History schoolbooks in France say that "the americanization process destroy local cultures" - do you agree?

Question

French school manuals are becoming quite antiamerican. The source is a book by French historian Barbara Lefebvre and journalist Ève Bonnivard called 'Students under influence'(Élèves Sous Influence). Some schoolbooks in France have sentences such as "The islamism is a mobilization ideology against the West for those who see in globalization a risk of cultural uniformization and domination by the USA" or "After defeating the 'Big Soviet Satan', the US government defines the new enemies who threaten the world's stability"...

Answer 1

In some cases, I agree fully. Look at the "americanization" of the very people who lived here before there was a United States of America. Whether it is anti-American or not is really beside the point. America has been a major destabilizing factor in many regions of the world (just like some other powers of the recent and ancient past). To say that Islam is being spread as a backlash to American presence, well, perhaps that's something to look into. Are we unable to swallow our pride just long enough to even consider people in other countries might dislike us for some reason, even a twisted one? Maybe not.



Did America save France in WWI and WWII? One could make that argument, but certainly not that America did it alone. How sad we have forgotten the French resistance movement, and the citizens in it who gave their lives for the freedom of their country. It's also a little silly we never mention things like the battle of Yorktown, or just the fact that France was a major ally of ours in the Revolutionary War.



The most accurate statement we can make is that the history of U.S. - French relations is a long and not-so-simple one, but no one today wants to admit that.

Answer 2

No way! Don't believe those lies. I'm half-American, half-French, and literally half my friends are American, and the other half are French. I just asked my French friends, and none ofthem ever had a textbook saying this. Please, don't spread lies like that. It's forbidden by French law to have textbooks that say that kind of stuff. This is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Have you ever wondered if the two women-authors of this book weren't just telling lies? Did you read the sentences you just wrote? Have you ever thought that these could be fake names? Did you do the research on these ladies? Have you lived in France to find this out first-hand? These are lies.

Answer 3

If it wasn't for Americans dieing to liberate France, French textbooks would read something like this:



Während die Standardsprache in den meisten europäischen Ländern aus dem Dialekt der jeweiligen Hauptstadt hervorgegangen ist, stellt die heutige Hochdeutsche Sprache eine Art zwischen den mittel- und oberdeutschen Dialekten südlich der Benrather Linie dar.



Besides, what room does France have to talk about destroying "local culture" ? This is a nation which has tried to destroy local cultures. Breton, Corsican, Provencal, Basque- these languages are all in danger because of French efforts to squealch them.

Answer 4

wow, I'd just like to say that last response was very mature.





i can totaly understand what you are talking about. i often times get frustrated with our forigen policies. call me a hippie, but i believe that some good old fashoned communication would do the world a lot of good. we define who is evil in this world and if people don't agree we say that they are against us. they are not so much against us more that they don't exactly agree with us. things aren't so black and white, there is a reason the U.N. was created and we are more or less distroying what it stands for by underminding them. good for the french. i'm glad they have the guts to print that. the only reason we can't see it is because it is so recent in our history.

Answer 5

I do believe that there is a certain amount of homogenization that is occuring not just abroad but within the states as well. we need to learn to accept different cultures and to be more tolerant of those that are not like us. I think we could take a few lessons from history



1. First DO NO HARM

2. be excellent to each other



fill in the rest you know what I mean.

Answer 6

the French have always hated us...it is kind of messed up...they want our money (tourist dollars etc.) but are notorious for being just plain rude...it is kind of sad considering how we saved their butt during the Second World War...how easily they forget...it is also ironic because France is losing their culture every so slowly, so who are they to speak?

Answer 7

local culture is always under attack by outside influence.It changes very slowly in isolated areas and faster in others, but it is always changing. I don't know who said the following, but it is very true: "Things just aren't like they used to be and of course they never were."

Answer 8

Cultures have to be adaptable and generative or they are bound to feel like shoes that no longer fit. If they want thier cultures to survive they have to be flexible and open minded.

Answer 9

No - the French make a choice to become Americanized, so if they don't like it, they only have themselves to blame.

Answer 10

I would say they don't know what is it means to be an American...and who cares what the French think anyway? Who died and made them boss?

Answer 11

america is a powerfull country a every very powerfull country its good to fear it every one dose people in france think they are being lowerd bown by america so they are afrid of it and



"under the 1st amendment i like to say that i been in the U.S. and i got mostly hjas been riped(made fun of) on well U.S. is turing evial loking in my sence"



hey i dont hate it its still good

Answer 12

progress destroys cultures. in france they go to the bathroom in the street.I think they need progress to change there culture

what one person says is change another will cry oh my poor culture

Answer 13

France is a joke! Not to mention we (U.S.A.) helped them keep their country twice. In WW1 and WW2!

Answer 14

I can't disagree with what I understand of what you have written.