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Showing posts from January, 2013

Dirty Money

Ah money and markets. These concepts are always sticky subjects in France. One of the first things I heard about the difference between the two countries is that money is an impolite subject in France, at least in general discussion. French people, on the other hand, often hear that Americans freely talk about money with one another, even with strangers, from their salaries to the price of their cars. From a French viewpoint, America is the epitome of a consumer society. After all, we are the country that brought the world McDonald's, Starbucks, and Apple products. At its best, our competitive capitalism can be seen as an example of American individualism, where every person has a right to seek his/her own wealth. And if big American brands have been imported internationally, then it’s just a result of American ‘pragmatics’ and ingenuity. In other words, some would say that Americans culturally have a special relationship with money that allows them to excel at commercialism