TA getting nasty?

[Jody]

the chronically and terminally sick, unemployed disabled/ mentally ill people when they get sick?

sad to say it is Tough S***!

[sistereurope]

Wow! I never even meant to start a debate over the merits of various international health systems...
I simply wanted to point out that for ME, at least, the direction of my country over the past few years has led me to think that I'd rather trade the pros of a life in these United States over the cons of life in France.
But who knows? Maybe things will get better here soon...

[Anne]

Aug 30, 2008 16:15:59 GMT -5 denise said:

As to TA. I am becoming more and more cynical about posters. Today there was a report of somebody being shot near st Denis on July 24th. Strange the media didn't pick up on it!

The poster had joined TA just to tell us all about it!

If this is true, I am mortified. But this is how cynical I am becoming.

I couldn't resist checking on this post . This is a troll . Gun control is VERY strict in France, and young louts simply don't own guns, that's why the famous 3+ weeks riots in the banlieues in 2005 only led to ONE dead person (and that was by beating, no gun) . Therefore, as Métromole says on TA, tourists being shot at or simply aimed at in the street by a group of thugs, and that in full daylight, would have made HUGE media coverage because it would have been the first time that such a thing happened .
Even the worst banlieues in France, those ruled by gangs, don't look anything like what this guy/woman describes, this is SO gross !
Oh and don't forget the parents beating their children in the streets ...

[toutou]

It is true. Bad things happen everywhere. Also true that certain people like to fabricate 'stuff' to get a reaction. They should be held accountable.

If you are really into self torture, you can read this guy's summary(ies - he's written many) on the ills of French society. Ann may remember many of the incidents he notes as they were widely covered in the press.

I quit reading about 2nd paragraph. Not what you want to read while having your morning coffee. But, these things do happen - everywhere.

www.la-clau.net/blog/dominique-sistach/la-perte-de-lenfance-267

[chicchantal]

Hello Toutou, great to see you on here. I haven't personally had trouble with the TA Paris forum but I really find the London forum unpleasant sometimes. There seem to be a group of regulars, mostly guys, and heaven help you if you disagree with what one of them says. I've really felt hectored a couple of times on there.

Here of course everyone is lovely (except me, I'm a bit of an old trout but you're all kind enough to ignore my troutiness).

Re trouble everywhere, that's quite right. You have to take normal precautions whereever you are. And on TA I find I have to button my lip a lot. There was recently a post on one of the TA Provence forums by someone saying they left all their valuables and documents in their hire car and it caused them a lot of trouble when the car was broken into and the whole lot stolen. You can sympathise with the stress etc but I can't understand why someone would take such a risk at all.

[afds]

I went and checked out the Saint Denis thread, it's really something! I don't know why people would want to waste their time fabricating scary stories, but I suppose it's because it's the end of the summer, vacations are ending, boredom sets in, being a troll looks like fun...
We have a saying here, I can't think of an English equivalent, but it is: "The mother of fools is always expecting", and the more I read the various TAs the more I see it's true.
Chic, I thought the London forum was mild compared to the Paris one. I haven't seen any disembowelling yet or perhaps I've missed something.

[Darcy]

Aug 31, 2008 7:36:20 GMT -5 afds said:

"The mother of fools is always expecting"

I like this, very good!

[chicchantal]

I think the English equivalent is 'there's one born every minute!'

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

CC - you're right, that's the phrase that immediately occurred to me.

AFDS, the most recent nonsense on that thread now is to the effect that this person's anonymous "Parisienne friend" has read all the posts and has confidently opined that everyone who doubts the veracity of the account of the purported shooting incident is crazy.

[Anne]

OMG, went to check the TA thread again : the poster simply admitted that she had forgotten to mention a LITTLE detail, which is that the gun was a paintball one, and that her friend who was shot from behind was not really dead, only mortified !
This doesn't mean that the experience wasn't frightening, I am sure that it was, but this is not quite the same story that she had posted at first ! And then she seems very offended that the other posters accuse her of having falsified the truth ! I am glad that I am staying away from TA France ...

[mossie]

Hilarious, I guess the man with the gun was one of those rude French people who are out to get naive tourists.

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Mossie, don't forget the crowning touch - the offhand observation about French people beating their children in the streets!

[metromole]

«Recently, I read a "destination expert" (or perhaps is was just a frequent poster) who had written a comment that he/she was unable to qualify certain elements of his/here complaint when reporting an inappropriate post. Another expert responded that she was still able to detail her recent complain.»
That may have been me.

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Hi Metro, good to see you back here! Thanks for being a (probably rather lonely) voice of reason "elsewhere" (I see you took on the chore of debunking the latest imaginery B&B by actually going to the address where it supposedly is). I feel really bad for people who are not sufficiently experienced to be skeptical of things they read on the internet - there seems to be some basic assumption that "they" wouldn't let things be written down if not true. And, the crowd over here is considerably more sane than elsewhere (well, most of the time ;D) but we need to hear from those "on the ground" about some of the things that come up.

[Sarastro]

That may have been me.

Perhaps, perhaps not.

As it was I who wrote the initial quote on this board, my observation was to possibly offer an explanation as to why numerous TA posts are deleted and not to call any individual's judgment into question. Certainly, the motives behind some posts are suspect and there is perhaps a strong rational to censor some contributions but I believe far too many comments fall prey to overzealous censorship on the TA French forums. Furthermore, I do not believe mine is the lone voice of frustration and dismay referencing this topic.

More specifically to Metromole, I find your posts informative and interesting and I hope to see more of your insight (and toutou's as well) here on this forum.

Welcome

[ionlydrinkchampagn]

I rarely visit TA Paris anymore because of the trolls who love to pounce on postings, tear them apart, insult, accuse, belittle, berate, self-agrandize, whine, show off, one-up, and simply take all of the fun out of surfing "Paris".

(I like it here...)

[Happygoin]

And we like having you here, ionlydrinkchampagn

[ionlydrinkchampagn]

Merci

[chicchantal]

Although you do tend to hog the champagne