Originally Posted by KLouis
How many people fitting this description have been hurt? And one more thing, do we all now have to wear Lacoste? And finally, if it is not dangerous, what is unwise about it?
My dear Klouis,
There is no need to be aggressive. I am French, I travel to the States very often and I have many American friends who have been mugged in France because they tend to get lost and to be so ***obvious***. AND this is not a racial slur--simply a remark on body language, dress, tone and pitch of voice, etc. Moreover some of the hooligans are Muslims and are are violently anti-American and anti-British. They are anti-everybody to tell the truth (they even torched a handicapped person some days ago on a bus)
It is all a problem of risk evaluation--you would be silly to flash a gold & diamonds Rolex in the South Bronx--and you would be equally silly to flash your laptop, your expensive clothes and your American passport in the RER in the suburbs of Paris.
I think it is irresponsible to ***advise*** foreign travellers to use the RER in the suburbs NOW. I shall always be grateful to a lady of the night who told my wife, my 3 children and myself "You don't want to be here" when one evening about 15 years ago we were blithely walking down the bad part of Market in SF.
As human beings it is our duty to protect others as much as we can.