rosebud,
This was the first post by DaiTn on this thread I really enjoyed reading :-)
He did bring up some legitimate observations about Americans traveling aboard and stereotypes. It takes so little to correct this. Go off the beaten path, learn a handful of phases, take along pictures of your family and pets, humanize yourself as much as possible. We bring small items with our town's name or company names from our town, as small tokens (many we we get for free). Pens, T-shirts, hats, even beer mats, our sport teams (Steelers:-), so they know we actually come from somewhere they can relate to. Works like a charm.
This statement by DaiTn:
Hollywood movies , American music are also considered an invasion of the French cultures. The young crowd love it, the older generation thinks it is a shame and a slap in the face
Reminds me of a quote by Winston Churchill:
Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains
Young people like to experiment, including cultures. As they grow older they gravitate back to their own traditions.
I love this quote though:
Americans are loud and obnoxious
Gee, the English/Irish say the same thing about the French. LOL! If you really want loud and obnoxious, you should meet our Aussie cousins, we are dull compare to them. We adore them because they are loud and obnoxious ;-)
I like what rosebud said also:
French need to lighten up and not take themselves so seriously (self importantly). The French need to decide if they want to contribute to the world
They did in their last election, imo. In what I thought a very American/French like fashion. Loud and obnoxious
France and America are peers:
Agree with you there. The statue of Liberty was a gift to the U.S. from the French for a reason :-)
Regards |
