It’s a phenomenon that people over 35 mostly talk regarding. Hairdressers began to do their hair for people who no longer spoke to them. Train conductors pass through cars in which each traveler has their eyes glued to a screen. Cashiers see customers pass, the telephone stuck in the neck, in communication with invisible interlocutors. Doctors observe waiting rooms in which people continue to sit automatically at both ends, but no one breaks the ice anymore. This is the end of the chatter. Not great debates, but small talk as we say in English, “rain and good weather” in French, to talk regarding these small exchanges which generally have little to do with the weather.
“In the past, we used to apologize to our neighbor on the train when, following talking, we took out a book. As if the default mode was to swap. Now, the default mode is to be immersed in your phone and apologize if you have to talk to him”explains Diouldé Chartier, whose agency D’Cap Research has conducted several studies to observe the behavior of SNCF users.
Former journalist at the origin of the association La République des hyper neighbors, Patrick Bernard sees the effect of the sacralization of the private sector: “The individual has become superior to the collective. They say my private property, my private life… Before, you said hello to everyone; in a waiting room, entering a café… Now, silence has become the mark of respect. Conversation got kicked out by the new expectations of good manners. Saying hello to someone you don’t know is not a home invasion, but almost. »
But the hello, to listen to it, it is the lowest common denominator of conviviality. Of the « bonjour »there were plenty of them, printed in all colors on little scraps of paper, on September 18, 2022, on the huge table that ran along the rue de l’Aude, in the 14e district of Paris. A thousand covers awaited the neighbors ready to come and share their lunch there: with group orders from producers, screenings and debates, the shared meal is part of the initiatives of La République des hyper neighbors to boost social ties in the neighborhood.
Residents meet and settle in small groups of people who know each other, separated from each other until others come to fill the empty places. Sitting glued to someone you don’t know is quite an adventure. The conversation usually starts by offering salad or quiche brought. And the ancient mechanics of “rain and shine” starts to creak once more, like so many cogs coming loose…
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