Last week I talked about the symptoms of collective trauma, and they are already playing
out with many Parisians. The city has not gotten back to normal yet, which I do not think is surprising, but some doomsayers are wondering if it ever will be the same.
There are tangible figures indicating that the city as a whole has slowed down. Sure there were the defiant ones who planted themselves on the terraces the few days afterwards as if to prove to the world and the terrorists that nothing could keep Paris down, but the evidence is proving otherwise.
Thursday was Fête du Beaujolais, which is normally a huge annual event here to celebrate the first harvest vinification of new Beaujolais wines. It is quite known to be a raucous wine drenched night on the town, but it was unusually quiet this year, despite a push from restaurants called “tous au bistro”.
Bars and restaurants, who had planned special events to mark the occasion reported a 50% or so reduction in merry makers. Those who showed up, were said to be much more sober faced with little intent to be festive.
I for one, just did not feel like going out this year either. Though I am not crazy about new Beaujolais, it had become a ritual that I did enjoy listening to bands and seeing the crazy antics of the crowds in a party mood.
Certainly there has been across the board cultural impact of fear and unease in general with people preferring to stay home, rather than get out. You hear of mothers afraid to take their children out to see the adorable animated Christmas display windows, put on by Galleries Lafayette, Printemps, and Bon Marché department stores.
All of these stores have noticed a 30 to 50 % reduction in shoppers. This may well reflect also the sudden drop in tourists, as they are all heavily frequented by foreign customers.
Hotels are reeling from a 50% reduction in occupancy, in consequence to cancellations received not only from foreigners, but French planning weekend trips to their capital.
The brand new Paris Philharmonic Hall canceled concerts this past week, and several theatres plays as well. Restaurants are seeing around a 30% reduction in patrons.
Four thousand military were deployed to help protect the city and are seen patrolling subways, train stations, public spaces, commercial centers, and large stores.
Avoidance of the metro has been noticed despite the added protection, with 10% less passengers last Monday and Wednesday. Museums have long been examining purses with x ray, but even to enter into a local large Monoprix I had my bag checked.
Last Saturday at my neighborhood outdoor food market there was a police car parked and surveying, which I found reassuring. Perhaps that helped explain that there were a good number of returning shoppers.
SOS Medecins of Paris, who at any given time, day or night will come to your home for a medical visit(which is wonderful) for a very reasonable fee, said calls having been higher than usual after the attacks.
The uncertainty about their safety has led many to experience insomnia and heightened levels of anxiety. Pharmacies all over the city reported a tremendous increase in sales of over the counter sleep agents and anti anxiety agents.
The most popular anti stress medication here is made from Valerian root, passionflower, hawthorn and black horehound. I often use to recommend valerian root and passion-flower infusion to patients who had very mild anxiety, but was not familiar with the anxiolytic properties of hawthorn berries, nor horehound.
There was also a run on sales of Rescue, which is a popular preparation made from essential oils from various flowers, made by Bach. Many pharmacies are out of stock, till next week.
Rescue’s label lists a bouquet of Rock rose, Impatiens, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem and Cherry Plum; all very pretty flowers macerated in alcohol to obtain this well know tincture. I too have recommended it for short term use in times of acute stress and fear.
Of positive note, as a consequence of the attacks, there has been a resurgence of French nationalistic pride with some writers calling for reclaiming the cultural and Judeo-Christian roots of France.
The commemorative Mass at Notre Dame for the victims was overflowing with the faithful so much, that many had to follow the services outside. Churches in Paris have seen a rise in candles sold and lit in front of various statues of saints, Jesus, and Mother Mary.
Paris has historically recovered from many violent assaults, fires, invasions, occupation and wars. Being the most celebrated city in the world for her beauty and joie de vivre, she will do so again!
Ironically, the written memories of the famous American writer, Ernest Hemingway is helping Parisians remember and push forth the joie de vivre so superbly described in his renown novel: A Moveable Feast.
Sales of his book written when Hemingway lived in Paris during the 1920’s have shot up unexpectedly, making it number one in book sales on French Amazon. You can see several copies propped up amongst the candles in the sidewalk shrines honouring those killed.
Although Parisians throughout history have long exalted their beautiful city in song and prose, perhaps the sublime feelings of an American in Paris in the prime of his youth was needed to resonate the simple yet monumental sensual pleasures that Paris reeks in the air like heavy perfume through black lace, and the frivolities that are the heart of this magnificent city of light.
“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.”
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Earnest Hemingway.
Not only does Paris stay with you, but I am a living testimony that it sometimes brings you back to stay!
One of my favorite Biblical saying is”: “And this too shall pass”. Nothing lasts forever; and in time things will return to being more normal. Although I think that there will be problems with potential fanatical suicide attacks for a long time. On NPR – National Public Radio yesterday and this morning there was talk about how business and tourism were down in France, and Europe in general. That is to be expected for a while.
My grandson is in a H.S. band , and they are participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. A couple of parents have pulled their children’s participation in the parade due to their concerns about potential terrorists attacks. It is just a new concern for parents to be confronted with. My grandson is going to the parade; we can’t all suddenly holed up in fear from potential terrorist actions. TSA and Homeland Security really are not that effective; they seem to fail about 90% of their inspections; but , as expensive as it is, it gives the public the sense of protection.
It is somewhat amazing how a few radical terrorist can thriw an entire society and government into massively expensive responses .
Personally, I support limited “boots on the ground” actions and the total decimation of the ISIS and other radical groups via massive saturation bombing and actions. Most of the refugees should be returned to their homeland . . . . admittedly they will be hard pressed to recover in decimated cities and villages; but then perhaps they should have resisted the radicals earlier on. “Life is not fair”; that is just a reality of life. I think that these people should be required to resolve the problems in their homelands.
It seems to be mostly a cultural problem with the Islamist. Their rather rote “praying five times a day” seems to be more akin to conditioned “brain washing”. They consider all European and American people to be “infidels”; and have no respect or regard for the. So, why should the Europeans or Americans take them into their countries?
As reported in the national broadcast news, the USA spent OVER a HALF BILLION in training programs to help train the Muslims . . . . and for a HALF BILLION DOLLAR program, only approximately SIX of the trainees completed the course . . . . The problems are cultural and religious in nature. If these people will not defend their homeland, then what type of “citizens” will they be in European countries???
Almost everone has great empathy, sympathy, and concern for the refugee children, elederly, and the wives and mothers; however, if their men will not fight to protect them from the terrorists, and shirk programs to help them, then what type of people are the refugees?. Transporting their “plights’ into European countries does NOT resolve their cultral and religious problems. There is the old saying that “God helps those who help themselves . . . . ”
The biggest problems and failures to date have been the Muslim men’s willingness and ability to fight for their families and their homeland. While I am, at best, agnostic; it seems to me that the most basic problems in all of this abject FAILURE of both their religion culture. In spite of any potential empathy and sympathy for the refugees, how rational is it for European countries to “take in” one or two million Muslims consider the Europeans to be worthless infidels”??? Isn’t that just importing potential cultural and terrorist type problems for the future??? They may say that they are “grateful”; but underneath it all, they consider Europeans to be worthless, less than human, INFIDELS. Taking in the refugees is merely spreading the cultural and terrorist problems throughout Europe. +
While most of the Muslims will be peaceable enough individuals, there will be a percentage of radical extremists amongst them; and future children are always a source of potential candidates as terrorists, esp. if they feel alienated and disenfranchised amongst the society. As was seen, almost all of the recent terrorists were “home grown” terrorists, native to either France or Belgium It only required something like six or eight individuals to pull off the terror attacks in Paris . . . and that is out of a million or two Muslims.
The USA has problems with 12 – 18 million illegal aliens, and all of the crimes committed and the expenses of social services, welfare, healthcare, education, law enforcement, incarceration, etc. Open borders are a nice concept” in the ideal world; but not in times of massive numbers of refugees fleeing wars and strife. There is no easy answer. However, I do think that a nations citizens have the right to protect their way of life and the stability and standard of living in their nation.
Tourism was always a major industry and source of income for the Middle Eastern countries, now that is undoubtedly barely a fraction of what it used to be; and has had a ripple effect throughout those countries. Now Europe is experiencing a substantial decline in tourism, which will have ripple effects throughout their economies. A substantial number of people will not travel to high risks areas. So, all of this may have a long term impact on tourism and the economies of the European countries if the terrorists cannot be curtailed; and that doesn’t seem too likely at the moment.
Altruism and the desire to help the refuges has to be balanced with the impact on the countries well being socially and economically for its citizens. There will always be wars and conflicts, and refugees of sorts. Do we destabilize the advanced countries to assist the refugees . . . . and in doing so destabilize or undermine their economies and societies? Expenditures on military conflicts, and for security measures are NOT productive ventures for societies. The world economy is already is bad enough condition due to the previous financial disasters. Now the economies are being drained by security measures, loss of business, costs of refugee assistance, etc., etc., etc.
It reminds me of the saying about “You can feed a man for a day or teach him how to fish (or farm, etc.)” The refugees need to rebuild their countries and societies; but that will rquire cultrual and religious changes. . . . the U.S. ALREADY spent a HALF BILLION DOLLARS in that training program Iraq, and it only produced something like SIX (6) fully trained Iraqi soldiers . . . ..these people have to help themselves or nothing can be improved for them. Absorbing them into other countries is NOT going to be a term solution.
Thank you David for your very detailed input, which is always well described with multiple examples relating to the information presented. Frankly, I could not have written anything with the preciseness that you have incorporated in your reply. I really appreciate your very informed feedback with information that I was not aware. The half billion dollars spent on training citizens of Iraq to protect their homeland, is a another sad and really dismal reality of the US’s lack of comprehension of the cultural and religious implications inherent that do not allow them to fully embrace, nor desire our help.
Our visions of a democratic society can not fit into the fabric of the many tribal cohesions that have played a part of Arabic society for eons. Therefore we have stirred up a wasp’s nest of resentment, anger and revenge in the middle east that is now overshadowing the occidental world.
I do have concerns as well as many here in France, who are afraid of voicing their fears out of being called racist, that assimilation is not the total aim nor desire of a percentage of Muslims, who are growing and influencing vulnerable French youth to bring about, establish and replace European Judeo Christian values with fundamentalistic Islamic tenets.
Prayers for peace and healing for the people of the city of light …
the moveable feast. Hugs to you my dear Cherry.
Thank you sweet Anne for your comment and prayers. Hugs and love to you!