Understand French Attitudes

Only in France : examples of curious (for Americans) French behavior !

Sometimes the French act in such unexpected and unpredictable ways that foreigners think they are crazy!
Their attitudes toward pleasure, work, their pets, other countries, sex, and money are indeed very different.
Are they crazy ?
No ... they're French!
Here are a few examples.

The French and change

The French are said to refuse change. At the same time, they always demand reforms and hope for (or fear) a major revolution. This illogical attitude toward change can be summarized in a few often-heard statements :

« If I have to change, it means that I lost....»
the French do not believe in the possibility of a win-win situation. Therefore, if I change, it means that someone forced me to do it and is winning over me : therefore I am reluctant to change !
« I changed, but don't tell anybody ....»
in fact, the French society does change. From rural to urban, from traditional to modern, from protectionist to global, etc... But since I do not want to admit that changing is good in itself, I change and expect nobody will notice it!
« Small changes are not good : they are a pretext not to make major changes... »
Peyrefitte gives a clue : « revolutionary or immobilists because the French never see themselves as in a situation where they can be actors of the change ». Since they do not believe they can be associated to any project of change, the only options are either to change everything (revolution) or nothing (status quo). Read more about the French revolutions in history.
« Only unstable people or societies change ...»
an ideal world is stable and rooted in history. An anecdote : in 2004, the Invest-in-France Agency wanted to show that France has very good scientists. It showed a film starring two highly respected French Nobel Prizes, both in their 80s. It does not mean that there are no young scientists (there are even younger French Nobel prize winners) but those two were the most well-known and unquestionable. Of course the result was highly counterproductive and the audience was led to believe that the days of French science were in the past !
« if it changes, it must change everywhere...»
experiencing is unthinkable if not everywhere : this is why, in the name of equality, regional powers cannot experience anything if it is not a general rule.
« It's Houdini, not Thatcher,"
writes The Economist, "France is spectacularly good at saying NON.... but behind the scene, more quietly and with no discernible romance, France can and does say OUI. In Germany and Scandinavia, change happens after considerable debate and lengthy analysis. In France by contrast, it tends to be convulsive and born of conflict : one violent leap backward followed by two surreptitious steps forward.".