Thursday, January 31, 2013

Paris solitude


I found this graffito in the 17th arrondissement  (I don't know why it's written in English) and I found it quite touching. Not only because of the funny drawing they made using the pipe hole (I'm not even sure that's what it is), but also because of the message it carries. I looked up on the Internet and found a few facts and figures: in Paris 600 000 people (about 27% of the population) live by themselves (against 14% for the rest of France). This is due to the fact that there are a lot of students, that most newcomers in France start in Paris and probably because of the increasing number of divorces and widows. And even though there are many activities in a big town, it can also be very difficult to meet people. Some probably regret it, some apparently like it!

14 comments:

  1. And all that came from a hole in the wall which isn't a hole! I wonder what these things are too. I got a bit depressed reading your statistics, but then again, as you say, plenty seem to love it too!

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  2. Experiencing solitude admist the madding crowd - that could be part of the magic of Paris for some

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  3. Perhaps an English-speaking person in Paris feels a little extra solitude, as well.

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  4. Perhaps this message is bittersweet to the person who wrote it....

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  5. Maybe tongue in cheek too? Bittersweet is probably more appropriate.

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  6. What a thought provoking article Eric.... Reminds me of an article in (I think) Le Monde about the incredibly high number of LONE people in France.... not very good, isn't it?!
    I can't even say I'm in the least surprised because I too find that the French really don't care to make friends; they seem to love their solitude in so many ways.
    But your reasoning is right; Paris is - in everything - a very special place. I just spoke with a South African mature student who for a whole month wasn't able to find out about an address in Paris because nobody tried hard enough to help him (his French isn't that great. I just know that in any other country I lived so far, people wd go out of their way to help.
    Thank you for this thoughtful post.

    Et peut-être tu as une traduction du terme 'thought-provoking' - j'ai que: Donner matière à réflexion à quelqu’un... mais je trouve ça un peu lourdeau!

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  7. I love the loneliness of Paris.
    Is that possible it would also sound like : I like the anonymity of Paris? It is true that I like that in Paris. I've never felt so alone in my life than outside of Paris. Except Paris, there's also the sun which never makes me feel bored. In the sunlight, I reconcile my spiritual aspirations and my pagan satisfaction to tan ! lol. In Paris I reconcile my spiritual aspirations and my pagan satisfaction to feel anonymous.
    Now, what about loneliness? I often feel alone myself when I am part of a group of people I know a little bit. I don't often feel alone at all within a group of people I don't know at all... I never feel alone when I keep in mind the very few people I'm close to. Being close to, at the opposite of being lone, means sharings and mutual inputs within shared interests and objectives. That's something feel-able.

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  8. In the U.S. according to the 2010 census, households of one-person living alone increased by 15% from 2000-2010. In 2010, 27% of households were made up of one person living alone.

    This is household data versus the population data that you cite for France, but they are somewhat comparable. I note that the Paris percentage compares to the nation-wide U.S. percentage. It is likely that the percentages are much higher in U.S. cities.

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  9. Anonymous, I agree, there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. I lived alone for many years and was happy that way. Feelings of loneliness come and go.

    Being alone in Paris sounds like it could be delicious, a time of contemplation and exploring. It's something I would enjoy.

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  10. I love having the house all to myself after living with someone (parents, roommate, boyfriend/husband, children for the first 50 or so years of my life! But I'd hate to be totally alone for too long in Paris or anywhere.

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  11. @Jeff " I note that the Paris percentage compares to the nation-wide U.S. percentage. It is likely that the percentages are much higher in U.S. cities." Interesting. I really wonder why it's that different in the States really.

    @Anonymous In fact I'm pretty sure the one who wrote this did mean ": I like the anonymity of Paris?". But we'll never know!

    @Kiki "Et peut-être tu as une traduction du terme 'thought-provoking' - j'ai que: Donner matière à réflexion à quelqu’un... mais je trouve ça un peu lourdeau!" It's not lourdeau ;-) it's just long. Like every translation from English to French! French is not concise at all.

    @Petrea "Perhaps an English-speaking person in Paris feels a little extra solitude, as well." Possibly but not certain as there are a lot of Anglophones in Paris.

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  12. Well, the first thing I thought of was Gilbert Bécaud....."La Solitude ça n'existe pas..."...Love that song...La Solitude one of my favorites, and yes...their is a certain solitude one can experience in Paris that is almost comforting and I have felt it in other cities but usually only in Autumn.

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  13. I agree with you, Eric. I lived in Spain for a few years and spoke only rudimentary Spanish (I studied French and German) and it was wonderful to go out and about and hear the sounds of life simultaneously with a sort of solitude. I often long for that feeling now that I am back in the States amongst my native language (except that I understand more Spanish now)!

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