I like America and I like France, and I am always amazed at how much the stereotypical view of one country persists in people from the other.
Is France a totalitarian state barring individuality and commerce and is America a cultural desert of fast food and strip malls?
No, France doesn’t look like Eastern Europe during the cold war, it functions much like America. Contrary to popular perception, the Socialists lost power in France years ago and the current government is to the right. Sure, France needs to take major steps to encourage more enterprise, but the popularity of French libertarian, Sabine Herold shouldn’t be a surprise (according to Jeff Jarvis, P.J. O’Rourke has some good insight here!). French stores are full of things to buy, with neon signs and billboard advertising and the world’s biggest retail chain after Walmart is French.
Likewise, America is the cultural center of the universe and if you don’t realize it yet, you haven’t been to New York.
But the biggest reason for abolishing these negative stereotypes is that the fears that they are based upon are fears of the same thing. The fear of French Socialism is a fear of homogeneity – of the blandness that was every day life behind the iron curtain. The fear of Americanism is the same – of the blandness of Starbucks and McDonalds replacing the local cafe and restaurant.
The Statue of Liberty is French, but all the wine in France is made from vines whose roots are American.