le rugby ou le matrix

Paris is a big crowded city with narrow sidewalks and a lot of foot traffic. So, when walking around the city, I try to make my way without unnecessarily running into or over anyone. I have come to find, however, that the same courtesy is typically not being offered to me.

After about a month and a half of this, I was getting pretty tired of it so I did a little experiment where I just walked straight ahead to see if anyone would get out of my way. The results of my unscientific experiment were mixed. Some people moved, but only at the very last moment. Most, either stubbornly stood their ground or were simply indifferent to my presence, at least until the moment of collision.



That, too, was interesting because the results were mixed as well. A lot of people simply kept right on walking without saying a word. Many, however, felt the need to stop me or say something in passing. This just adds to the hostility and aggression I feel here so I decided to go back to avoiding people but sometimes I just want to...

Last week, after being bumped into several times by people who didn't even acknowledge my existence, I asked my friend Flora about this phenomenon as we negotiated foot traffic in the metro and then at Les Halles (a big shopping center).

She said she agreed with me and that French people (she is French btw but from Grenoble) and especially Parisians seem to be concerned mostly with what is going on with them. They are kind of stuck in their own worlds and not really too concerned with getting out of someone's way. She said that there were two choices that you could make when encountering the hordes here in Paris: "Thomas, soit tu fais le rugby, soit tu fais le matrix." At first I didn't understand but I am sure you she where she is going: run into them or get out of the way like Keanu Reaves dodging a bullet. She added that the choice usually depends on how you are feeling that particular day.






I've been watching attentively this last week and it seems that most people choose Keanu. The problem I was having is that I was trying to get out of the way too early. Having made my more too early but not knowing it, I was surprised that others were making no move and felt aggressed. Now I know that I wasn't even giving them the chance to make their move. It still isn't intuitive but I am learning.