How do French ADULTS & TEENS view different RACES & NATIONS???

Question

I would like to know how French people view races. What do they think about Asians, African Americans etc. What about nations? What are their opinions towards Americans, Canadians etc. How multicultural are schools in France? How are French teens likely to react to a new student of a different race?

Answer 1

it's a very cosmopolitan country, many people from all over the world come to live here, there are many people from Maghreb, Africa, Asia...we're very used to other cultures and communities, so we don't have any special reactions, it's just everyday life.

Answer 2

Well I can't say much for your second to last question because I've never been to a French school but I can answer your others. France is much more racially integrated than the United States. Despite the fact slavery did exist in France there was never anything like the KKK or widespread and overwhelmingly powerful race driven politics. Of course there is racism everywhere but in France you will find that the "ghettos" and poverty include all races, as opposed to in the US, where poverty stricken areas are primarily filled with minorities. France is such that race is kind of a moot point, no one really cares. There are Muslims, Asians, Indians and Africans (As well darling they're only African-American if they were born in America.) all over and it's not truly an issue. Interracial relationships are widely accepted in France and looked at beyond mere race. I believe that answers your last question as well...they don't care. It doesn't really matter.

Answer 3

They are more open minded than you think. They embrace all races. The younger people like to speak English an they all learn it in school.  

Answer 4

I think like any other nations there are discriminations, but overall they are relatively friendly people, once you get to know them.

I think you need to at least speak some French to understand and click well with French people.

Unlike the Japanese people who always give foreigners a very good impression at first, even there are communication problems (most Japanese people cannot speak English very well) interaction with the French at first are not as pleasant, but if you can speak fluent French that changes greatly.

Overall, I personally don't think French are very obnoxious unlike many of the stereotypes the English speaking westerners say about them.

However I did experience some unpleasant moments.

Like this one time I met this French lady who made some sarcastic remark because I have an English name.

Many, many Chinese people have English names because England colonised countries that have Chinese people in it, the most obvious is HK (150 years), then SG and Malaysia (both 60 years).

Moreover in France there are many blacks who have French names just like African Americans who have English names, all because of colonisation. So I find this sarcastic remark rather annoying. It is like maybe I should come dressed in Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) and put chopsticks in my hair, authentic enough for you heh??!!

Also once I was with a French friend, she was helping me with my French homework in the cafeteria in my University here, then suddenly an old French man came out to me and started shouting at me trying to find out my ethnic origin " You are Chinese?! He shouted and repeated it many times in French; my friend told him "She is Australian. "Australian? He yelled "And her origin? "" My friend replied yes, Chinese Australian."

I was so angry and I said to him "what do you want???"And I stared at him and he backed off and left, my friend giggled she thought that was funny!

That was really abhorrent!

However there are very nice French people too. My husband and his family and friends and our GP and my lecturs are all very nice French people.

Even back home in Australia I have encountered some very nice white Australian and some very racist ones.

I think like US, Australia, UK and other Western Nations with their immigrants, the situation with ethnic minorities and the whites and about the same.

With the French's view on Americans, I think in general they don't have a problem with Americans but most of them don't like Bush. We won't get into that. I think in general they don’t have anything against Canadians too, but I think they do think Americans and Canadians are somewhat different from Western Europeans.

French schools are very multicultural, the largest ethnic minorities here are the North Africans, second the other Middle Eastern countries like Turkey, third Eastern Europeans, fourth Latinos, after that I think Vietnamese people are next, then Chinese. There are others as well but their numbers are really small.

I believe different French teens react differently to a new student of a different race, it really depends on the person.

In France (because it is their own country), French don't like to be approached with English. A bit of broken French with English is the best way to start talking with a native French person.

Answer 5

I’m French and I thought they were only four races…white, black, yellow and red.

The white race was everybody I knew, the black race was people from Africa or some French people from fareway Islands like The Martinique, the yellow race were people from Asia and the red race were those cool Indians on horses in Western movies.

Then I came to the USA and learned that I was a Caucasian, even so I’m not really sure where the Caucases are, black people were African American, even if most of them never set foot in Africa. Like Whoppi Goldberg says…I’ve been in Africa and I’m not an African American, I’m an American. Plus a friend of mine who’s a black guy from Paris was neither American nor African.

Then, they’re “hispanics”. I thought they were white, since they were neither black, yellow or red…Then there’s Islander…whatever.

I’m not sure yet what “arabs” are but surely not white, if hispanics are not…or maybe they’re white but just not Caucasians. I’m confused.

Then, according to science and DNA, races don’t really exist scientifically so really why bother?

In France, my experience with black people was very nice. They were French people from fareway islands, full of laughter, music and joy with a great sense of humour. Or they were from Africa. They were either very smart, coming to study in Paris, before they would become the leaders in their country in Africa, or they were immigrants, very grateful that the country of France would give them a better life.

Then I came to USA and the black people there were not full of laughter, or future leaders of their country or grateful. They were just angry.