by mbennaim, March 4, 2014, 6:54 AM
On both sides, the most common responses are about selfishness/égoïsme. Overall, there are not that many words that lots of people used. For the American side, the words were mostly negative or neutral in connotation. “Selfish” is definitely negative, while “self” is more neutral, as are words like “own” and “own.” There were also some cynical responses on the American side like “pretending to be unique” and “swag.” However, some were still positive like “pride,” “unique,” and “freedom”. On the French side, most words had negative connotations and many were related to being selfish. However, a few were still positive on the French side like “droits” and “ambition.”
To me, this implies that individualism is more highly valued in America, while it is not a desirable ideal in France. Would you agree with this assessment? Or would you say that it is more that the word “individualisme” has negative connotations in French?

by indathemoon, March 4, 2014, 1:08 PM
On both sides, most people relate self/selfish to “individualism”. On the American side, being unique seems to be another important aspect of individualism, whereas on the French side, no one mentions it but several people talk about the feeling of loneliness and isolation, as well as “right”. It is interesting to notice that both sides mentioned “human nature”.
On the American side, the attitudes are generally neutral. Selfishness is a negative, but uniqueness, independence, and other words are either neutral or positive. On the French side, however, most people are negative, linking “ego” and “solitude” with individualism. But there is also positive side, such as “right” and “passion”.
It seems that the Americans think of individualism more important and positive than the French. It could be a result of the histories of these two countries. How do these attitudes affect people’s daily life and decisions? Are the attitudes changing throughout the time?

by wandujar, March 11, 2014, 3:41 PM
Il est vrai qu’il faut faire la distinction entre les aspects positifs et négatifs de l’individualisme. A première vue, la première impression est négative, on a l’image de quelqu’un renfermé sur soi-même, qui n’est pas ouvert aux autres. Cependant, de ton point de vue @lindathemoon, il y a des aspects positifs et il ne faut pas les oublier. Si on fait référence au sport, les sports individuels ne sont pas mal vus par rapport au sport collectif. Les personnes pratiquant un sport individuel ne sont pas dévalorisées au contraire, il faut avoir le courage d’affronter seul son adversaire.

by tsoucarre, March 11, 2014, 3:41 PM
Individualisme est un terme négatif en Français. Etre individualiste, c’est prendre des décisions dans son intérêt personnel, au détriment de celui de ses proches et des autres, ce qui conduit à l’idée de solitude. Le terme semble moins négatif aux Etats-Unis.

by lindathemoon, March 13, 2014, 2:27 PM
@wandujar
I agree that the attitude toward “individualism” is quite different between the American and French sides. It is interesting that you point out sport and I see your point that the pros and cons of individualism depend on the situation which one is put in. Indeed, there are a lot of occasions when Americans highly value “team spirit”. However, I think for Americans, individualism is more of being independent, being true to one’s heart, and having the courage to pursue one’s goals, which does, however, sometimes transforms into being selfish. Along this line, I think we should seek a balance between individualism and being a team player.

by mpeysale, March 16, 2014, 2:54 PM
@lindathemoon @wandujar Je pense aussi que le mot “individualism” ne peut pas se traduire en français par individualisme, qui possède une forte connotation péjorative : en effet, je le rapprocherais plus d’indépendance et d’autonomie.