Intercultural differences (5)

First understand, then criticize !

Irksome France More to come...

Irksome France....

For many foreign visitors, the most unpleasant aspects of France and French life are often related to some form of lack of civic sense. Among them : Selfishness ? Taking people hostage with constant strikes in public transport or in museums or blocking the roads to force the State to intervene in a labor dispute instead of negotiating (in 2003 : after several weeks of strike, teachers threatening to cancel the high-school final exam or actors and musicians causing the cancelation of most Summer festivals) Dirtiness ? Dog poop all over the sidewalks (in Paris : 16 tons/day, 650 injured/year) and dogs in shops, restaurants,... graffiti on the walls. Body odors and Turkish toilets

Lack of civic sense ? Growing "incivility" : people smoking everywhere, even in non-smoking areas (but comparative figures show that most European countries are worse !), people incapable of queueing, etc... Illusions ? Many ridiculous aspects of the national political life, as if France was the center of the world. Extremism ? Olivier Besancenot and all these absurd trotskyist organizations Conservatism ? The inability to change anything without making a big drama out of it See a few quotes about the French by vatious writers.... More to come (much more...) !

First : understand, then : criticize....

I have seen many situations where Americans are upset, just because they dont KNOW why something happened. If you understand why people act a certain way, then you are of course free to disagree but if you don't understand, you may be very wrong when you express an opinion ! Here are a few examples : Many Americans say : "The French don't like children : we were in a restaurant and they kept glaring at our kids, etc...". You have to know that : American children generally make much more noise than French children In France, you don't go to a restaurant because you're hungry, but because you want to enjoy a meal and talk with your friends If they are noisy or agitated, your children are ruining the other diners' pleasure CONCLUSION : if you want to enjoy a real French meal, don't take your children with you and if you're just hungry, go to the next McDonalds, a children-friendly place

Many Americans have stories like "In a café ordered a Screwdriver and they refused to serve me and they looked at me with hate. Same thing with a wodka with cranberry juice" (this is a true story) Screwdrivers and cranberry are totally unknown in France The order was in English : in France people understand French better than English and smile is less natural, especially when you're in trouble If you want to see what it's like (seen by the Frenc), go to a bar in Kansas City and order (in French) "Donnez moi un Perroquet ou sinon un Picon grenadine" and tell me what happened... CONCLUSION : why not try what people drink in this country? It could be a nice experience. More anecdotes : see a few DOs and DONTs, see a few questions about the French, visit the page on French attitudes and read French Toast ! More to come...

More intercultural , intercultural management and anti-americanism To more intercultural To table of contents Back to home page	For more on intercultural differences, order Harriet Welty Rochefort's books : "French Toast, An American in Paris Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press, New York, 1999 "French Fried, The Culinary Capers of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001 More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming events, testimonials, etc..)	site still under construction
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