PARIS – People sporting baseball caps with logos of American teams – particularly the New York Yankees – is one of the more amusing sights in Paris. Apparently the style is chic in Paris, but the wearing of such hats should not be taken as a gesture of support for any team, or even as a sign that the French truly enjoy American sports.  It’s not uncommon, after all, to see the Yankees cap accompanied by a Red Sox jacket. Even I, a Midwesterner coming from a state that doesn’t even have a major league team, know that those two teams don’t mix.

The French consume a lot of American culture, even though they don’t seem to understand the significance of it (as in the Yankees/Red Sox situation).  For individuals who many in the States see as sophisticated, the French seem as susceptible as Americans to anything with a big advertising budget.  Posters in the Metro advertise Hannah Montana, and the Jonas Brothers will soon be having a long-awaited concert in Paris.

If movie posters are any indication, something of American culture tends to be lost in the translation.  The French title of the film “My Sister’s Keeper” was titled “Ma Vie Pour la Tienne” (My Life for Yours), and “The Hangover” became “Very Bad Trip.”  The result is an American yet uniquely French hybrid that nonetheless betrays the fact that, for all of their griping about us, the French are still fascinated with the USA.

The “learn English” advertisements with people sticking out their American flag-colored tongues is also a bit of a giveaway.