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I spent three weeks on France (almost 20 years ago) and the only rude person I encountered was being rude to everyone. He just seemed to be generally in a cranky mood. Everyone else was somewhere between neutral and friendly. I speak some French, but my accent was bad enough that anyone who spoke English immediately switched to that.
I am never sure if the "french are rude" cliche is some anglosphere joke or if they really think that. Certainly is not my experience, been to France a lot.
My understanding is that it’s a holdover from after WW2, when American troops were still there a lot. Americans in general, and American soldiers in particular tend to be pretty loud and effusive in large groups, which can get on anybody’s nerves. So they annoyed the locals, the locals got rude, and a cultural trope was born.
Were you expecting everyone to be rude? Also, did you travel beyond Paris? Also also, did you know how to move in a major city?
In the USA, the French have a reputation for rudeness. I didn’t really expect that to be universally true, but I was surprised by how actively friendly many people were. I spent time in Paris, Nice, Avignon, Pau, and brief stops in a few other places. The only rude person was the guy selling food on the TGV.
I’m not sure what you mean by knowing how to move in a major city. While in Paris, I walked or rode the metro. In Provence and thereabouts, it was train or bicycle.