Have you ever heard about Paris syndrome? I'd never heard the word until my American friend Matt mentioned it to me. It's a feeling of extremely disappointment when people who have really high expectation about Paris visit there. In particular, it's said that young Japanese women in their 20's to 30's from wealthy families are more likely to be affected. In 1991, a Japanese psychiatrist introduced the term in his book, and it has been known over the world since then. I can imagine that some people build up an idealized image of Paris in their minds, and when they face to the reality, they struggle to accept the gap between their expectations and what they actually experience. It relates to a very strong culture shock.
I don't think having extremely high expectation is a great idea, but I believe that most of people have had similar experiences even if they have never experienced like Paris syndrome. I've visited Paris when I was a college student. It was dirty and people in Paris weren't nice to me. They didn't speak any single English word. Even so, I enjoyed looking around lots of famous museums. Probably, I didn't have super high expectation about Paris and I'm not from a wealthy family, and that's why I never experienced that kind of disappointment.
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title: Paris Syndrome
Thank you as always!
I'm familiar with Paris Syndrome. I'd say it applies to Chinese people too. The Paris you visited as a college student is nothing like the Paris of today. I'd take arrogant, snobby Parisians who don't speak English any day over the new generations of "Parisians."
Immigration has turned one of the most beatiful cities in the world—if not the most beautiful—into a third-world enclave. If the media showed the truth about Paris, nobody in their right mind would want to go, let alone romanticize the city. This isn't the 1800s anymore. But then again, the whole world saw what happened in 2015, yet millions of people still flock there every year.
@Simone- Thank you for the comment. I've heard about Paris from some of my friends who've been there, so I don't surprise at your comment.
When the Notre-Dame Cathedral was burned, I was shocked. San Francisco also has changed a lot. It also makes me feel very sad. London too. I don't go to Tokyo so often, but I'm sure it also has changed a lot. Milan as well. We can't stop. I'd love to go back to Paris to visit more museums someday.