What I've Learned in Two Months Living in Nantes, France
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- I moved to Nantes 2 months ago. Life in France is definitely different from life in Seattle, but how? What makes it different? Join me to talk about how Nantes got to this point and how, with your help, your hometown will too.
#lifeinfrance #citylife #urbanism
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For folks commenting on Nantes being a center of criminality, the Minister of the Interior collects national statistics on crime indicators in France. For nearly every indicator, Loire-Atlantique and Nantes are at or below the national average. In several indicators, Nantes is also not even the leading commune in Loire-Atlantique. Crime exists everywhere - even in Nantes, but not to the extent that some comments imply Data set & interactive map can be found here: www.data.gouv.fr/fr/reuses/delinquance-enregistree-au-niveau-departemental-et-communal/
It's because the situation changed a lot in a few years, it was much safer not long ago and we all grieve it. I'm not from Nantes but all main cities in the west of France has seen it happen. I'm from Lorient and it's the same, I just moved to Rennes and it's okay with me but people who have lived here for a long time have the same frustration about their city.
You shouldn't compare it to national statistics, but compare it with the past instead. Nantes used to be seen as a pleasant and peaceful place, now it's just average in a country that has become the most dangerous in Europe.
The change was very quick and people are shocked.
@@HpPmL I think that shows the high standard of living in France and Europe, because statistically it's much safer than pretty much everywhere I've lived. That's something people living here should be proud of.
@@devinsilvernailwe can't be proud of such a bad evolution... Quality of living is falling down these days, thanks to leftist policy.
@@HpPmL Nantes was seen that way because a few years ago we had 2 times less police officers and 2 times less security cameras in the streets. The city center has always been dangerous at times, and i find it far less dangerous nowadays with always 1 or 2 police vehicules around than it was 15 years ago... It's not that the crime rate raised it's more that more crimes are caught on camera or directly by officers operating. Le quartier du bouffay was already seen as super dangerous at night 20 years ago, and i won't start talking about what was the Quai de la Fosse in the 80's or le Quai des Antilles before all these pubs and restaurants appeared there.
L'interêt de videos d'expats (de qualité, comme celle-ci), est de me confirmer que , ouais, on est vachement bien en France, et qu'il faut un regard extérieur pour s'en convaincre, tant nous n'avons de cesse de nous dénigrer.
Merci beaucoup pour votre message. Je suis content de savoir que je peux donner l'espoir. Comme une autre américaine, Joséphine Baker, a déjà dit. J'ai deux amours; mon pays et la France. Je suis vraiment content d'habiter ici et d'avoir l'opportunité de partager mes expériences. Merci encore pour votre message !
@@devinsilvernail Votre français est meilleur que le mien....
@@devinsilvernail vous nous donnez bc d'espoir. Ce regard positif des étatsuniens nous nourrit.
On est trop bien ici
Complétement d'accord ! Par contre, il va falloir se battre pour garder ce modèle. La France tourne assez clairement vers la droite et hélas ces modèles basés sur la solidarité l'entraide seront les premiers attaqués. On bien vu la dégradation des services publiques (en particulier l’hôpital ) ces dernières années et ce n'est pas un hasard. C'est une politique gouvernementale. On supprime aussi la redevance télé, ce qui pour moi annonce le souhait de tuer la télévision publique. De nombreux américains apprécient la place plus faible de la publicité dans notre pays... mais si il n'y a plus de télé publique les choses vont rapidement changer... Tout ça ne tient qu'à un fil et "l'américanisation" de notre sphère politique à mon sens est bien réél. Les politiques en france ont compris les recettes qui marchent à l'étranger et le mette en pratique en France : Xénophobie, peur de l'autre, peur de manquer, jalousie... De bon leviers qui ont élu Trump et qui éliront maintenant de nombreux populistes dans toute l'Europe.
i live about 1 hour from Nantes, welcome to France, welcome to Loire-Atlantique, it's very refreshing to hear from people like you who actually love and appreciate what our country can offer.
There's so much French bashing everywhere (sometimes well deserved but sometimes not at all) that it's great for once to have the happy side.
Hope you and your family will do great here. enjoy your time as much as possible.
Thank you! The people of this region have all been so warm.
I live in the Netherlands, to me French politics seems beyond comprehension. Sometimes your Macron said something, your fishermen stopped the Dutch electroshock fishing, and the French sometimes have large violent protests, but that's about it.
I couldn't tell you if that Algerian quasi Nazi's daughter, who is your Geert Wilders is up in the polls for the elections this week!
Il n'existe pas de Geert Wilder en France??? vous confondez peut être avec la Belgique
@@fallingphoenix2341 French here and most of time my own politics is beyond my comprehension. Let's say that since the last presidential election nothing worked (Tbf before either) because Macron don't have any majority/legitimacy in the parliament so the street became the best way to show our opinions. Twenty years ago our political system moved from a semi parliamentary system to a full presidential system because most of the time the president have the majority but Macron was the first to not have it so he didn't have full power. The RN (Bardella - MLP) have been up in the polls mostly because of the fact that more than 50% of elector didnt vote. The election in three weeks will be more important to show how french people are voting.
Thank you for this. I am French, been living in the US for almost 40 years, and, man, do I miss home and its values. I learned a lot in my stay in the US, having the real privilege to stand with the poor and racial minorities. I have learned to appreciate solidarity and compassion, values I took for granted in my youth.
This is my second year in Nantes (I'm originally from Reunion Island) and I hadn't realized just how important the work of pedestrianizing the city had been. I work near Place Gralins and was stunned when you showed the photos of what it looked like before. Btw your videos are great!
It's incredible, right? Such a big change. Thanks for your comment!
I was born and raised in Nantes, loved to see your perspective on my hometown. Hope you and your family enjoy you time here :)
Did the exact opposite years ago. Left Nantes and went to Seattle for ten years. I'm now retired to went back to France (though with an American wife). I really enjoyed my time in Seattle.
Born east of France, I live 35 minutes from Nantes in a small town of 11,000 inhabitants. I like Nantes, but I'm not a "city dweller". Nantes is always very festive in the evenings and weekends, and there are always good concerts at Le Ferrailleur and friendly pubs like Au Chien Stupide. There are so many things to do in Nantes. I prefer Sud-Loire and Rezé. I come to Nantes from time to time because where I live, I am closer to the countryside, and I have everything I need within a 300-meter radius, three boulangeries, three pharmacies, a supermarket, pubs, restaurants, a post office, a train station, doctors, etc. Enjoy Nantes!
Thank you for making this video!! 😊 I feel like there is a disconnect in my home country of the US in understanding what social policies actually look like in action for everyday life. This video brings it to life. Every day I'm gateful for so many small things that work well in France because of these policies.
I'm French and Nantes is one of the nicest places in the whole country, no matter how humble Nantais people are about it
C’est aussi passé d’une ville plutôt sûre voire même exemplaire à une des 5 villes avec le plus gros indice de criminalité d’Europe en seulement quelques années, aujourd’hui ça va un peu mieux mais bon il y a beaucoup plus de chance que ça s’aggrave que ça redevienne comme avant
C'est vraiment intéressant. De temps en temps, j'ai des commentaires à propos du crime à Nantes. J'ai passé beaucoup de temps ici depuis 2016 et maintenant, j'habite ici. J'avais vu aucun crime. Quand les gens parlent du crime, c'est quel type ? Vrai question. Peut être c'est une question de perspective. La France est déjà relativement sécurisée dans mes yeux, et surtout Nantes. Merci pour votre commentaire.
@@devinsilvernailIt is largely a far right obsession about Nantes, a city where they amount very little in votes compared to the rest of France. It is also a gentryfied vision of the city, forgetting about its industrial and major harbour past, which was not without violence. Nantes is a city, with city problems, ie drug traficking and home jacking. It's true but it's never been the quaint little town some are fantazing about. The far right obsession about the security situation in Nantes is also connected with the new airport project in Notre Dame des Landes and how the left protested against it. The ZAD (for Zone A Defendre) concept was born here, adding new protest means into a long standing unionist local tradition. Nantes and Paris are the two cities in France where normal policing rules don't apply : we have an exception law applied to us. To quell protests. Especially in their more riotous/bilduing tagging form. It is the result of nearly two decades of brutal police repression that sees this city as an experementing ground for new tools and repressive tactics the police gets one goverment after the other. But the problem lies mostly elsewhere : access to quality housing, quality education, equality of opportunity, equality towards the law and police... Decades of radicalised capitalist politics and an ingrained racism that we seem unable to shake from colonial times have damaged public services in France and deepened the divide between the most priviledged and the working class. In consequence, even in Nantes, the disenfranchised grow in number despite (I'll grant you that) a more than average generous local way of doing things.
@@TheEnneite Thank you for this very thorough explanation. It seems like the right wing everywhere is reading from the same playbook. It's interesting to hear about the history as well and to hear about the issues that the city currently faces. These are similar to those in the US. Much appreciated.
@@devinsilvernailIl y a beaucoup de petits crimes de rue, surtout la nuit, du genre vol avec violences. En tant qu'étudiant là-bas, j'ai appris quels endroits éviter.
Having lived in Nantes for 6 years for my studies and now living in Paris (working for bicycle infrastructures), I don't why your video felt special to me, thank you for sharing that
Did you study dentistery ?
I have been living in France for 32 years and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I never go back to America.
C'est vrai qu'en tant que Nantais, j'ai tendance à voir avant tout les problèmes de la ville ; mais malgré tout, pour rien au monde je m'imagine vivre ailleurs qu'ici.
Bienvenue parmi nous !
If you like Nantes, you should check out Rennes, it's less than an hour train ride from Nantes.
Very interesting to hear about your experience - thank you!
Bro I believe in everything you are saying !! I am coming to France in October, would love to meet you and talk about a lot of things !!
Bonjour! Excellent video. We are retired educators from Portland. We just finished a long stay in Europe: 5 months helping a new school open in Lvivv, one month in Krakow learning about WWII, and a month in Tallinn. My focus as an educator remains on/for social justice, Socratic dialogue, engaging discourse, and access to services like healthcare, public transportation, and walking distance to markets. Although we prefer the sunny shores of the South of France when we move there in the fall, Nantes looks amazing!! Merci beaucoup! Dean & Cindy
Wow that's amazing! Definitely keep Nantes in the running. It's a great place for us PNW folks and it definitely fits your interests. If you can handle the clouds and the rain, come on over! 🙂
@@devinsilvernail Thank you for the reply. I grew up in LA and Cindy in PDX; our favorite places were Seal Beach, Long Beach, and Santa Barbara. Toulon seems affordable and sunny. Nantes has many amazing qualities, but the clouds and rain are less inviting than near the sea. We will visit many beautiful places in France and beyond once we are there! Thank you!!
@@DeanRamser Hi, unfortunately toulon is a mostly far right, so if you're looking for social justice more than nice weather, south east France might not be your best option
@@TheEnneite Bonjour! I heard that south of France is far right, but is it crazy stupid like the MAGAts in the US? I remember when conservatives had a different perspective than progressives, but both shared the same reality. Is it the same in France? Or will this Berkeley grad and his bride feel ostracized by the locals? Merci beaucoup! Dean & Cindy
@@TheEnneite Bonjour again. We are now looking at renting a studio apt near Paris. It's more accessible to the things that matter to us as retired folks. Far-right is not for us (Go Bears! referring to my undergrad at UC Berkeley). Merci beaucoup! Dean & Cindy
It's refreshing to find a video like this about an American immigrant who recognises himself as an immigrant and also recognises that the quality of life they find in France isn't some cultural gimmick but actual politics
Thank you for showing our city in such a beautiful angle! I traveled a lot and came back to my hometown, its a great place indeed and even after all those years i still look at it in owe sometimes ! Was lovely to watch ❤ and Welcome 🤗
such a lovely life you have curated for yourself and your family. well done and best of luck to you!
I really liked this video! Thanks for sharing your insights. To be honest we tend to take a lot of these things for granted over here but forget the amount of time and effort it took to get there. The system is far from perfect and we still have long ways to go though... Wishing you a smooth transition to France, best wishes from Strasbourg
Thanks! It takes a lot of effort and France isn't perfect, but I think it's that lack of perfection that makes some of its cities places to look for inspiration from a North American perspective. Love Strasbourg, by the way. It's a beautiful city.
I have been in Paris for 1.5 years, it is just a wonderful place to live.
How do you still only have 2k subscribers😢. You make some of the best content I've seen on urbanism and your commentary on community engagement is so refreshing.
Aw thanks! I really appreciate that.
Just got your video recommended to me, very interesting take.
My partner and me are French and just came back from a 10+year long stay in The Netherlands, and decided to settle in Nantes as well.
Very interesting take!
Welcome home! Hope you enjoy it here in Nantes too. 🙂
i only clicked to this video because i have lived in France Bretagne specifically for over 15 years & come to Nantes often only 1 hour away haha
I did my engineering school in Nantes, and in france we have nothing to be shy in term of great education, for a fraction of the cost in the us.
ou made me love Nantes, city that i don't like that much, hi from rennes !
Thanks, Devin! You've reminded me why we moved here. Hope to run into you!
While it's sad that you had to leave Seattle, I'm glad you have found a better life that works better for you and your family. Thank you for still making videos that are encouraging and promote social activism.
As a French, I always told my young fellow citizens to move in the US only if they plan to be really rich and are ready to work hard for that.
Thanks for the video. I saw your other video about moving to France. If not too pesonal, I'm wondering if you're there on a long stay visa (1 year) or some other type? I've been strongly considering for the last year.
Hey! Thanks for the comment. Yes, I'm on a 1 year visa long séjour/titre de séjour. It seems like that's the way to go with renewal for a longer visa at the end of the first year. I definitely recommend it.
Thanks. That's good to know. Glad France is treating you and your fam well! I'll be watching more!
@@momohmart There is a large amount of white privilege in being treated that way non westerners are usually denied any form of visa (not even long term).
Great video. I'm so glad to see you're still encouraging people in America to mobilize in support of transit and humane cities.
If you find downtown Nantes safe at night, Seattle's safety level must be horrendous 😅
thanks for sharing! you're in a unique position as someone immigrating from the US so thank you for sharing about your experience.
I’ve been living in Nantes for three years, and sadly, I’m leaving in a week. I’ve lived all over France, but Nantes is my favourite city. I’m originally from Canada, but I feel much more at home in France, despite the large amounts of paperwork here.
Hi !
I live in Nantes for 8 years now, and overall I really enjoy it.
Nice to see that you understand how cities like this one come from, because yeah, it's all about politics.
Feel free to reach if you want to hang out, discuss, debate !
I always love to meet people, and I have to improve my English :D
Thanks for sharing, i have a friend who lived in France for 5 years don't research. He probably would have felt more connected if he learned conversational French
It makes things a lot easier but I can imagine how isolating it would feel to live here without knowing the language. That must be difficult. I hope he still had some good experiences though.
I’ve been residing in Nantes for about 2 years, living in the city centre right near the Château des Ducs de Bretagne. If you ever want to make friends with an English-speaking person, be my guest.)
I'm from the countryside of France in Vendee and I moved to Nantes six years ago for university.
I can only say how amazing and beautiful this city is. I love going to the stunning parks or going to the boulangerie by walking ! The architecture is so beautiful in the downtown it almost make you forget how Nantes accumulated its wealth!
I love the sight of the Erdre and the Loire when I walk by them. Also the various green spaces where you can just lay down during a warm afternoon. The castle of Nantes (Des ducs de bretagne) and the museum inside it is absolutely amazing too!!
I love how you can go to Trentemoult by boat with public transportation and almost feel like you're in the countryside again.
This city has many cons too, but I only had good experiences within the years living there. I'm glad you were able to see how nice this city is!
The Orca card in Seattle is nothing like the Naolib. The Orca card is simply a card you put money on it and they deduct the price after every ride then you need to charge it again when it's running out of money. Anybody can use it. The Nantes Pass is an unlimited monthly or yearly pass giving unlimited access to the public transportation system. Different prices for different categories so people have to prove their income status or their personal situation, it's issued in a specific name, only the owner can use it, his picture is on the pass.
Orca has these options too. The wallet is a bonus, but most people get a monthly pass. Theoretically, you can share your card, but you're not supposed to. To be fair, I love having my little picture on my card and that with my naolib card I can access bicloo garages and bicloo bikes. That's a huge bonus.
@@devinsilvernail The Orca lift is an option indeed but subjected to conditions. That's not the de facto option like in Nantes. So there is less screening to do.
Your Red Vienna video just came across my algorithm, and I'm working backwards through your videos.
Love to hear the "S" word! I'm in the ballot-qualified socialist party in California, Peace and Freedom.
*The working class needs its own party.* I've been watching DSA squander its resources and talent in its decades-long attempt to take over, or shift, or whatever it is they think they're doing in the Democratic Party since the 1980s. The first Congressman I could vote for was DSA (the late, great Ron Dellums). The first Presidential race I was old enough to vote in was 1984, Jesse Jackson's first run, and I saw how the Democratic Party Inc. wields its control as the corporate general partner and actual decision-making body, with the Democratic political organization functioning like a "student government".
I ended up precinct-walking for the pre-selected establishment candidate, Walter Mondale, pleading with residents of a Black working-class neighborhood in Oakland to vote for the "lesser evil" because "this is the most important election ever" etc., etc. And after the dust settled on all of that, I sat and had a think about the inevitable result of playing that same script over and over, election after election - and realized it led the opposite direction of good.
And here we are. I hate being right.
Everything DSA wins, they win on behalf of the Democratic Party, and that party takes the win; everything they lose, they lose on their own, and alone they suffer the losses. And everything DSA needs from the Democratic Party, they bring to it themselves; what the Democratic Party has to give, whatever they don't actively withhold or use to oppose them with, is not what they need or want.
*Socialists need to build a socialist party* - a broad-based, multi-tendency party with an explicitly socialist platform based on the principle of workers' collective ownership and democratic management of the means of production, that recognizes that societal change comes from the activities of mass, grassroots movements and only gets ratified and codified as a result of those activities, and does _not_ get into the finer details that lead to a proliferation of tiny "vanguard" groups.
Washington State does not have such a party on the ballot or, as far as I'm aware, in formation - but the building blocks are all there, on _both_ sides of the Cascades.
California has such a party, but it's in trouble. The founding generation of the late 1960s has not been replaced, and is dying off. All but one of the socialist organizations that had participated have left, either because they are also dying or have closed up or been merged with, or because they simply aren't interested in building a multi-tendency party; they all think _they're_ The Party. And the one that remains seems to think that way too, as they haven't done anything to build it either, but only themselves.
*A socialist party needs a large, capable membership organization* (at least one), that has a political perspective that wants to build a broad-based, multi-tendency socialist party-and-movement bigger and broader than itself.
*DSA and my party are each other's missing piece.* And DSA would do well to borrow our format to build parties in other states, such as Washington, where the elements exist.
Thank you for listening to my rant.
Hey, welcome to the world capital of the roundabouts. Nowhere else in the world has as many as Nantes, and it isn't close. We've got them in all flavours; square roundabouts, rectangles, ovals, peanut shaped, double roundabouts, triple roundabouts, with tram lines crossing in the middle or not, the Loire Atlantique alone has half as many roundabouts as the entirety of the USA :P.
Welcome to France !
No idea how you found so much sunshine in Nantes, everytime i have been there wasn't hahaha.
You should try Rennes it's amazing too
Your video is very interesting because in France Nantes is really saw as a dangerous city because of immigration, leftists or something (that what all right and alt right people say) I don't personally live in Nantes so I think I'll never really know but your video really made me think different about this city. How different people can perceive this city so differently?
Thanks for your comment. 🙂 I think you've really highlighted something. It's all about perception. I'm from a nation of immigrants. I myself am an immigrant. I've been homeless in America and spent much of my career working with homeless people. A person being different doesn't make them dangerous. That is an ideology peddled by the right wing around the world, but the solid truth is that most crimes are committed by people who live in houses and are citizens of the country they live in. That's just basic math. I hope you can get a chance to visit Nantes in the future to see how beautiful it is and how genuinely nice the people are. This is a really lovely place to live.
Hey men I live in Nantes too! We should get to meet one day !
wtf... were you carrying a bike in your BIKE basket? hahaha that's great!
I actually did expect this video to be about socialism. I understand this because as a Canadian, this is exactly what I am looking for outside of my own country. US politics have downgraded the political climate of the entire planet, unfortunately.
There is virtually no socialist country. Even Russia and China aren't socialist. So good luck in your quest. Obvisouly what happens in America doesn't have any influence in Europe in terms of standard of living and quality of life.
Thank you to make me like my country again.a frog from UK!!
@@puccaland perhaps you should study what happened in 1945-46 in France, the creation of the social security. The largest communist accomplishment in Europe, aside a capitalist policy in other parts of our economy. Still existing, even if the US Atlas foundation and its people here are about to make it fall apart.
I hope we'll find a way to resist.
@@puccaland You’re right that pure socialist countries are rare, and even places like Russia and China have mixed economic systems. My focus is more on countries with strong social programs and safety nets, like those in Northern Europe. While America’s politics may not directly impact Europe’s standard of living, global politics DO influence international policies and economic stability. I’m just looking for a place with values and systems that prioritize social welfare and equality.
@@cleardarkness888 These countries are social democrats. Policies on welfare are not international policies but domestic policies and are applied even when a country isn't strong economically if they want to. Developing countries also try to redistribute the wealth to the citizens, create more fair and balanced societies etc. It's a matter of will not a matter of economic situation.
I hate to say it, but the title should say "2 months living in Nantes" and not France. I've only spent a weekend there, and I will take ALL the pouring rain Nantes givesme over living where I do in the banlieues of Ile-de-France, lol. Don't get me wrong, my banlieue is one of the better ones in Ile-de-France, I lucked out there. But man, Nantes is impressive. We even bought a year long museum pass since it works for like 90% of places there and we have no idea if we'll be going that often, lol. It just sucks that my partner's company doesn't have offices there, hence why we're still where we are.
I live in Nantes and will leave it in the coming years for another country, on the basis of your description… odd… I considered USA 15 years ago but I gave up (too much violence and guns). It will be Greece.
I’m happy you like to be there. All the best ! Enjoy, be happy !
Good
Seattle & Nantes twin cities 🫶
Exactly! 🥰
Comme partout Nantes a ses problèmes. Mais la qualite de vie moyenne est bien superieure a beaucoup d'endroits dans la monde! Ok je suis un peu chauvin car Nantais depuis 50 ans! Quand on voyage un peu on se rend vite compte que la France c pas mal du tout.
3:00 it s litteraly next to my house
Nice video.
Every improvment for the people that happens in the society comes from the left.
I'm interested in watching your next videos
Merci!
Thank you for explaining that our lifestyle is due to socialism. Most americans I see moving to France actually are and never mention it.
As a dutch person I can add that the French government and its people way better understand how to run a country then my own. And that is a sad story whats going on in the Netherlands. In basically one generation the feeling off living freely is truly lost. So..vive la France 🇫🇷!
You can find all of that here in America as well.... right here in Right leaning Indiana. Look up Carmel, Indiana. Great video- safe travels.
Being 30 minutes away by car from Nantes, i have mixed opinion about Nantes. On one side, its not a bad city to live in, on the other, Nantes is not all that great, its beautiful but its not amazing either, its safe but its not THAT safe, its growing but the devellopement is not always adapted, more than one area became pretty much abandonned because the city was too ambitious and since everything is in the center or the north the local commerce left these areas etc...
And since pretty everything in Loire Atlantique relies on Nantes St-Nazaire you need to live with it
Overrall, Nantes is a nice place to live in, but that doesnt mean its really any better than other big cities in France. Xept Paris, because f Paris
capitalism and car addiction ruined US totally
I've lived in Nantes for 25 years and I really appreciated your video.
But the French right and far right parties are going to hate you, especially the ones from Nantes 🙂
There is nothing leftist about having good schools in every neighbourhood, that's how the system is framed nationwide since school is free in France (18th century). Actually social housing falls under the national law, not the local law, all towns like Nantes have to provide 25% social housing but Nantes, which is a left wing city, is lagging behind pretty bad. Whatever you see right now is them trying to catch up to respect the law. Towns not meeting the requirements in terms of social housing are taxed.
Same with making the city bike and pedestrians friendly. That's a nationwide movement which has nothing to do with left wing or right wing.
It’s left-wing from the point of view in US, but maybe `normal/national’ from point of view of France. for example, in the US any town/city with any bike infrascture would be considered left of the Us-center
Well.... Nantes isn't doing enough, that's true. But its population has sky rocketed in the past 20 years and the city has difficulty coping with the pressure it generates on housing. Its not doing too bad, with 22.1% of social housing. Still, it fells short of the 25% target. COVID and inflation also took their toll on that front, delaying programs or making them more expensive. BUT saying that social housing has nothing to do with the political leanings of the local majority is a massive stretch! Right wing mayored towns in the metropole are always below left leaning mayored towns in social housing, irrelevant of the town size.
@@TheEnneite The population in Nantes has skyrocketed unlike where? The towns run by conservatives? Ah no sorry the population skyrocketed in those towns all the same.
The Covid and all the economic crises happened everywhere and hit everybody.
The left wing mayored town are historically towns with a higher working class thus a higher demand for social housing back in the days thus a bigger park of social housing to start from. There is no correlation between the political leaning and the construction of social housing since the national law was implemented. Nantes has been a big left wing city for a long time and if it had a real social housing policy it would show by now. Many towns which are right wing did more than Nantes in that department.
So funny. If you hear the french, Nantes has become the worst city in France over insecurity and has been overwhelmed by immigration. Thanks for putting things in perspective
I did (expect to see a video about socialism; I know you that well anyway). I'm glad you've settled in so well and quickly. I do have a question: How is the right wing drift in the EU Parliament elections being viewed? Is there any resonance with what's happening across Europe in 'leftist'(?) Nantes?
Good to hear from you friend! I hope you're doing well these days. From the people that I know, I think there's concern that the far right is gaining some sort of legitimacy. I'm not sure if it's to the level of the US but it's definitely following our trend. When I talked to someone in Vienna about it, they seemed to feel like it was a foregone conclusion, but also that the far right is still pretty limited on a national or local level in EU countries. I.E. this is their gambit to have some power. We'll see how things go.
It's complicated but basically a shock in a way and also everyone saw it coming. Far right has been the second party for a few years now. The left is very disorganised and doesn't have convincing leaders (also showing they aren't as welcoming as they present themselves). Security is a concern and yes many cities saw the safety go down, drug related crimes are booming. We are terribly handling the illegal immigration issues (parking them not able to do anything and expecting it to not turn into violence). So people get seduced by simply kicking them out and having a much tougher punishment of crimes. Now the concern is that they may not be actually able to change that and will attack social rights in the mean time (especially women's and LGBT+ people's)
Macron dissolved our Assembly after the European votes so we'll vote again next week - the majority at the assembly determines the what party the prime minister will be from. And everybody assumes the far right will have the majority. The left made an alliance, but opening the door to the far left (which is as dangerous imo, both extremes are praying on fear and I hate having to be that polarized). And people against the far right are quick to tell everyone to vote for them without really looking into the consequences.
We shall see what happens but I'm disappointed by the choices we have right now.
Just run, to France 😂
Interesting Devin. But as a Frenchman (also living in Nantes by the way), I have to say that these virtuous social policies are under attack here in France, like everywhere else, unfortunately.
We still have a long way to go until things get as bad here as in the US (in terms of social equity, I mean).
But we're not going into the right direction, at all (or, I could say : we're going into the "direction of the right").
The French mainstream media (TV/radio), for instance, have become a horror show in the last few years :
either they serve as a (not so) subtle tool of pro-government propaganda, promoting its neo-liberal policies,
or they openly lean to the far right (xenophobia + even more neoliberal pro-business anti-social ideology).
I can imagine it's very hard and depressing to be a leftist in the US of A.
But, it's getting harder and harder to be a leftist in France too, these days...
This being said (sorry for sounding pessimistic), I agree on the fact that life in Nantes is just great !
Hey thanks for this perspective. This sounds sadly familiar to an American. The US and France are unfortunately sharing some trajectories on the national level for sure. Macron is basically a neoliberal democrat and the RN seems as scary as MAGA republicans in the US. One point of optimism does seem that the left (at least on the local level) seems to be in a much stronger (maybe less diminished) position than in the US and that gives me hope for my new home. Any advice on media and how to get involved locally is much appreciated! I'd love to learn how to become more involved here. Thanks again.
I'm American living in "La Defense" and here is my perspective. There is no left or right anymore - both are tools for the elites to fool us into thinking that we are chosing our laws via votes. The merging of the political and corporate elites is becoming clearer and clearer as corporate power is being exercised onto politicians who talk a lot but say and do the total opposite. That being said, I can understand buying into the xenophobic rhetoric. Why? Because there is way too much Islam in France and Europe. Corporate elites want cheap labor, they don't want people to ever get ahead and comfortable so they allow the cheap labor to stay and obviously non-Muslims don't like this. When I go to certain neighborhoods in and around Paris, it's not even French at all anymore. It's the Maghreb. Is that where you want France to become? Elites towering and controlling the peasants who must suffer from the Clash of Civilizations within France?
@@devinsilvernailMacron isn't a neoliberal but a centrist, and there is no left wing party in the US by European standards. The Democrats would be center right to conservatives in France and the RN in France is even more to the left than the Republicans. The welfare state in France isn't going anywhere.
@@puccaland No arguments here. I worked with democrats for 10 years in the US. I know they're the party of the center (or center-right, even). No such thing as a major left-wing party unfortunately. This is one of the things that excites me about living in France.
@@puccaland Macon is a radicalised capitalist. He is no centrist, even if that just an other name for the right. His personnality is horrible. He's arrogant, bourgeois to the point of caricature and a pathological lier. But it is his policies, encased in start up langaguage, that are the most damaging to the country.
His political agenda is to make public services so underfinanced that they are unable to function correctly and privatise it all to *fix* the problem.
He has legitimised the far right views on french society in ordrer to present his vaguely watered down far right policies as progressist.
He has had so many people accused of sexual assault, rape, abuse of public office and corruption among his ministers that any policy to tackle those issue can only sound as a cruel joke.
He has debased about avery democratic tool the french parliament has to debate and negociate policies.
He has times and times again ordred a brutal police repression against his left leaning opponents in order to leave the not so cryptofascist RN as the only alternative.
So, sure, Democrats are (at best) centrists, but which left leaning activist in the world is looking at them for inspiration? None. But, at some point, they might have been looking at France, at Nantes, and we're loosing that. It is very much in the hope of rebuilding that identity that the french left is fighting for the Front Populaire.
Just a quick note: while you're right on the money that none of this came by accident, and certainly a lot of progress... came from progressivists :P the right here as been often part of the journey because the right in France is way more statist than in the US. France present state came by from a Monarchy that was far from leftist yet in its odd way cared about the People in ways capitalists do not necessarily. So yup, big powerful state organizing the global well being is an idea that's very old here. No working on Sunday for instance cames from the Catholic values, not the left (although if you ask me Jesus was unambiguously communist :P). Pensions were established by far right - Marechal Pétain (often forgotten by the left here). Reasons are complex but in Europe (and probably even more in Germany than France) capitalism was labelled "familial". The owner of the factory would also be its CEO but also kind of responsible for his workers and their families well being. If you ever go to Bruges in Belgium the "workers" house (nowaday everything but cheap) are a striking exemple of the wealthy having strong ideas and sense of responsibility toward their workers.
Of course that era is long gone but a right wing mayor here will be more sensible on making sure the RE value of properties go the right way but nearly always work seriously within the framework of guaranteeing 20% housing for "low income" families, force mixing of kids from various income bracket in public school, etc. They may not like it too much but this is completely out of their hand as those are ruled by nation wide laws and at that level, free healthcare is a given for every party, including conservative.
As you say this isn't a magic system and there are definitively cons but it goes beyond left and right politics. IMO it's a deeper cultural difference.
Welcome to Nantes dear new neighbor. I recommend you to follow the "oui in France" and "Baguette bound" youtube accounts who are american expats as you. When americans realize that social democracy as nothing to see with soviet communism they have a revelation. (I guess that not your case you seem to be more educated and smart )
SOCIALSMMM grrrrrr 👿👿 … hahaha
I'm glad you are doing well in Nantes but We found it to be the worst city we visited in France and so far in the EU. Dirty, a lot of homeless and aggressive begging, harassment of women was not rare and less friendliness. We spent several days visiting Nantes for the mechanical park and other sites. We spent a month in France from Strassburg, Angers, Normandy, Nantes, Mt St Michel, Liles and Loire valley. We are planning to move to the Alsace region so nothing against France or the many great places we have been. Nantes however was shocking. Germany the Netherlands, Belgium etc have all been very nice, safe and welcoming. Except for Brussels we had nothing but positive experiences but Nantes and to a much lesser extent Brussels were not enjoyable. Having been to Seattle and Portland and lived in Metro Detroit area I cannot adapt to aggressive begging demanding homeless people and wide spread drug use and abuse I have experienced in the US cities. Nantes had no obvious drug connection but the rest was similar sadly.
Nothing to do with you being Jeovah's witnesses and it being Pride week in Nantes, I'm sure.
Jesus you're living in your care bears world !
Vive la gauche ah ah ah !
thanks to the leftists really 😂😂😂
Ce que j'ai appris en France ( où je ne Voulais pas Revenir ) c'est que je préfère Repartir à l'étranger !
Les Français sont les plus mauvais élèves Européens concernant la pratique de L'Anglais qui est pourtant la langue de communication Internationale !
Et il suffit de Surfer sur Google et TH-cam pour avoir des Dizaines de Milliers de Réponses sur des Sujets ou Produits que les Français vous jugeront que ça n'existe pas !
Pour finir en Asie, en Afrique et en Amérique Latine il y a encore une VIE DANS LA RUE et avec de la " Street Food ".
Ce qui est INTROUVABLE en France ...
Street food en France… on est pas un pays de singe 😂
Tu connais la culture française? C’est a table avec des couverts. Si ton délire c’est de manger tes brochettes avec les doigts, faites sur des stands protégé par des tonnelles de clochard c’est ton avis mais en fait pas une généralité, merci.
@@wallahitsnotmine4255
Les Thaïs ne sont pas des Singes !
Et la Qualité de VIE en Thaïlande est clairement plus agréable qu'en France.
Se NOURRIR ...
Se DÉPLACER ...
Se LOGER ...
POUR TOUS LES BUDGETS !
The french revolution in USA! I've noticed how american democrats after covid extreme power transformed into aristocracy ruling class, maybe even regency with current pres condition.
I live in France. In terms of criminal activity, there is only one city worse than Nantes and that is Marseilles. A priest, in Nantes, was murdered by a refugee and the cathedral was damaged in an arson fire. The police tried to shut down a rave and in the process, some of the ravers ended up in the Loire river. One of them drowned. Some blame the police for their heavy handed tactics. They wanted to build a new airport, but protests against it lead to an influx of anarchists. They abandoned the project, yet the anarchists are still in Nantes. This has lead to demonstrations against the police. There is violence against women. A woman was knifed by a stranger in Nantes.
Nantes lies in Brittany.
To all the French people in the comments - if any of you are still reading here - congratulations on your left Popular Front coalition taking the largest share of seats in the recent election, and denying the Nationalists. I hope you can hold it together and gain ground against both the Nationalists and the neoliberals. Liberalism cannot fight fascism, only socialism can!
LFI = totalitarian, islamist and antisemitic party. So please, no congratulations
Im French, and I don't think that it is a good news.
They do not fight faschism, nor nationalist, at best a weak-rightist party.
They have the largest number of seats, yes, but they are not truly united and will not use that advantage at his best. They can’t even choose a potential prime minister...
@@fredericpayan6708Totalitarian and Islamist, but not antisemitic. Antisionism =/= antisemitisme.
I was expecting a video about France, and not a video pushing socialist BS.
Yes, there is some nice things about France but the question is - Who is paying for all this? In a country where the government spending makes almost 60% of GDP its not hard to answer that question.
It is exactly all the “social and diversity policies” that are ruining the majority of French cities.
It's all of the tax money that we all pay that funds all of the things that make France (cities and rural communities) great. Universal healthcare, free education, earlier retirement than the US, free childcare, better quality food, easier access to housing, a way for anyone to get around the city or country regardless of ability or disability, stronger protections for workers, better cost of living, and a lower-stress life. Lots to love about France.
@@devinsilvernail Yes, but then you have 46% income tax + all the indirect taxes (TVA, duties, etc.) for a total of almost 80% tax burden. And for all that money you get - inaccessible child care and healthcare (well, at least they are “free”), plummeting quality of education, bloated government and absurd levels of bureaucracy, rising crime levels and completely useless police, high unemployment (thanks to all “worker protection” policies), etc.
I’m not saying that France is a bad place to live (otherwise I wouldn’t be living here) BUT all the bad things in France (and the majority in Europe in general) can be easily traced to all the far-left policies that have been implemented.
@@avatar9520202 i suppose this is where we can agree to disagree. After all is said and done, despite our different experiences, it seems we both enjoy our lives in France. For me and my family, living here has been a huge upgrade from our quality of life in the US for a lot of reasons - from healthcare, to childcare, to having true freedom of mobility for the first time in my life. I hope you are finding your happy place here too. We're lucky.
@@devinsilvernail On this I can agree 110% !
Obviously coming from different backgrounds (I was born and raised in a “communist” country, you are coming from a “capitalist” country) it is all natural that we are going to have different views on how a country should be run. But I’m sure we both want the best for us and our loved ones, so I can only wish you the best, for you and your family!
down with the right, only the left will save us! as long as the money keeps coming in from others there is always hope! I am from Canada and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. It's okay if he supports the movement that was responsible for the largest act of aviation terrorism prior to 9/11 or if he and his family has and continued to profit from capitalism. he is the ONE !
it has nothing to do with socialism or wokism, because all those existed before with other politics sides, now criminality has never been highter there since the wokes too city hall somes years ago!
You would be less welcome, had you NOT been a Nordic Caucasian male from USA.
If things are so great, why is France not a hotspot for Chinese C9 and Indian IIT grads?
Nothing to do with ethnicity, I think.
It's probably because "Chinese C9 and Indian IIT grads" would want to make money early in their career.
And France is not the best place to make quick money when you're a young "ambitious" graduate.
(I say "ambitious" in the corporate sense : getting wealthy - which is not my own conception of ambition).
Plus, you have the extra cost of learning yet another European language : even if English is widely spoken in French tech companies, it's hard to avoid learning French, when living in France.
I'm in Nantes, working for a small tech company. I have a few colleagues from China, Nepal, India and Iran.
But they are not your typical young fresh graduates : they're a bit older, they've worked elsewhere before, they have small kids. They privilege quality of life (small town, better work/family time balance) over the salary - which is quite lower than it would be for the equivalent job in the US, or even in the UK.
It's a question of where you are in your life, where you put priorities, etc.
It's also simply a question of taste and personality, e.g. : would one prefer to stay safely in the over-dominant anglophone cultural mainstream bubble ? Or dare to venture oneself into something more "exotic" ?
Nothing to do with ethnicity, really : if you have a high level of education you're very welcome in France, wherever you're from, because like any other western country, France is aging, and desperately needs some extra qualified work force.
In the capitalist world (and beyond) xenophobia and racism is mainly directed at the "poor", sadly.
When you're rich and/or highly educated, the system sees its interest first. It tends to become quite "colour-blind"...
@@moreauni Prove that it is "Nothing to do with ethnicity".
@@val-schaeffer1117 Wouldn't it be up to you, first, to prove it has "something to do with ethnicity"?
As an American living just next to "La Defense", the business center of the Paris region, I can say that there is definitely an increase in Indian immigrants. There is a TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) building in the area.
@@SurpriseMeJT Allowing only scientists and engineers from India, while allowing any Canux from other third world countries. is pure racism.
Are you paid by the mayor of Nantes. Great political propaganda video btw.
Lol nope. Just a fan. Thanks!
@@devinsilvernail you really have no clue.
He responded politely and positively to the sneering derision of your comment. It's you who hasn't a clue.