I am curious how the influx of Americans is going to affect European immigration policies writ large in the next few years. Will having cash be sufficient to "become" European? We saw it in Portugal for a while, and now Spain has some slippery loopholes, but France seems to be more stringent than most. This is the paradox of a country that folks like you and me have come to love: we like being here because it remains distinctly French, and yet part of that distinct Frenchness comes with a host of problematic ideas about who is and isn't allowed or supposed to assimilate.
Hey Samuel, sorry I let this commentary slip down. This is such important and important question and I don't honestly know the answer. Let's call it the Emily in Paris Paradox. Maybe I'll ask my network in the form of a restack.
As a Brit in France I’d make a couple of comments:
I think the French are fine with incomers that love France and want to integrate; enjoy the Frenchness, appreciate and copy the way of life and, over time, at least try to learn French. If you make the effort, you will be welcomed.
Obviously if you come to France and want to change them and the way they like to do things, whether it is a Muslim trying to impose Sharia, or an American trying to tell them to be more American, then they will ignore you or, ultimately, tell you to fuck off, though usually much more politely than I would in their position!
In my experience of meeting many Americans in France, half of them can’t stand it, can’t or won’t adjust, and leave within 18 months. They miss the American food (???), the French laid-back culture drives them crazy, and they refuse to even learn the basics of French language. Good riddance.
Those that stay soon find they can never go back to America. For the open minded and adaptable it is addictive, although far from perfect in the more annoying details of admin and corporate culture.
As for France being changed by Americans…… in your dreams! ‘Frenchness’ is rock solid, founded on an absolute belief that France is the greatest culture in the world, and the French are the only truly civilised people in the world. They may criticise their own country and politicians, but will defend it with their lives!
And more liberal Americans have been finding sanctuary in France for a hundred years or more. I recall reading the story of American jazz musiciens who played in Paris in the 1920’s and 30’s, and couldn’t understand how they suffered zero racism and discrimination here, so could play to mixed audiences, and even have both black and white musiciens on stage playing together!. (They were black and in America banned from white venues, and whites were banned from black clubs).
I shall leave those Americans thinking of coming to Europe to work out for yourselves if you will be the kind to be welcomed or rejected!
Love it. Thanks for the thoughtful and thorough comment. I've been here for fifteen years and I knew I'd live here the rest of my life after about 2 years. You're spot on re: the jazz artists who migrated here in the 1920s, and of course all of the other artists like Stein / Hemingway / Fitzgerald who flirted with French life (Stein was the only one who actually adapted to its workings), followed by Richard Wright in 1946, James Baldwin in 1948, Beauford Delaney in the mid-1950s ... the list goes on.
A general rule of thumb I've seen in this city over my 15 years here is that the 1 year / 3 year / 5 year trials are usually where most folks either dip or are in it for the long haul. Here's to being a shuffling elder down the Rue Saint Maur, remembering how much a baguette used to cost back in our day.
There has been a steady influx of Americans for decades, often illegally staying in France beyond their tourist visas. Racially, most are white-passing enough to not be bothered in their daily life by French police’s racist profiling. Economically, most are rich enough to be able to stick to white-collar crime, i.e. the least enforced and least severely punished type of crime in France. Very few are practising Muslims, so they won’t show up on France’s Islamophobic radars either. So France doesn’t see them as a problem, doesn’t want to anger Uncle Sam more than it needs to, and will gladly take those Americans legally or will just tolerate them. The main visible signal will be a surge in social media posts by white Americans posting about how mean people were to them at the Préfecture. Those of us who have dealt with US immigration as foreigners, but who have busy lives, will roll our eyes and move on. I for one welcome anyone who is ready to fight for Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.
I agree with your comments - if you fit in, get on with a peaceful French life and stay away from the troublemakers, the French gendarmes and authorities will know who you are but ignore you to get on with it.
I realised the other day that in total I have now spent 20 years in different places in France. I have been stopped by gendarmes twice, once on a motorbike and once in a car in general 'show your papers' type traffic stops in the tourist season, and with little hassle.i suspect it might be less easy if you are non-white though.
Most American (and indeed English) immigrants are way less likely to ever get stopped compared to people who have been French citizens for generations, but are perceived as Africans.
As a white pedestrian in Paris, I am only ever stopped if I am clearly and visibly doing something that might be a crime. The main exception in recent years has been the Olympics Opening Ceremony, where just being on the upper banks of the Seine with a valid pass suddenly became a crime, and I was stopped 5 times 😊
I had a friend in the South of France, originally one of the Brits of Indian heritage that were expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin, and he made millions in America in commodity trading and 'retired' at 38 to the Cote d'Azur. He drove a new BMW 5 series and, with his Indian looks, was generally assumed by the gendarmes to have stolen it!
He was stopped pretty much every time he passed a police car, until he had his lawyer write to every gendarmerie in the region, circulating his 'mugshot' and threatening a court case for every unjustified stop. I used to tease him that he was now the best known 'criminal' on the Cote d'Azur, quite a thing in that 'Sunny place for shady people" as quoted by Graham Greene.
On the other hand, I do understand that with Schengen and open EU borders, their policing job is almost impossible and they must feel that they are swamped. It is, I think, instructive that a system designed for freedom of movement (Schengen) also results in pressures for increasing surveillance and techno-monitoring. I have previously mentioned that the safest place, Monaco, is the one with what is boasted to be the most comprehensive and intrusive public and resident monitoring system anywhere in the world.
This is a great point, and I myself know a few Americans who think the same rules don't apply to them as other immigrants and sadly, they tend to be right.
It reminds me of James Baldwin's essay "Equals in Paris," where for the first time he recognizes what it actually means to be a privileged American. Destitute in France but armed with an American passport, when Baldwin is arrested for a trivial affair of a stolen hotel bedsheet (Baldwin was arrested alongside another American whose skin color was lighter than Baldwin's), Baldwin is convinced that there must be a mistake, and that the North Africans in prison are the "real" criminals, because he, being an American, really shouldn't be there. It's a humbling essay for him and for us. American exceptionalism really does apply to Americans *in general* when it comes to traveling the world. That perception, however, is changing rapidly given the new administration.
Yep, some of the most law-breaking individuals I know in Paris are white Americans, and they're very chill about it 😁 The Baldwin story still rings true to this day: I remember Black French friends who would pretend to be Americans whenever they got stopped by the French police, because African Americans got treated better once identified as such. English literacy was very low in the French police at the time, and my friends' practiced lines, sometimes straight out of "Yo! MTV Raps" worked quite well.
I am curious how the influx of Americans is going to affect European immigration policies writ large in the next few years. Will having cash be sufficient to "become" European? We saw it in Portugal for a while, and now Spain has some slippery loopholes, but France seems to be more stringent than most. This is the paradox of a country that folks like you and me have come to love: we like being here because it remains distinctly French, and yet part of that distinct Frenchness comes with a host of problematic ideas about who is and isn't allowed or supposed to assimilate.
Hey Samuel, sorry I let this commentary slip down. This is such important and important question and I don't honestly know the answer. Let's call it the Emily in Paris Paradox. Maybe I'll ask my network in the form of a restack.
As a Brit in France I’d make a couple of comments:
I think the French are fine with incomers that love France and want to integrate; enjoy the Frenchness, appreciate and copy the way of life and, over time, at least try to learn French. If you make the effort, you will be welcomed.
Obviously if you come to France and want to change them and the way they like to do things, whether it is a Muslim trying to impose Sharia, or an American trying to tell them to be more American, then they will ignore you or, ultimately, tell you to fuck off, though usually much more politely than I would in their position!
In my experience of meeting many Americans in France, half of them can’t stand it, can’t or won’t adjust, and leave within 18 months. They miss the American food (???), the French laid-back culture drives them crazy, and they refuse to even learn the basics of French language. Good riddance.
Those that stay soon find they can never go back to America. For the open minded and adaptable it is addictive, although far from perfect in the more annoying details of admin and corporate culture.
As for France being changed by Americans…… in your dreams! ‘Frenchness’ is rock solid, founded on an absolute belief that France is the greatest culture in the world, and the French are the only truly civilised people in the world. They may criticise their own country and politicians, but will defend it with their lives!
And more liberal Americans have been finding sanctuary in France for a hundred years or more. I recall reading the story of American jazz musiciens who played in Paris in the 1920’s and 30’s, and couldn’t understand how they suffered zero racism and discrimination here, so could play to mixed audiences, and even have both black and white musiciens on stage playing together!. (They were black and in America banned from white venues, and whites were banned from black clubs).
I shall leave those Americans thinking of coming to Europe to work out for yourselves if you will be the kind to be welcomed or rejected!
Love it. Thanks for the thoughtful and thorough comment. I've been here for fifteen years and I knew I'd live here the rest of my life after about 2 years. You're spot on re: the jazz artists who migrated here in the 1920s, and of course all of the other artists like Stein / Hemingway / Fitzgerald who flirted with French life (Stein was the only one who actually adapted to its workings), followed by Richard Wright in 1946, James Baldwin in 1948, Beauford Delaney in the mid-1950s ... the list goes on.
A general rule of thumb I've seen in this city over my 15 years here is that the 1 year / 3 year / 5 year trials are usually where most folks either dip or are in it for the long haul. Here's to being a shuffling elder down the Rue Saint Maur, remembering how much a baguette used to cost back in our day.
I still remember a day when you could find a croissant for under 1 euro in Paris...Alas!
There has been a steady influx of Americans for decades, often illegally staying in France beyond their tourist visas. Racially, most are white-passing enough to not be bothered in their daily life by French police’s racist profiling. Economically, most are rich enough to be able to stick to white-collar crime, i.e. the least enforced and least severely punished type of crime in France. Very few are practising Muslims, so they won’t show up on France’s Islamophobic radars either. So France doesn’t see them as a problem, doesn’t want to anger Uncle Sam more than it needs to, and will gladly take those Americans legally or will just tolerate them. The main visible signal will be a surge in social media posts by white Americans posting about how mean people were to them at the Préfecture. Those of us who have dealt with US immigration as foreigners, but who have busy lives, will roll our eyes and move on. I for one welcome anyone who is ready to fight for Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.
I agree with your comments - if you fit in, get on with a peaceful French life and stay away from the troublemakers, the French gendarmes and authorities will know who you are but ignore you to get on with it.
I realised the other day that in total I have now spent 20 years in different places in France. I have been stopped by gendarmes twice, once on a motorbike and once in a car in general 'show your papers' type traffic stops in the tourist season, and with little hassle.i suspect it might be less easy if you are non-white though.
Indeed, racially motivated stops are systemic in France, so even people who get on with a peaceful French life and stay away from the troublemakers can get stopped multiple times per day: https://www.amnesty.fr/focus/quest-ce-que-le-controle-au-facies#:~:text=Un%20contr%C3%B4le%20d'identit%C3%A9%20%22au,ill%C3%A9gaux%20car%20ils%20sont%20discriminatoires.
Most American (and indeed English) immigrants are way less likely to ever get stopped compared to people who have been French citizens for generations, but are perceived as Africans.
As a white pedestrian in Paris, I am only ever stopped if I am clearly and visibly doing something that might be a crime. The main exception in recent years has been the Olympics Opening Ceremony, where just being on the upper banks of the Seine with a valid pass suddenly became a crime, and I was stopped 5 times 😊
I had a friend in the South of France, originally one of the Brits of Indian heritage that were expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin, and he made millions in America in commodity trading and 'retired' at 38 to the Cote d'Azur. He drove a new BMW 5 series and, with his Indian looks, was generally assumed by the gendarmes to have stolen it!
He was stopped pretty much every time he passed a police car, until he had his lawyer write to every gendarmerie in the region, circulating his 'mugshot' and threatening a court case for every unjustified stop. I used to tease him that he was now the best known 'criminal' on the Cote d'Azur, quite a thing in that 'Sunny place for shady people" as quoted by Graham Greene.
On the other hand, I do understand that with Schengen and open EU borders, their policing job is almost impossible and they must feel that they are swamped. It is, I think, instructive that a system designed for freedom of movement (Schengen) also results in pressures for increasing surveillance and techno-monitoring. I have previously mentioned that the safest place, Monaco, is the one with what is boasted to be the most comprehensive and intrusive public and resident monitoring system anywhere in the world.
This is a great point, and I myself know a few Americans who think the same rules don't apply to them as other immigrants and sadly, they tend to be right.
It reminds me of James Baldwin's essay "Equals in Paris," where for the first time he recognizes what it actually means to be a privileged American. Destitute in France but armed with an American passport, when Baldwin is arrested for a trivial affair of a stolen hotel bedsheet (Baldwin was arrested alongside another American whose skin color was lighter than Baldwin's), Baldwin is convinced that there must be a mistake, and that the North Africans in prison are the "real" criminals, because he, being an American, really shouldn't be there. It's a humbling essay for him and for us. American exceptionalism really does apply to Americans *in general* when it comes to traveling the world. That perception, however, is changing rapidly given the new administration.
Yep, some of the most law-breaking individuals I know in Paris are white Americans, and they're very chill about it 😁 The Baldwin story still rings true to this day: I remember Black French friends who would pretend to be Americans whenever they got stopped by the French police, because African Americans got treated better once identified as such. English literacy was very low in the French police at the time, and my friends' practiced lines, sometimes straight out of "Yo! MTV Raps" worked quite well.
I very enjoyed reading all of your comments! Thanks for the lively discussion.