“This is a video dedicated to everyone participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics,” one woman said A video posted to TikTokShe paused, then continued, “Don’t come. Cancel everything.”
The video was uploaded in November and has been viewed more than 700,000 times.
Creator Miranda Starcevic, a 31-year-old French-American living in Paris, usually records her videos speaking French, but thought she would reach more people if she recorded her Olympic message in English.
Ms. Stasevich hopes that viewers will understand from her perspective, that of a French citizen who is “middle class,” that “no one wants to go to the Olympics. The Olympics are a complete mess.”
TikTok is an international platform that is visually oriented, has many young users, and is rich in Olympic content. But in addition to the beautiful window into the lives of athletes and the Organizer and sponsors, as well as unedited video footage from Paris residents warning potential visitors that the city might not look its best during the Olympics.
Leo Nora, a 24-year-old Parisian student, posted several short videos about the Paris Olympics, saying that the Olympics will be “dangerous” and”living hell”
In one of her videos, she tells the camera: “If you were planning to come to Paris for the Olympics, why? do not come“Don’t come over here!” The video has been viewed more than a million times.
“I’ve lived in Paris all my life,” Leo Nora said in an interview. “I’ve been to the big events in Paris. What prompted me to talk about this is that I know how things can go well and how they can go wrong.”
She and Starcevic encouraged people not to attend the Olympics for similar reasons. Both said they were unhappy that the city government was asking Students give up their dormitories This way these accommodation facilities can be provided for the staff during the Olympic Games. Both expressed dissatisfaction and concerns about transportation.
Organizers and government officials worry about strikes by transportation workers during the Olympics, as well as more serious problems, such as terrorismSome creators have posted about the prevalence of Visitors Scams, pickpocket and the most recent Hotel price increasesOthers on TikTok warned of potentially severe crowding on trains.
“It’s not uncommon to faint on the subway,” Leo Nora said. If someone faints, “the subway stops running, which causes delays,” she said.
Tessa Bicard, a cosmetics executive who goes by the TikTok handle Madame Tartempion, posted a video titled “The Olympics would be a nightmare for Paris.” The post has been viewed more than 750,000 times and has hundreds of comments.
Ms. Piccard, who is from Northern California and has lived in Paris for more than 12 years, said in an interview that she is actually a big fan of the Olympics.
“I’ve watched the Olympics every year since I was a kid,” she said. “I really love swimming — and women’s gymnastics, of course.” But, she said, “this is the least excited I’ve ever been about the Olympics.”
The main reason, she said, was that she didn’t have a ticket. “Tickets were too expensive or simply unavailable,” she said, stressing that the various construction projects for the Olympics had made daily life difficult. Millions of Olympic touristsShe worries it will only make the situation worse. “My bus routes are already in complete chaos.”
As an American living in Paris, Ms. Piccard said she often uses her TikTok account to answer questions about the city, as well as fun tips like “How to Spot an American in Paris”
Americans ask: “Where’s the best place to speak? What’s the best neighborhood? Do you have a favorite restaurant? Questions like that,” she said. She answers as many questions as she can. “There’s a sense of, ‘I feel like I can trust you because you speak with an American accent,'” she said.
When it comes to the Olympics, Ms. Bickard’s views are more moderate than those of more outspoken opponents of the Games, such as Leo Nora and Starcevic.
“If you’re coming here for the Olympics, hopefully it’s not your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris,” she said, adding that she expected it to be logistically challenging. “I think trying to do something ‘Paris’ is going to be very tricky and not pleasant at all,” she said.
Like Ms. Stasevich, Ms. Leo Nora and most Paris residents, Ms. Piccard said she expected “chaos” on the metro when the Olympics opened. She said posters and billboards were plastered all over the city encouraging residents to look forward to the Games. Many saw this as “code for what many were already thinking: “If you can leave the city — or if you can afford it.”
Leo Nora, who typically posts about feminism and racial issues on TikTok, is not going to Paris during the Olympics; she will stay with her boyfriend, who lives out of town. “I get anxious in crowds,” she said. “I don’t want to be the one who faints and ruins everyone’s mood.”
Ms. Starcevic has Sustainable Online Fashion BrandsShe had booked her flights months ago to spend a few days in Biarritz and the south of France with friends so she could get out of town during the Olympics. “I’m lucky to be able to go,” she said, “but most people don’t have my privilege.”
Still, Ms. Piccard said she would stay. She planned to bike or walk to work rather than take the subway. She said she expected one of two things to happen. “It’s either going to be chaos,” she said, or it’s going to be eerily peaceful.
Regardless, she shrugged: “Paris is my home. I love it.” She was unfazed by the outrage that other people in Paris seemed to be expressing.
“My wife is Parisian,” she said, “so I can say with some authority that Parisians are not always the easiest people to deal with.”
