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of the French population, of Parisians of different races and
religions, of newcomers to their city and to the ideas of the
new millennium that will affect their lives.
But they also live in a time when half of the marriages in
France end in divorce and where their friends often don't
choose the option of marriage at all. Abortion is legal. Real
estate prices are high and jobs are scarce. They know that the
political and economic realities of the uncertain 21st century
influence their futures. Competition is fierce, so they must
pay attention and learn. Some of these people are ambitious
young professionals who may well, eventually, bring about
change to the hierarchical, top-down structure of French
society. And others, even young shopkeepers and clerks, will
perhaps start businesses of their own that cater to the needs
of future generations, broadening the definition of what it is
to be both modern and French.
As for their parents, they perpetuate the stereotype that,
while knowing it is necesary, the French don't like change.
They worry that foreign cultures—pervasive American
commercialism and even the different cultures of their
confrères in the European Union—are infiltrating their own.
They see their children as being too influenced by external
ideas that don't reflect the traditions they revere. There's also
too much uncertainty all around. Knowing that globalisation
is inevitable, and even understanding that, in many ways,
they are benefitting from greater opportunities, they still
don't like all this newness one bit. If you talk to these older
Parisians—even on a beautiful sunny day on the terrace of
a charming café—they'll tell you that everything in their city
is going from bad to worse.
And they too wonder who Parisians are these days. As
described in Chapter Two, Paris is no longer a city of only
'Parisians'. Some 13 per cent of 'Parisians' are foreigners,
i.e., about 300,000 out of 2.3 million, including a large North
African influx from the former colonies of France. Others
include citizens of EU countries who may now live in any EU
country they choose. It's also estimated that some 100,000
English speakers live in the Paris area, some of whom are
employees of international corporations or embassies, here
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