Yes, the French capital has culture. It also has stabbings, riots, and a rising body count.
Culture is more than galleries and symphonies. It’s not just what hangs on a wall or flickers on a stage — it’s what pulses through the streets. How people live. How they treat each other. What they tolerate, and what they won’t. Culture is everything from high art to street-level ethics. From cathedrals to crime scenes.
That’s why the word itself is so slippery. You can interpret it a hundred ways. A canvas. A riot. A prayer. A protest. Paris is a masterclass in that ambiguity.
I present France, mon ami pic.twitter.com/DxhACyiF2f
— Michael McCarthy (@punishablepress) May 29, 2025
