The other night, at a bar in Paris, I whipped out my cell phone to check the time. “Oh, you want my number?” asked the sketchy guy who had just bought my drink. I giggled nervously. “Oh, no, I just wanted to see what time it is. Is it rude to check your phone in front of people?”

“In Paris, yes,” he replied, “But I will forgive you, because you’re American and Americans are always on their phones or on their computers.” He smiled and went to refill my glass.

By now we know that we are the plugged in generation. Not so affectionately coined “The Millennials,” old people think we are a distinct brand of cultural detritus intent on destroying civilization as we know it with our awkwardly phrased Twitters and blog posts full of narcissism and run-on sentences. As Millennials, we think we are brazenly paving a new path for generations to come, a path of interconnectedness and constant human contact that will ultimately make the world a better place.

French people think we’re both wrong.

It’s true that I’ve been spoiled by New York and the digital realm that slyly cloaks it. Faced with a world lacking Delivery.com, I must instead buy food from the grocery store and actually cook it. Figuring out a new bar to go to is not as simple as browsing New York Magazine’s online database: I’ve had to resort to actually asking Parisians where to go, or relying on old Gridskipper entries.

It’s untrue that Paris lacks the media obsession that greases the gears of Manhattan; instead, their media empire has just not converted wholly to online journalism. With print sales actually increasing, it seems the French are less reliant on the internet and mobile devices than their American counterparts. Sure, teens still “SMS” (that’s french for “text!”) their friends with fiery fingers, but I’ve yet to see anyone here with an iPhone, which automatically brings France’s douchebag level down dramatically.

It seems to be the American mentality that has us chained to our computers, exposing the minutiae of our daily lives: American culture is notorious for open-minded wildness and over-sharing. Our culture lacks an element of privacy fiercely guarded by Europeans. But a strange irony lurks here: there is a sheepish Christian element to being American that makes us squeamish in the face of sex in a way that makes Europeans turn up their royal noses. If you think Gossip Girl is outrageous cable television, I urge you to watch Great Britain’s Skins.

Here, then, lies the cultural age gap, as evidenced earlier by differing opinions of Millennials and technology. It’s not the Olds blogging about their latest orgasm, but they are the ones controlling what shows up on TV. In France, a society basically devoted to finding sexual pleasure daily—whether it’s through masturbation or sex workshops or casual encounters with people you meet at a bar—the uptight attitudes towards sex seem to have essentially dissolved for people of all ages. So maybe—to French people—Twittering about your latest fuck buddy is already so passe. Perhaps they’re not behind us in terms of media, but instead they’re just so over it.

So that leaves us with one final question. In America, parties consist primarily of drugs and texting. In France, they consist of drugs and sexing. Which one do you think is better?

Photo by Flickr user luc legay used under the Creative Commons