Garbage piles up on the streets of Paris (Reuters)
Every Tiktok and Instagram addict knows the trend: "Instagram versus reality" videos that show tourist sites as they are usually presented on social networks as dreamy and desirable - compared to the grim reality.
A resident of Paris who usually makes such comparison videos presented in her new video the comparison between Paris, the romantic city of lights, and the real Paris today.
Unlike other videos that mainly come to show that in reality these sites are bursting with tourists and look less good than the popular tourism videos - in this video the reality is definitely bleak in light of the strike of the cleaning workers in the city.
For some time, the locals have been forced to walk through streets full of garbage, dog excrement and rats, as a disgusting reminder of the strike that is taking place in response to the decision of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to raise the retirement age for garbage collectors from 57 to 59 (and the general retirement age from 62 to 64).
In response to the litter that piles up on the city's streets, online content creator Parisian Snobiety created a video that shows what life in Paris looks like today - and it's a far cry from the enviable sights in "Emilie in Paris."
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In the video, two women are seen posing next to a huge pile of trash and a third muttering obscenities as she walks home with her shopping, dodging huge piles of uncollected trash bags.
"Caution, dog poop," she says, "I'm tired, I'm tired of this, I'm tired of this fucking city."
The video was made in collaboration with comedian Julie Colas, famous for her "Instagram versus reality" videos from Paris.
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The video garnered hundreds of comments.
At the top, which concerns the "aesthetics of travel" that ruins everyone's vacation in the illusion that things look better than reality, it is written in reference to the beloved Netflix series "Emily in Paris": "I hope Emily fixes the trash problem in the fourth season."
Another wrote: "Wow my life experience right there!"
And another person wrote: "Well done to you, Macron and Hidalgo (Mayor of Paris). You turned one of the most beautiful cities in the world into a dump."
@raphael_metivet La poubelle ville du monde ??
#paris #parisgreve #paristrike ♬ Mon Soleil (from "Emily in Paris" Soundtrack) - Ashley Park
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For others it was not a matter to be taken lightly.
One wrote: "For the tourists complaining about Paris now, just know that if it's 'ugly' these days, it's because we're trying to make things change here for the better."
The same user added: "So yes, it's not the best time to visit Paris, but we just don't care. It's not Disneyland, it's a city where people live."
Another user wrote: "It turns out that when the invisible workers stop their work, suddenly they are very visible."
Another wrote: "Usually all the workers who were forced to do their jobs during the Corona, now the government is trying to force them to retire later. Go try running behind a truck to pick up garbage at the age of 60+ on the streets of Paris! Fully support the protest."
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