Bonjour à tous !

En regardant la liste des mots que vous associez à Liberté, il me semble que vous y
attachez beaucoup plus de symboles que nous les francais. Vous semblez également
beaucoup plus "agressifs" sur ce thème, comme si être libre aux Etats Unis était un
combat de tous les jours. Le ressentez-vous réellement de cette façon ?

Une autre question : Pourriez-vous expliquer le lien entre le Patriot Act et la Liberté ?

Merci et à bientôt ;)
CB

Posted byOP on Friday, October 15, 2004 3:05am
I don't really associate freedom with a struggle in the United States.
I know I have the freedom of speech, the right to vote, the freedom
to express myself in the US. I'm sure it is, however, a struggle for
some people in reference to finding a job, earning enough money,
having enough food, specifically referring to the lower/poorer
classes. Can't this type of struggle be found everywhere in the
world, however?

I do agree with you, Celia, however, that the Americans do
associate the word Liberty with a lot of symbols such as flags,
wings, statues, fries, etc. The French seem to use words that refer
more to the concept of Liberty including, "droit, choix, expression,
egalite, respect, pensee, etc. Does this again reflect the more
materialistic thinking of the Americans and the more abstract
thinking of the French? Why is it that the Americans always use
symbols or concrete objects to describe the word and the French
always use more intangible concepts/ideas? What could account for
this?

It is also interesting to note that the French mention the United
States and Holland once when they see the word Liberty, but the
Americans mention the US about five times. They don't mention
any other country too. How is the US viewed in France, as a free
country, or as a restrictive, law-driven country, or what exactly?

~OP

I agree with Celia in that us Americans are really agressive about the word liberty. It is
as if we feel that we invented the word and developed the idea. I think that this is
because if you look at American history, the idea of liberty and freedom was the founding
idea of the revolution. It is the ideal that made people fight. What I think that Americans
do nonetheless is credit themselves with having developed this idea when we didnt. I
feel that it is this sentiment of ownership over the word liberty that pushes us to develop
liberty in other nations like Iraq, through the spread of democracy.

CB,
I'm not sure how much you know about the Patriot Act, so forgive me if I'm telling you
something you already know. The Patriot Act was passed after September 11 and it gives
the government more freedom to investigate and capture criminals. It is very
controversial because it takes away the privacy of citizens. For example, it is easier for the
government to tap telephones or hold suspects without arresting them. Some people see it
as necessary others think it violates the constitution. The person who refered to it may
have thought of it because it restricts freedom.
JS

Thanks a lot E, it's much more clear now !

CB