Through French eyes, U.S. looms large in every way

I have come to learn that life does not revolve around other people’s opinions about you, but they can play a mercenary role.

Apparently, Americans are young and naïve compared with the old and wise French. We are the fat, lazy stereotypes who always eat at McDonald’s, drive everywhere and teach these bad habits to our younger generations.

French people don’t understand why we must do everything the fast way. For us, the traditional way is too long. To them, it’s obviously more effective and doesn’t cause negative aftermath.

We are the “big” country, physically and mentally: enormous cars, endless territory, steep mountains but perpetually flat deserts, large population, big buildings (especially houses), bulky stores, long roads and, most importantly, large proportions.

To my French classmates, along with other teenagers I’ve become acquainted with, America is the big country. It’s chic, new, cool, everyone’s dream. But mind you, when French teens drool over America, they think New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, etc. It’s only when they talk about the “United States” of America do they think “Oh, Durango, Colorado. Cowboys right?”

It’s the touristy, well-known images, stereotypes and names that develop their dreams to travel across the Atlantic.

While listening to the radio on the way to Durango High School every morning, a high school student might hear the recent songs of Rhianna, Black Eyed Peas or Jason Mraz – each American stars.

When is the last time we’ve heard an adopted song on the radio? One in French, from Spain, anything?

In France, their Top 10 music hit list is almost identical to ours because more than half the music they listen to is American.

Our role is one of a dreamland where we have cool movie stars. As much as any 7-year-old girl wants to see the Eiffel Tower, French adolescents want to come to the 50 giant states.

As for adults, we run into many categories. Some think we conduct the world, and in that category there are those who think we know how to use our power and those who think we have too much for our own good.

Every time the French compare a country’s economy, health system, schools and more to another, even their own, in general conversations and in school, they are always examined against the U.S.

My French host mother, Patricia Roger, said the U.S. has been the most important country in the world ever since she can remember.

An average French person hears the same amount, if not more, of news about America than his or her own country. There is even a news channel that talks about us and us only, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For practically everyone, we are the new world where everything is modern, where technology is advanced, where we aren’t one traditional culture, but the mix of a world where inventions, ideas and aims are all blended together into an unwritten recipe. We have the highest and the lowest, the biggest and the smallest, the heaviest and the lightest, the best and the worse. The extremes, all spread across one big country.

Weighing the positives against the negatives is not what we should be trying to do. In these kinds of situations, a negative and a positive do not cancel each other out; we are not in a math world where everything has one right answer. We just need to realize that our country may have a bigger influence on the world than we think.

Erin Neale is a sophomore from Durango High School who just finished her yearlong exchange program in Clécy, France, with Rotary International.