PARIS " To Americans unfamiliar with its surroundings, the Saint Germain des Prs neighborhood " a busy crossroads at the center of the French capital " possesses several culture shocks.
Newsstands dotting the quarter's streets have been littered for weeks by periodicals decrying what the overwhelming majority of France's population calls unjust American action in the Middle East.
Graffiti at the entrance of nearby subway stations spout slogans against President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
And on a small road off the busy Boulevard Saint Michel, a conspicuous sign reading "Anglo-American Bookshop" continues to draw large numbers of customers.
In stark contrast to the harsh views most French citizens now hold toward the Bush administration, previous levels of amity for the American populace, its culture and its products have not changed, according to both French and Americans interviewed by The Dartmouth.
News that a stranger is of American origin serves as the starting point for conversation, said Kathleen Spivack, a Boston native who has lived alternately in the United States and France for the past 14 years. "When people hear my accent, they want to talk. They want to know our views," she said.
Threats to Americans simply because they are Americans are nonexistent, Spivack said. "The French distinguish between the policies of a nation's government and the views of its people."
Andrea Font, a French citizen, echoed the idea. "The French respect the Americans," she said. "They don't have anything against them, but in contrast, most think that Bush is incoherent."
Americans, on the other hand, have been overwhelmingly and unjustly hostile towards not only Jacques Chirac, but the French community as a whole, Spivack said.
After three cafeterias on Capitol Hill changed their "french fries" and "french toast" to "freedom fries" and "freedom toast" in March, prompted by Rep. Walter Jones (R - N.C.) and Rep. Bob Ney (R - Ohio), the anti-French views in the United States became even more apparent.
"I'm sort of shocked by the crudity of the anti-French sentiment at home," Spivack said. "I think it's just a lack of understanding."
"One thing that's not getting through to Americans is how large an Arab population France has. For France, it was impossible to take another position on the war," she said, noting that television news rarely gives an impartial and detailed picture of the situation.
"I think it's all propaganda," she said, adding that she believed the media and the government propagated Americans' dislike for the French.
Spivack said she reads six different newspapers regularly -- in both French and English. "I try to deconstruct and read between the lines," she said. "We don't have freedom of the press largely because of the Americans -- and that's shocking."
In contrast, noted Franco-Lebanese photojournalist Patrick Baz announced to news outlets that his work in Iraq has been less difficult since the arrival of American forces, as he is able to move more freely and independently than while Baghdad remained under Saddam Hussein's control.
Regardless of media portrayals and the anti-French uproar in the United States, the French show reluctance in basing their judgements only on current events.
"It's very painful for the French to deviate now from their pro-American sentiments," Spivack said. "They're still very aware of the fact that we were the ones who liberated them in the Second World War."
Font said the French opposed the U.S. war on Iraq because it wasn't justified and because the United Nations had not backed the decision.
"We all agree on the fact that Saddam Hussein is a dictator who needed to go," Font said. "You can't start a war without proof, but that's what Bush did."
Spivack also noted that the French also opposed specific U.S. actions during the war. "I think [French] people are mainly horrified that Americans allowed architectural sites and libraries to be looted while protecting the oil fields," Spivack said. Personally, "I'm just against the bombing of innocent civilians," she said.
Karla Kingsley contributed to this report.
