A Political Question

One of the pleasures (as well as the negatives) of running Bonjour Paris is the feedback we receive. We want to know what our readers are thinking. In an attempt to satisfy most of the people all of the time, emails are welcome. We respond to as many as we possibly can.

This week we received the following email: “I’ve spent quite a bit of time at your web site and am impressed with what you write and with your entrepreneurial spirit. I also have a question. Is your paid newsletter geared toward tourists? Or do you also provide some political sense of what’s going on (and no, I do not mean in Sarkozy’s private life). Do you cover where your  adopted country’s populace is, why the riots appear to be instantly flammable or whether or not Americans have any business visiting if they’re only tourists?”

This email was intriguing enough that I called the author who lives in Massachusetts. We discussed it and I had to concede that some of our “premium” columns are tourist oriented while others certainly aren’t. The $34.95 Enrollment Fee covers a tiny portion of what it costs to create and house Bonjour Paris.

As for her other inquiries — France isn’t unique when it comes to immigration and illiteracy problems. The current government has vowed to make changes but the population has to be willing to participate. Collecting unemployment isn’t the answer. The coffers will dry up much sooner than later.

As for the “riots,” yes, they are serious and disturbing. But they take place in neighborhoods where tourists rarely (or shouldn’t)  venture. And often, the press is to blame. Bad news sells, and all too often, if there weren’t cameras rolling, the “riot” and/or demonstrations would be short-lived.

Regarding some of the other non-touristy questions, our readers would benefit a great deal by accessing our Discussion Board.  There are different takes regarding (what should be) the same experiences. The people who post are generous when it comes to answering questions and sharing knowledge. Even though our staff likes to think we know everything about France, its laws, people’s attitudes, these are moving targets.  It would be  arrogant for us to pretend we have all of the answers.

So many of the questions we receive focus on moving to Paris and France: real estate, the dollar versus the Euro (let’s not go there) and how to obtain residency papers (or whether or not those documents are necessary). The BP staff sincerely wants to help but we aren’t lawyers and can’t take that type of liability. We’re willing to share names of ones, though, as well as doctors, dentists and Indian chiefs. But it’s up to you to decide whether or not that person fulfills your personal needs.

In this world of galloping globalization, what was true just ten years ago no longer is valid. One of the reasons is the introduction of the Internet that is spreading  like wildfire throughout the developed world. Within seconds, people can access all types of information no matter where they’re located. Even though France trailed the US in accepting the World Wide Web, they’ve more than made up for it.  If anything, there’s an overabundance of information; some of it isn’t always accurate.

The above creates an added challenge when it comes to Bonjour Paris’s mission. It’s changed some of the ways we approach the Site, which is one of the reasons we do seek our readers’ input. We don’t mind being corrected if, indeed, a reader finds an error in something we’ve written.  (Just another reason to visit our Discussion Boards… sometimes these debates are heated, sometimes humorous, and always, always enlightening!)

We welcome the New Year with you… Happy 2008!

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