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The so called gay conversion therapy is a complete load of tosh, do you think a stright person could have some sort of therapy to make them gay? Of course not... No one chooses to be gay & no, not everyone likes being gay, but you are what you are & you have to deal with that...
Growing up I always knew I was gay & I tried to fight it, but once I got to a certain age I accepted that that's how I was. Luckily for the younger generation being gay isn't the stigma that it once was & people can be much more open about themselves. That said I'm not a whistle blowing, flag waving gay myself. I have not been near a gay bar in about 15 years, don't feel the need to shout about what I am. I am gay but it isn't my whole being, just a tiny part of who I am, it doesn't define me & most people have no idea that I am & why should they, it's no one elses business anyway...
This is entirely personal and subjective, but I've found the mindset to be completely different. Paris embodies everything I hate about France. Not only the quality of life is highly mediocre; people are also extremely rude, pretentious, very hard to talk to, and their idea of having fun on a Friday night is gathering in piss smelling cocktail bars to complain about their boss. It's also very backwards (e.g in terms of transport, the metro is a gateway to Hell, taxis are atrocious), completely dead on Sundays with 95% shops closed, and everyone just staying home watching TV or walking their dog or going to a hipster expo, and there's an atmosphere of lingering despair and defeat which has been compounded by the November terrorist attacks (I was there in December and it was worse than ever). Nightlife is absolutely pathetic for a city of that size (even Nice is far better, with a population more than 10 times smaller) and people have no idea how to have fun except for incredibly boring house parties full of cocaine fueled posh girls delivering endless monologues about their PhD in philosophy.
While I find this saddening description a tad caricatural*, I must admit that there is a lot of truth to it except from the bolded part. I've been there three times since the attacks, including a week long stay and haven't noticed much of a change. It's business as usual and, as you so eloquently stressed, it's bad enough as it is. As dunno hinted, the center is incredibly stale for a city of its size. Imho, the city center should be where things should happen, evolve. It's basically a showcase, and Paris' showcase is that of a city that is stuck in a time warp, an idea that I find erroneous if one considers the whole urban area. While there is no shortage of places to go, the relative popularity of house parties means that streets are often dead past a certain hour. I was in London a few days ago and as always I was baffled by the amount of pedestrian activity in the West End, particularly around Soho. In my experience, even tiny "suburban" centers like, say, Putney, don't have their equivalent in Parisian suburbs, except for Saint Denis.
*The frequency with which you find yourself partaking in one of those dreaded house parties full of stuck up people highly depends on your frequentations. And while the Metro might be a gateway to hell, but I'd say you get what you pay for. I would be less tolerant if such a service came to the price of a Tube ticket.
And yeah, Paris must be among the most challenging places to fit into in France if you don't have any acquaintances there and aren't prepared to face the particular mindset, I reckon the Riviera is up there with the capital (and Alsace, from what I've heard). At least the first two have an advantage in common, there aren't that many "true" locals, so you're not alone.
In my experience, even tiny "suburban" centers like, say, Putney, don't have their equivalent in Parisian suburbs, except for Saint Denis.
If the media has painted an accurate picture of Saint Denis, then it's nothing like Putney!
One of my friends lives in Putney and commutes to St Pauls. You'll have a lot more chance finding something in zone 2/3 and commuting in, than trying to find something for £800 pcm in the City!
Sorry it was unclear, I was merely talking about pedestrian activity, not referring to the overall vibe. But no, I don't find the sensationalist articles almost equating St Denis to a war zone accurate.
Sorry it was unclear, I was merely talking about pedestrian activity, not referring to the overall vibe. But no, I don't find the sensationalist articles almost equating St Denis to a war zone accurate.
Also the 2nd paragraph of my post was directed at dhdh, I'm not sure why I added it to the quote, lol.
13 F / -11C outside this morning. Finally some real cold.
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