You can take the girl out of the States, but you can't take the States out of France! (a.k.a. My experiences with Globalization)

Written 9/6/2006 1:31 PM

I’m in culture shock. Which is to say, I’m shocked to find American culture everywhere I look.

The very first day we were in France, we bussed from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Tours. It’s a three hour ride, and we stopped about an hour and a half through to get something to eat. When we walked into the rest stop, the song Sweet Home Alabama greeted us. Helena and I both stopped short and looked at each other with a “what the heck?” expression before we burst into laughter. I’ve noticed that French radio stations seem to alternate between songs with lyrics in French and English, which is why my breakfast Sunday morning was accompanied by Elvis’s “Stuck On You” and “When a Man Loves a Woman,” as well as Johny Halliday (famous French musician).

While browsing at an antiques market, I found records by Paul Anka, Louis Armstrong, and countless other American artists. I found a DVD of Saturday Night Fever. I found Mickey Mouse comic books, the Peanuts, and Snoopy. Now, don’t think me ignorant; I did realize before I came that these characters had spread internationally. But it’s one thing to be casually aware of that fact at home, and quite another to abruptly confront something familiar when you expect something foreign. Especially because you start to see the artifacts from your own culture in a completely different context—as matter out of place. Last night, as we rode home from our atelier, songs from the movie Grease just didn’t seem to make sense on French radio.

It’s really the first time I’ve experienced globalization since becoming aware of the phenomenon. Instead of being fun, the way it was when I was younger, finding cultural artifacts that I consider “American” has become eerie. Not because I’m possessive of them or feel that the French have no right to them or anything, but just because of way the two very distinct cultures seem to be converging. There are certainly differences between us, but will all things eventually converge?