Assignment: In Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, read
the chapters assigned below. Write a response, following the
Reader Response Guidelines. React to and comment upon
your classmates responses.
Chapter
4: Describe the concept of “grandeur” and France’s thirst for it, giving
specific examples. Why do you think it
is the case?
OR
What is the cumul and how does it relate
to the concept of grandeur?
The concept of "Grandeur" is similiar to greatness. One good example of something having grandeur in the book is the description of Napoleon's toumb. "Covered in gold leaf".
RépondreSupprimerIts stated in the book, that France's love of grandeur is one of the fundamental characteristics of French culture.
In American culture, we dont really adopt the felling of grandeur in our society, but in France, it is socially acceptable. Kind of like the living norm of French life. While it is also a prize.
While grandeur might seem like a very good and sound idea, it has its drawbacks. Such as it allows the French to literally lock themselves in their position and remain there.
i think that we do have grandeur in our country but i feel, like you said that is just more except able to be fancy and splurge on nicer things. in america you could get criticized for having nice things when you dont have the money.
SupprimerI am agree that political figures in France are allowed to secure their positions by holding several offices at a time, but that is just one aspect of grandeur. I believe that grandeur in politics may not be the best idea, but it has worked for the French. I can not say that our lack of grandeur has really worked in our favor though. I think grandeur can always be equivalent to pride, and I wish America would take a more graceful method of pride other than shouting "Merica". The French have an elegant pride that I admire.
SupprimerI'm glad you mentioned some of the downsides of grandeur like the citizens locking themselves in their positions. Change is essential to growth in almost any given system, and if someone holds the same position their entire life and then passes it on to someone they assigned (without a vote by the people or anything) change will not occur as frequently. I could also see this gridlock becoming a breeding ground for corruption if it goes on for too long.
SupprimerGrandeur is a popular value in French culture, but this is not the case in the United States. The idea of grandeur is not a bad thing in French culture, in fact it is encouraged. I like that the authors made the point that grandeur is still around. By observing popular sites in France, such as Versailles and Notre Dame, it is obvious that grandeur was shown in the past, but it may not be as obvious now. From my own personal experience, I was not turned off by the splendor in Versailles or Notre Dame. I basked in the glory that surrounded these places, and the opulence made your mouth gape in awe. The entire city, while not as splendid as the Hall of Mirrors, still makes you feel the same way. The glorious nature of Paris is intoxicating, and the grandeur is clearly obvious. I wish America valued grandeur in the same way that France does. Our cities do not even come close to Paris. As the authors describe later in the chapter, grandeur is not all about the physical appearance. Grandeur can also relate to power, which is something that Americans shy away from. The grandeur in France is evident in French politics. The authors described the ÉNA, which they say some critics claim to be elitist. I do not believe that this is the case in the least bit. If people were automatically selected depending on their parents and how much money they have then maybe it would be elitist, but these people must apply to get in, just like college in America. I do not see how the ÉNA is much different from our graduate programs or attending certain colleges. The authors mentioned that Ivy leagues in America have the undertone of being elitist, but I do not believe there is an undertone there at all. Ivy leagues are outright elitist schools, whose admissions depend a lot of who you know and who you are. I absolutely feel that having special schools to train the civil servants of France is completely justified. My final thought on Chapter 4 is about the collection of power in political offices, called the cumul. I feel like there is a definite conflict of interest, but one positive that the authors mentioned, is that the cumulards have the unique opportunity to be closer to the issues of a regional degree opposed to just national. It is easy to see how the idea of grandeur applies to this collection of power because one aspect of grandeur is power, but at the same time this idea makes me giggle because the authors mentioned the complete abuse of power. Despite this abuse of power, these officials are held up to a higher degree, almost like royalty. I believe grandeur is so important is France because it’s the France’s way of holding on to the idea of the opulence of having a monarchy.
RépondreSupprimerI like how you included your own personal experience from France in your explanation! I also wish that America would hold grandeur to a higher esteem. I feel that most of our cities seem so rundown, that it's shameful to claim it as ours.
SupprimerYes I am all in favor of America adopting some of the French's ideas of grandeur. I would love to see American society become more embracing and accepting of art and architecture and make these things more prevalent in our culture. That being said, I'm not sure I would agree fully to the social outcomes of grandeur, such as placing some citizens (such as politicians) on a higher pedestal than other citizens.
SupprimerThe concept of grandeur is having power and showing it. The French are not shy to show that they possess power and it is very well encouraged to do so. Grandeur is shown throughout the whole country as it is said in the text that gold has adorned everything from traffic circles to bridges and so on. They still want a king a queen and even though they don't have that system anymore they cover anything they can with gold or put marble floors or even ask sculptors to sculpt something original. They always believed in power and it is shown through the cumul system where it is possible to hold more than one seat in the parliament. For example, president Jacques Chirac while being mayor of Paris (1977-1995) he was the prime minister of France (1984-86), he was the depute for his home region Corrèze and député in the European Parliament. Although such multiple seats exist, the cumul system has its limits. You can’t be a senate and a député at the same time. This is a great example because more seats means more income and more income means more power. This is actually exhausting but at the same time admirable. It is admirable because the man take more than they can chew on just so they can gain power and that is something you can admire. Even though this is a great system for the French, it also has the negative side of it. This means it is difficult for marginal group to enter power which includes woman. Sexism is still very strong in France which is harder for woman to obtain a seat in the parliament. Only 10 percent of woman has a seat compared to North America where it is 20 percent of woman who do. Even though it is a slower ride for woman to gain power, there will come a time where they bump the man from their throne like the author mentions it at the end of the chapter.
RépondreSupprimeri think is sad that it is harder for women to get into a government position but i think it is safer that women go along with the sexism and they have a more timide approach to governing.
SupprimerIt may be harder for women to get into a political position, but the it has taken time for the United States to do the same thing. We gained our independent democracy before the French, in fact I believe it was King Louis XVI who was in power when we were fighting the Revolutionary War. So we have had more time to make progress, so it is hard to compare these two countries when they have had very different histories.
Supprimer“Cumul” is short for cumul des mandats which literally translates into “the accumulation of electoral mandates” or, in other words, the ability of political representatives to hold multiple offices at the same time and is one of France’s many demonstrations of grandeur.
RépondreSupprimerThere are not laws forbidding cumul in any other liberal democracy, however, French politicians are the only ones that do not refrain from doing so. In the United States, and presumably in other countries as well, representing multiple political positions would be seen as garnering too much political clout. In France, more than half of all major political representatives hold two or more positions. Having multiple mandates functions as an insurance policy for politicians by insuring that, if they were to lose one office, they would still have others to rely on for income. However, having multiple positions also makes politicians seem invulnerable and long-lasting. Yet, by having this security, political figures can stand up to powerful préfets without fear of harsh repercussions. More recently, political figures have restricted some aspects of cumul. For instance, legislative and executive powers must remain separate. However, the problem is that as soon as a politician accrues power, they drop the issue.
The French will never fully rid themselves of the cumul because it is all about power, and power in France is closely associated with grandeur. This often results in the hoarding of power, because power equates with prestige and elected officials treat their positions like possessions of duties instead of services.
Chapter 4 is about how much the French love grandeur. Many places in French are tourist destinations because of their grandeur. Grandeur is described as fancy, excellent, and greatness. The city hall in Paris is a grandeur destination. Many painters came in to paint on the wall and there are some details that a covered in gold leaf. In France grandeur has become the way of life and it is part of their culture now. Frenchmen will pay top dollar just to go about the grandeur way of life.
RépondreSupprimerAnother thing they do in France to show grandeur is when there are protests against the government. No matter how peaceful the protest is the protest police force are always there. They get dressed in their heavy gear and make a wall with their barricading shields. Americans would see this as a harsh or a dramatic way of handling this situation. If the police force were not to react the way that they do though the protesters would be offended and feel like they aren’t be taken seriously.
Along with grandeur comes power. If you a star in France you will be pointed out and put on a pedestal. People who own castles are seen as very grandeur. Politicians like the power so much that some hold up to three different jobs in the government. The chapter goes on to talk about the elite of France. France has a school that is made up of the smartest people in France. To get in to this school is a very high accomplishment and after you graduate you are considered a leader of the country. France also gives out awards to citizens every year. I think this is a very good idea because the government is rewarding citizens for doing a job well done.
I think all of these claims are valid. I really enjoyed the first half of this chapter but not second half as much. When it started talking about politics I became disinterested. I would recommend this chapter to some one who likes to compare and contrast different governments.
In French culture, Grandeur is used to describe someone or something which has a significant amount of power, beauty, greatness, or influence. We can see this adoration for grandeur in many different aspects of French life. The magnificent architecture defined by castles, original artwork, and lavish excess are all indicators of how much the French cherish power and influence.
RépondreSupprimerWe also see the effects of the grandeur concept when examining France's government and public servants. They are given very high amounts of respect, and not really questioned if they choose to live a highly comfortable lifestyle. Benoit and Nadeau make it seem as though French citizens really do not care how much government officials spend or what they spend it on so long as France stays beautiful.
To some extent, I believe that grandeur is a little bit cultivated and does not always come naturally. For example, if you go to the ÉNA for college, chances are you will be accepted as part of a very high social order considered to be grandeur. I feel like in this system it could be hard for a middle class citizen or a student who went to a different college to gain fame for being grandeur, even if they had more splendor than the ÉNA graduates.
I thought the snippet about riot police and the protestors was pretty interesting. The fact that protestors want riot police to show up to validate that their complaints are being taken seriously was pretty crazy to me. I guess it does make a certain amount of sense though.