeneous societies where there are no large minority groups to create tensions and violence.
Crime in rural America is less than in Europe, when it comes to theft, etc.
Mass shootings only affect less than 100 people a year out of 300,000,000 people. You have a better chance of hitting the lottery. That said, I make no light of gun violence. These mass shootings are still way too many...and embarrassing for our country and society.
There are other types of violence apart from gun violence that kill others (knives, etc).
I think France can be downright dangerous in certains parts of Paris and Marseille. You play around there too long and you'll get a knife in your back. Many of the immigrants in France are extremely volatile and hostile (they frighten me). And there are white men who blow their whole families away with guns over there (one or two already in France this past year or so). Also, some man in France just shot a home invader to death with a firearm with no just cause.
Why do you Europeans act like gun violence is so non-existent in Europe? Remember the Utøya mass murder? Largest mass shooting ever in an industrialized country in recent times. Finland's had a few (Finland has a strong gun culture). Germany has had a few... Be careful when pointing fingers.
Il faut balayer devant ta porte... (Good lesson for Europe .... you think they would have learned that after World War 2.)
Last edited by FrancaisDeutsch; 08-22-2014 at 11:05 PM..
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But it seems like if you are middle class in Canada, you get exposed to less annoyance, incivilities and violence than in France.
And in most parts of the USA, too!
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