Les élèves américains utilisent de nombreux clichés
concernant la police (inefficacité , habitudes ,
comportements ) mais aussi la criminalité . Tandis que
les élèves français insistent beaucoup sur l'objectif
sécuritaire , voire autoritaire de la police . Ceci est
peut-être le reflet d'une société américaine dans
laquelle les libertés individuelles sont mises en avant
.

Near half the american characterization of "Police" is
rendered in terms that reduce this notion into
caricature: terms like gun, car, flashing light,
nightstick, sirens, uniforms, etc. embody "Police" in
the material, delineating the abstract notion in visual
terms. The french characterization, on the other hand,
is more distant from a material perception of the
abstract "Police" and stays in the conceptual (e.g.
autorite, loi, ordre, securite, etc).

I agree with Ross. In fact, the French students seem to
be more abstract in just about all of the categories.

Do the police in France eat donuts too?

Just to elaborate on a somewhat silly question...
The police in America are sometimes portrayed in
caricatures as incompetent and overweight individuals
who hang out in donut stores, as can be seen on many
television shows such as 'The Simpsons'. I was just wondering if there are stereotypical images
of the police in France as well? What is the general
attitude towards law-enforcement officers?

nope!!! The only one to eat donuts here...is Homer
Simpson!He fled when they started to broadcast South
Park nationwide in the US. We take care of him as we
would do with any exile...so if you want to fly outhere!

once again i must reply! Policemen are not depicted as
loonies eating donuts but more like violent troups
always annoying young people...I can't say that both
statements are very fair!When i was in CA last
summer,the police checked our car since we were back
from San Diego...and mister officer was actually a very
handsome lady.What a good souvenir it is for me...

D'habitude les policiers sont plutôt vus apr les
français comme des alcoliques notoires.

Jonathan.

LOL . Ca c est bien un truc que je penserais voir
enormément dans vos reponses :) . Mais non , nos
policiers ne mangent pas de donuts a longueur de journée
. D ailleurs on ne mange pas de donuts en France .

hi françoise, yes, the combination of racism and
violence has a great potential for problems, and there
have been many cases of police brutality towards
minorities. However, today the main problem is not
violence but racial profiling -- targeting suspects
based purely on race. The resulting inequality of
citizens is the res\ult of such racism. It is
presently a very heated issue in the US making many
question whether it is right for the police to act on
instinct (potential for profiling) or on hard fact.
Those who are targeted fit the description of the
"typical" criminal, according to the police -- young,
black males with obvious aversions to the police.
Unfortunately, the omnipresence of racial profiling
suggests an institutional-level basis and not the rare
overheated opinion of the officer. Furthermore, this is
also a self-perpetuating cycle because the results
cause targeted citizens to have an even greater
aversion and the situation worsens. Are such problems
or inequalities as present in France? Jonathan.