David Rauch is a Northern Star employee studying abroad. “An American In Paris” will chronicle his studies and adventures in France.

For Americans, traveling after the turn of the century has become a surreal experience.

We travel to get away from America and find not only have our businesses followed us, but so have our language, our manners, our music, our economic philosophy, our politics and every other aspect of American life.

That is because every country in the world is at an impasse where it must embrace the idea of globalization or disappear. And the U.S. is spearheading the effort; having the dominating culture we do — the “Culture-2-Go, please.”

Other countries that deny the trend and turn gazes inward in an attempt to preserve culture, result in a part of the cultural crisis in the Middle-East. France, however, is in the awkward state of wanting to remain a world power without losing its national identity. The proof of the inner struggle is apparent in every aspect of Parisian life.

The French are culture consumers as their first job, there is no denying it. Walk down the street and look at the average person — politically-charged newspaper in hand, well-tailored and coordinated outfit, outlandishly stylish glasses, well-informed about the arts. Even their walks mean business.

However, there is a sensitive underbelly. Everyone gets their culture, but from where?

The government of France has repeatedly taken strong measures to ensure France continues to produce and consume its own culture.

French radio stations have to play a minimum 40 percent of French-language songs; movie theaters have to play a minimum quota of European films and the government on multiple occasions denied opening free-trade with America for cultural goods.

Why? Because it has to. Nowadays, a French person does not, first and foremost, want to take in French culture. And surely the Americans aren’t going to pick up the slack.

In fact, the French watch more American films than French ones; we thought they didn’t like us.

Truly, though, it might not be hard to justify a cultural crisis like that when France receives more tourists per year — 77 million in 2005 — than they have residents.

So it is only logical that one of the looming problems in France is its image as a producer. Paris sells itself as the most cultured city in the world, and the world heard it and swarms at it in droves of packed buses, cameras ready. Unfortunately, the days when Paris produced the world’s greatest art, cinema, music and literature are not now. Nor, arguably, have they been for the last 20 or so years. Good work is still being made in all respects, but it is not collectively ahead of the times as it had been considered for centuries.

Some artists blame the impossibly difficult French critics; the critics blame the governmental crutches for culture; the government blames the U.S. and the U.S. is blames and thanks the French.

Even if the culture is not considered as revelatory as it has been by the international art community, the French still keep up the traditions. Even though more French see the latest American blockbuster, there are still abundant amounts of depressing, psychologically intense films made, still quirky pop music, still jazz and still art galleries everywhere with people inside them.

So what if the works do not lead the cultural community right now? They exist because somebody wants French Culture to Continue — with a big C. Whether it’s the French, the government or the tourists, everyone points to others for being the problem and to themselves for being the solution.

au revoir,

david