Brandi Barnes

Katherine Bevins
French 111
April 12, 2015
French Stereotypes
Stereotypes are defined as the image of have a certain person or group of people that can
be false, or misleading. This is not necessarily because you are judging someone, you just may
be forming your opinion because of things you have heard. Stereotypes can be more common
than you think. Two groups of people that have always had a stereotypical view of one another
are the American and French people.
For years, people of American have thought that the French were rude, and not just one
group, all of them. This type of stuff happens in France and probably is linked to some
Americans or Brits who assumes everybody speaks English (Elkhoury). What this means is that
when American go to Paris, they assume that French people can understand them completely
well. While in some cases a French person can understand what an American is saying that does
not always happen, so they French may shake their heads, or say something in French because
they do not understand. Because of the everyone knows English mindset Americans the actions
of the French would be appalling.
Another factor would be due to the fact of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is
defined as looking for new evidence to confirm your existing beliefs. If an American is told their
entire life that all French people are rude they will look for actions to prove this (Elkhoury).

They may walk around the city counting French people who do not acknowledge them when
they speak in English. Americans do like to prove they are right, so I can see how confirmation
bias can keep the stereotype as strong as it is, however I do not believe that this stereotype is
accurate.
I believe that this stereotype in untrue. Americans live in a culture where selfcenteredness is way more common than not, so this factor could play into the false stereotype. If
an American cannot be helped immediately they get flustered and blame someone else for the
issue at hand. If Americans would learn even just basic French before traveling to France that
would cut down of the stereotype of the French being rude. Americans would be able to
participate in conversations and be able to ask questions and understand answers, and so forth.
However, because Americans are so self-centered I do not see this happening.
For the stereotype to change, it would take much more effort from Americans. Learning
French could minimize the problems that could be encountered when traveling to France. Also,
removing the stereotype could be as easy as not listening to what you have always heard. When
travelling peoples experiences are going to be unique, therefore what happened to them is
probably not going to happen to you. Even if someone seems rude to you it is most likely not
caused by them disliking you as a person, but caused more by the cultural barrier. Give everyone
a chance and your experience will hopefully change your mind about the rudeness of French
people.

Works Cited
Elkhoury, John. French Common Stereotypes French Crazy. N.d. Web. April 12, 2015.