Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Other Cultures in General
Though many other cultural stereotypes exist, this is getting
boring. A Frenchman will try to establish a relationship with
you as an individual, if you gain his respect. As we delve more
deeply into the fascinating complexities of the French, we hope
to get you and them beyond these superi cial stereotypes. We
are past the skin of the onion and on to the meat of the matter.
BEYOND STEREOTYPES—
FRENCH VALUES AND TRADITIONS
YOU'LL NEED TO LEARN EARLY
French Bureaucracy in Your Life
In the 17th century under the reign of Louis XIV, his adviser
Jean Baptiste Colbert centralised all power in the palace at
Versailles. (The Grand Plan of French democracy described
by Rousseau, quoted below, was already in the minds of the
Parisians so the king decided to leave town.) The Napoleonic
Code followed the example of Louis XIV and set a centralised
approach in stone. Though power returned to Paris, today
France still runs on the wheels of a massive bureaucracy in
France.
Le Système D
Be on the lookout for
le système D
. The French take pride in
their ability to
débrouiller
bureaucracy—that is to untangle it by
resourceful means. There are many ways to do this, and you will
learn the tricks as you go along. The best way is to have a friend
who knows someone. Ask your French friends for help.
The French are accustomed to i lling out endless forms,
keeping mountains of records and giving the government
information on every detail of their lives, all of their lives.
Whether you are getting a driver's licence or trying to i nd
a job, you will be dealing with the unique and complex
bureaucracy that is France. It will
try the patience of Job, but don't
give up, there is method in the
madness.
'Men are born and remain free
and equal in rights.'
—Jean Jacques Rousseau
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