Here we
go: the
stereotypes. This is what everyone wants to know, right? Are the
stereotypes about the French
true?
I googled "American stereotypes about the French." Here are the most reoccurring themes which I have either confirmed or declared myth:
5. They're all thin.
This one is mostly true. When we first got to Paris, Kyle said, "Where did all these models come from that they let walk around being beautiful and pretending to be normal people?" The girls like to say they're fat though, which makes me chortle. That must be an international girl thing. After I got back from Spain, one of the teachers I work with asked me if I thought the Spanish are in good shape [compared to the French]. I'm pretty sure I know what she wanted me to say haha. But she forgot to take into consideration that I'm American. We eat cheeseburgers three meals a day and ask for fries on the side. I hesitated, so she thought I didn't understand her question and rephrased it. I wanted to say, "Yes, they're healthy. And they look like they could handle a strong wind without being blown away, unlike another nationality I can think of." But I'm pretty sure that answer wouldn't have satisfied.
4. They're lazy.
I would most certainly not say that the French are lazy. I teach several classes full of 9 and 10 year-old perfectionists who whip out their white-out at the smallest error and roll their eyes at me when I skip a line or give them new directions after they've begun something. However, I have to confess that the construction on our street was supposed to be finished in August... Also, I have been waiting for someone to come hook up my internet for nearly six weeks. There's always some random problem. They need to call so and so to come look at this jack or that chord. I didn't answer my phone when they called once, because I couldn't find it in my purse in time. So even though I called right back they have to start all over now and send out the FIRST guy, not the second. So the first guy can tell me the same thing he told me last time: that he needs guys number two to come look. I need to be in my apartment ready, every day, with my phone in case they call and want to come up. My favorite is when they tell me to call from a land line, which I don't have because it comes with the internet, which I most definitely don't have. Yeah. I wouldn't say lazy. Disorganized yes, but not lazy. It's just a different way of life. A different list of priorities. Every meal is savored and enjoyed with loved ones and a table cloth. Every holiday thoroughly celebrated with weeks off work. Life is to be lived, yes? Not to be spent making money for the future when the future may never come. I remind myself of this when I'm internetless.....grr.
3. They are cheese eating surrender monkeys.
Cheese eating, yes. Oooh yes. And they take their cheese very seriously. I find it quite nice actually. It's science and art combined. "Cheese cutting." Can I major in that? I have, however, been given a real live lesson from a real live French guy on how to properly cut cheese. Surrendering, I don't know. They don't walk around with white flags. Maybe they keep them stored away. In the bread basket where it will be easily accessible? Either way, it's fun to exchange surrender jokes with them for fast-food, gun carrying, or Executive Branch jokes.
2. The women don't shave their armpits.
I haven't made a habit of going around and investigating women's armpits. However, I would have to classify this stereotype as a myth. There's this little thing going around lately called globalization. It tends to affect what people consider beautiful and in, and especially influences the youth, who are most likely to sport bare arms. In conclusion, I declare that I have yet to see
one woman with unshaven armpits.
1. The French are rude.
If I can emphasize one thing, it is that this statement is most
definitely false. Yes, I have met a few unpleasant fellows who don't like Americans, are resentful of American influence and prevalence in France and come across as rude. But these people are few and far between. And, in their defense, it's almost like they are like that because of some deep rooted nationalistic desire to keep French culture alive. American culture may seem threatening when you love your country, your language, your people, and cheese and you turn on the radio to American music and hear the youth speaking English words. You would wonder what's going to happen to the cheese and wine and beautiful words in a few hundred more years. Alright, maybe I'm being a tad sarcastic, but really, I applaud them for wanting to preserve their culture. After all, I am making it my life work to study them and this land and try to understand that culture. I hate the thought of it not being around in the future because we're all speaking English or Spanish or Chinese. The French may be stiff about some things, but if they have a real
reason for getting to know you, some association other than buying train tickets or a taxi, they will welcome you with open arms as fast as you will let them. I can think of countless examples. The elderly couple at the bed and breakfast when I first got to France. The old lady who is my stand partner at orchestra. The orchestra conductor. The little kids I teach. Their parents who drive me from school to school. Virtually
everyone at church. No, the French are not rude. "The French are like a baguette. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside." They just want to preserve their culture. That's all. So if you waltz into a country sporting a camera, white sneakers, talking about world powers, Apple computers, and McDonald's and wondering loudly why nobody speaks English to you, you probably won't have the greatest reception anywhere, let alone in France.
One more little thing, remember my students with their white-out pens and perfect handwriting? They are little perfectionists. Little perfectionists grow up to be big perfectionists. Most French speak some English, yes. But most French don't speak perfect English. It's very hard for them to butcher a foreign language in front of a stranger. Even the teachers I work with won't speak English around me, and if they must say one or two words, they apologize profusely for how awful their English is. It's a matter of pride, cultural pride or pride of not wanting to embarrass themselves. It is required that all students learn English in school, even when their teachers aren't fully qualified to teach it. It's a very sensitive subject for them because they know they aren't qualified, and yet they are required by law to teach it anyway. If you ever visit France, please try to remember that if they hadn't been so stubborn about preserving their language and culture, the France you visit today would be much different than it actually is. So when they act like they don't speak English, but you know they speak better English than your French, just try to appreciate the rich culture around you that they've worked so hard to preserve in its purest form. And enjoy some cheese :)
