Bonjour!
My name is Stephanie, and I am a third year at UVA. I have a question for the students at Lyon II: How do you like studying contemporary American Society? Is there anything that you have learned that has suprised you?
A bientot!
Stephanie
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Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI will answer from my only point of view, I cannot tell for others. I guess in some way it is very personnal. (and what I say is from using my memory which cannot be most of the time trusted!)
Since I arrived in Sciences Po Lyon, I learned a lot about the US. I cannot point out something in particular that suprised me. I guess there are many but at the same time when you get to know another civilization you are looking for surprises!
One of the thing I learned about this year was the process of the presidential election. I was not at school during the campaign so I was not able to have the insight of my teachers. the whole process seems very weird for French I guess. It is very different from our own process. First the fact that there is the nominations. (only last elections there has been a process of nomination for the Parti Socialiste (left)). The exictation arond it in US is very suprising to most of us. We most of the time don't really understand what a caucuse is for exemple. The fact that there is no direct elections and that the one who does not get the most number of popular vote can still be elected! That seem very undemocratic from the French point of view who feels that their regime is the most democratic (you know French are proud!). But since I had a course this year about it I can better understand why it is the way it is. So this suprise has gone!
It is one of the many things that can suprise french about American culture. And in class these days we are actually talking about religion and secularism and it's very interesting to get the real point of view of an American and not only making our own judgement from knowledge!
So I don't know what the others will have to say! We will see!
Enjoy the snow!
ALice
Hi Stephanie !
ReplyDeleteYour question is really not an easy one. Indeed, for me, the American society is the most complex and diversified one in the world. I think this is what surprised me the most.
I may be wrong but I think that we can't make the profile of a "typical American" as we could do with French people. From what I saw when I was travelling in the USA, American people from the South, the North, the West side or the East side, are completely different. I noticed the same thing inside of the cities. American society is so multicultural that it is surprising for European people and even more for French people.
What is your point of view about that ?
Anaïs
Hello everybody!
ReplyDeleteFirst comes first, I need to tell you that I am the anti-geek and this is why I cannot seem to find how to post a new article to the blog... I'm sure it is very simple (kind of "you just have to push the big red button here see?") but still..
Anyway, this does not mean I'm not contributing to this experience which I think could be great if we decide to make the best of it. I don't know what you guys think but I hope that we can avoid the very politically correct topics that are so easy to dwell on
(especially when you study politics, we know what blablaing about nothing is -you call this filibuster and we use the less colourful expression "obstruction parlementaire".. I love that english use the old pirate image and everytime I come across this word I cannot help but seeing a little man bursting in Senate with a moustache, a big hat and a sword. Ok mind, please stop!
Back to my point (because yes I have one), I'd really like this blog to be a place where we are not afraid to say what we really think and where we try to explain why.
For example, I'd be very interested to know what you think about Obama right now, for those who supported him and for those who didn't...
Please answer with no "langue de bois" nobody will judge, that is not the point, right?
And since I'm actually commenting on somebody's post, I'll answer the question.
More than studying American civilization I confronted to it, since I was an exchange student at Upenn last year. What has pleased me the most since I got interested in the US is that I feel like it is very similar to Europe, but everytime, a little bit different.
Take the food for example: same basis -too much fat and sugar, a lot of protein but different, I won't try a remake of the famous Mc Donald's scene in Pulp Fiction but that is the idea...
Another example would be political commitment. In France it is supposedly a very noble thing to do, you can brag about it at dinner parties and it show how good of a citizen you are. In the States, it's "politics and pizza wednesday's" people go there eat and actually talk. I wonder what is the most productive of the two, what do you guys think?
So in brief, studying the US civilization made me open my mind: things can be done differently, it can be very inspirational..
And to add something to what Anaïs said... Humm I'll play my part as the Parisian representative here: there are different types of Frenchness!!! (Here let's not be politically correct: Paris is not France! The debate is open :-)
Voilà voilà bonne journée à tous!
Alix
Hello Alice, Ana, and Alix!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that it took so long to respond to your comments, but I have been very busy with school work these past few weeks! I would like to answer all of your responses and I think that the best way to do this is to go in order, so here it goes!
Alice- When we were learning about the election process in France, I was very surprised to learn that the candidates can only campaign for 15 days prior to the election! To me, that would seem like a welcomed break from all the constant political advertisements that we must watch on television. I also think that the constand campaigning in America takes away from the ability of the elected officials to do their job, because they are constantly worried about re-election. I like the French system much better!
Ana- I know exactly what you mean about the different types of "American-ness!" I am from Richmond, Virginia, a city in the South. But I do not have a southern accent, but even when I travel to New York to visit my family, they still think that I have a funny accent! It is interesting what you said about how multicultural America is- I completely agree! I think that it is fun to have friends from all over the country at UVA and have them talk about how different it is in their state. Unfortunately, I have not been able to travel to see much of the United States, so I only know about a lot of cultural differences from what I hear from others. But I would love to know more about the diverse American cultures to which you were exposed!
Alix- Since you said that nobody will judge, then I will tell you what I really do think of President Obama. I do not like how the American Press constantly treats him and his family like Hollywood Celebrities, and furthermore, I do not like that he acts like one. To me, he is not acting like a respectable President. I do think that he is an excellent public speaker, but if you analyze what he is actually saying, he never makes any concrete statements. Furthermore, he continues to blame past administrations for current problems in the country. I think that he needs to stop playing the "blame-game" and start taking responsibility for his administration and as the President he should act like one.
Thank you for letting me rant, I do not want this to turn into a judgmental debate. But I do have a question- What is the opinion of Obama in France? And how do the French think the Americans react to Obama?
viva Obama! I will apply for political asylum in France if he isn't re-elected, at least i will have proper health care...
ReplyDelete