In a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, David Whitley tries to answer the perennial question of whether the French are rude or just misunderstood --- a question that was probably asked a lot more often before the English speaking hordes stormed France for the Rugby World Cup!
For instance --- his opening paragraph had to have been written before the Australians and the British discovered the incredibly warm and helpful and hospitable French who welcomed them at every airport, train station and border post!:
The search for the rude Frenchman: as enduring stereotypes go, it has got serious stamina. The typical Frenchman - lazy, arrogant and refusing to speak anything but his own language. Throw in a beret here and a Gallic shrug there and you've got a caricature that has stood the test of time.
But credit to Mr. Whitley, he investigates the question well and shows both sides of the coin -- and comes to the conclusion that things have changed -- so only right that perceptions start changing too!
It would be easy to dismiss it as just that, a grotesque exaggeration with little basis in reality, but when the country's president storms out of a European Union conference on hearing a fellow Frenchman talking in English, as happened in March last year, it bears scrutiny.
The horror stories have been passed down for years - sneering waiters mocking requests to deviate from the menu, air traffic controllers going on strike during key holiday periods, hotel owners treating guests with total ambivalence, the whole country packing up and deserting their businesses during August.
How much is truth, how much enhanced versions of the truth and how much myth is difficult to assess.
There's only one way to find out and that's to throw yourself in as a completely befuddled tourist of the highest magnitude.
You get some interesting insights when you're deliberately alternating between someone who speaks passable French, having a decent knowledge of the culture and history of the country, and a clueless wretch who speaks English only.
In the first guise things are remarkably simple, with the only problems being personal embarrassment when the hotel receptionist spots a dodgy accent and replies to questions in English to help you both out. Everything is very civil, the assistance as unfailingly polite as you'd expect anywhere in the world.
The bigger shock is that this largely continues when acting the stereotypical arrogant English speaker who hasn't even bothered to learn so much as "parlez-vous Anglais?" Asking for directions in the street, ordering in a cafe, booking a place to rest the head at night; there is always an attempt to help. Admittedly it's not always successful but the attitude is not one of rude refusal, simply non-comprehension.
Much, it seems, depends on the approach. There is a world of difference between someone apologetically asking in English because they haven't got the language skills and someone marching in, expecting Johnny Foreigner to speak his language and jump at a click of the fingers. That's not French arrogance - quite the opposite.
There are signs that the reputation is being acknowledged within France. New President Nicolas Sarkozy ruffled a few feathers last year when he said that, in order to compete on a world scale, the French were going to have to work harder, start speaking English and stop looking down at the rest of the world.
"We should ask ourselves why the English buy our houses in the Dordogne ... The answer is simply because the British GDP is 10 per cent greater than the French and that the standard of life of the British is higher than that of the French," he said.
"We have committed the immense error of undermining work. When someone who works does not have a better life than someone who does not work, why should he get up in the morning?" Ouch. That's not going to go down well, is it?
You'd be surprised. The home truths, written in Sarkozy's recent book, weren't met with widespread outcry, much as the media would have liked them to be. There were no riots in the street, Sarkozy's standing was not harmed, and no one decided to go on strike.
The ordinary Frenchman, it appears, can understand where the perceived attitude problem comes from. Alain Duprat, a student working behind a bar in the regional city of Besanon to earn extra cash, happens to speak very good English but realises why many of his countrymen don't.
"It's not about not wanting to help but not being able to," he attempts to explain.
"Many French people do not have good English because it has never been very important to do so."
He's right. The prevalence of English as the international second language of choice is a fairly recent thing. Even 20 to 30 years ago French carried arguably as much import.
In practice, for the Frenchman, it didn't really matter whether he spoke a second language or not because the person they were speaking to probably spoke a fair bit of French. It's the same excuse those in the English-speaking world use today - because we never really have to practise a second language, all that is learned quickly falls by the wayside.
"Many French are not confident in their ability to speak English," Duprat adds, "so will only try when they see the other person is finding it hard."
The tourism industry clearly realises the imperative to be multilingual. If you go to any attraction in Paris you will find guides and signposting not only in English but probably in Spanish, German and Japanese as well.
Even on the trains, announcements are done in two languages for the benefit of passengers. That would be unthinkable in Sydney, New York or London.
But the rude reputation is not just to do with language. What about the sneering, the belief that French is best? Well that, too, appears to be a myth. Requests for tomato sauce to go on a steak are met promptly without a tut or an exasperated gasp. Hoteliers not only show you to the room but give a brief guided tour of the entire premises, while any requests for directions are met with thorough briefings and wildly descriptive hand gestures.
Striking up a conversation in a supposed English theme pub - everyone is sitting around sipping wine, so it doesn't really fit - one of the locals, Michel, has a theory.
Half in pidgin English, half in scaled-back speaking-to-a-foreigner French, he explains a philosophy we don't often consider. "It's about respect. We believe that other people are intelligent and know what they are doing."
It's a fair call. They don't help because they don't automatically assume you need it. This isn't rudeness, it's treating strangers with a high opinion. And you can see this whenever you walk into a shop. You'll never get the shark asking if they can help as soon as you step across the threshold.
The expectation is that you know what you are looking for and want to be able to do so in your own time. When looked at from this perspective, French "rudeness" is mighty refreshing.
In fact, it would be easy to wipe out all previous conceptions about the French character on a short trip to the country but it's comforting to know that at least some of the stereotype rings true.Sitting in the Gare du Nord, waiting to get on the Eurostar back to London, an announcement comes across the speaker system. "Passengers are advised that there will be no catering service on board today's Eurostar services. This is due to strike action by staff members.
"We recommend that any refreshments are bought prior to boarding and we apologise for any inconvenience." Ah, some things never change, do they?
.........Sounds like there are still a lot of people out there that need Relocation and Orientation courses in France!..............
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