They Say Bonjour

Lloyd Garver reports on his recent trip to France, and on "Whatever happened to 'Good Morning' in America":

I particularly remember all of the friendly bonjours I would receive every day in Paris. You don't get those "good mornings" here in America.

Since I've been back home, I've tried giving other walkers smiles and greetings just as I did in France. The results haven't been all that good [...] I remember how all those strangers in Paris greeting me each morning put a smile on my face [...] The French know what they're doing when it comes to things like bread and cheese. Maybe they know what they're doing when it comes to "good morning", too [more]

It's nice to read, but let's face it, it's not all that rosy in Paris/France. Try smiling and saying bonjour to someone on the métro for instance -- good luck. And here, you do get "Hi, how are you?" from complete strangers every day. But it's true that there's some uneasy, P.C. tension in America. It's difficult to be friendly without gravitas towards someone of the opposite sex, or from a different race. France is more sex and color blind.