Finally, one must admit that no one understands anyone esle, and leave it at that. The Frenchman fools himself just as much when believes he has found the definition of a North American. As seen from France, North Americans, if they seem unpredictable, it is because they lack the historical depth one receives as a birth right of French citizenship after passing through the cultural mill which is the French educational system. Centuries of traditions are transmitted from one generation to the next. Immigrants are incorporated within a single generation.
Integration is the law of the land.
Conformism is not foreign to American culture jeither. In fact, it is a survival tactic for all cultures. Yet the American version of conformism is a shifting type. Americans value change. This value is reflected in the French view that we are unpredictable.