French Stereotypes, Truth or Myths? (1 of 7)

I eluded in a previous article (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/productivity-happiness-other-statistics-jean-capdevielle) to some stereotypes about French people and as a Frenchman who lived almost half his life abroad, I heard just about everything!

The interesting thing is that when you live in France, you don’t really realize how many things are said or believed about your nation and your people. It is a bit like accents, everybody has one, but everybody believe they don’t: it is the way they speak, so it is accent-less.

So, what are the most commonly spread stereotypes about French people and are they true or not? (you can of course count on me to look at it through an honest and unbiased lens ??)

Why bothering writing about it you might ask (and why bothering reading it???)? Fair questions indeed… In my 20+ years working life, from Children Carer to Account Manager and from Canada to Singapore, the most crucial lessons I learned I believe is the power of perspective. The way the same fact or event will be seen, interpreted and understood in various ways be different people is universal: we are all faced at some stage with the issues and misunderstanding induced by this very reality. Dealing with it appropriately, whichever the situation (personal, work…) is a precious skill to learn… Hopefully, this series of articles will help give you some perspective on perspective itself… deep right?

Also, I’m not going to lie, it was quite fun to do and quite satisfying to debunk some of these myths… but no spoilers, let’s get into it!

Once again, let’s see what good old Wikipedia has to say about it*:

High fashion

France, particularly Paris, has been perceived for being a high fashion place where designer clothes and cosmetics are made.

Hygiene

The French are perceived as having poor hygiene, originating from American soldiers during World War II.

Rudeness

French waiters have been perceived as rude and disrespectful, especially to foreigners who speak little to no French.

Romance

French men and women are perceived as being very romantic.

Smokers

Smoking in France is a common trope when associated with France.

Laziness

The perception that French workers are prone to strikes and take a lot of time off has established a stereotype of the French being workshy.

Weak military

Despite being one of the world's leading power from the 18th century, the French military had been perceived as poor in armed combat and could be easily defeated in armed struggles, thus likely to surrender. The stereotype was attributed to France's role during World War II, in which French forces surrendered to German forces in just 46 days, but also due to the poor performances in various wars, such as the Battle of Assietta, the Haitian Revolution, the Franco-Prussian War, and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu during the First Indochina War.

I’m pretty sure these would ring a bell for most (and of course a little less for the French amongst you) but what is really behind it, how much of it is true?

I’ll try in the upcoming weeks to get to the bottom of these, 1 stereotype at a time. Stay tuned, I look forward to reading your comments and thoughts.

Please note that I will purposefully skip 2 of these:

-         High Fashion: I don’t know enough at all – won’t surprise those of you who saw me outside of work.

-         Smoking: unfortunately, I know too much about it ?

But, as a “hors d’oeuvre”, the below quotes and citations set the scene nicely… or not, some are actually quite offensive to the French but being the country of the “lumieres” (the philosophers, not the lights) we can take it with philosophy I’m sure:

“France is the most civilized country in the world and doesn’t care who knows it.” John Gunther

“France has neither winter nor summer nor morals—apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country.” Mark Twain

“How can anyone govern a nation that has 240 different kinds of cheese?” Charles de Gaulle

“Dogs smoke in France.” Ozzy Osbourne

“We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be, detested in France.” Duke of Wellington

“What I gained by being in France was learning to be better satisfied with my own country.” Samuel Johnson

“Everything is on such a clear financial basis in France. It is the simplest country to live in. No one makes things complicated by becoming your friend for any obscure reason. If you want people to like you, you have only to spend a little money.” Ernest Hemingway

“They aren’t much at fighting wars anymore. Despite their reputation for fashion, their women have spindly legs. Their music is sappy. But they do know how to whip up a plate of grub.” Mike Royko

“If the French were really intelligent, they’d speak English.” Wilfrid Sheed

“I love French wine, like I love the French language. I have sampled every language, French is my favourite. Fantastic language. Especially to curse with. Nom de dieu de putain de bordel de merde de saloperie ….. It's like wiping your arse with silk. I love it.” The Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)

Source : *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_French_people