Why boycott Paris 2024?

Between a Europe ready for war, the USA where the fear of the return of Trump is growing day by day, and the upcoming Olympic Games in France, for which we can expect a resounding failure in terms of spectator/tourist attendance for numerous reasons that we will describe here. Firstly, Paris has long ceased to be the idealized Paris of Hollywood movies or specialized magazines. Indeed, while it’s easy to take beautiful aerial photos of Paris or certain monuments, returning to ground level reveals a very different reality. Paris is now a city of very poor hygiene, heavily polluted, overcrowded with vehicles, and with streets that are difficult to navigate. There are hundreds of pickpockets in the most touristy areas, prices that will be doubled or even tripled in restaurants and hotels, rampant poverty due to inflation caused by European policy, inadequate security largely provided by private companies lacking competence, and the risk of terrorist attacks at its highest level due to current events. These are all reasons why, if you are truly interested in sports, you would be much better off watching from the comfort and safety of your television rather than being on-site.

One can even question the validity of the Olympic Games in general, as they force countries to build very expensive infrastructure that is never profitable, exacerbate all forms of nationalism, and are overly political. Does all of this still make sense today in a globalized society where borders are increasingly virtual and cultures are blending? Probably not. Regarding France, many music festivals will not take place this year due to lack of funding, as in France funding mainly comes from the state and regions, with everything being done for years to undermine culture because, for French politicians, art makes people think and is therefore harmful to European objectives, just as the level of education has drastically declined over the past forty years for the same reasons. This is why French society as a whole is now unbalanced, and various services such as hospitals, postal services, and others are functioning very poorly. Budget restrictions, service closures—everything is done to keep the population in the worst conditions possible.

It’s difficult, when one is aware of all this, to have the desire to visit such a country… Unless you’re a perfect adventurer.

However, there remain some amusing traditions, such as April Fool’s Day, where one can play all sorts of jokes on anyone. Often, children draw a fish on a piece of paper, which they then cut out and stick with a small piece of tape on the back of their friends, parents, or even their teacher. This tradition dates back to the year 1460 or 1466, as recorded in the writings of Pierre :sentence “donner un poisson d’avril,’ which means ‘to trick someone into undertaking a pointless task in order to mock them.”

Thierry De Clemensat

Editor in Chief

Bayou Blue Radio/Bayou Blue News