Starting with the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, France was slowly liberated from their German occupiers by Allied forces. At first, the American GIs were welcomed and celebrated as heroes by the French people. However, as time went on, relations soured and both groups came away from their experiences with negative opinions of each other. Due to various cultural, psychological, and circumstantial misunderstandings, beliefs about each respective group eventually grew into stereotypes. These stereotypes, while some may contain a grain of truth, do not fully explain the motivations and psyche of the French people and the American GIs.
As American soldiers pushed through France, the French people lined the streets, greeting them with open arms and, sometimes, open beds. They pulled out hidden delicacies and luxuries and freely shared them. By the time the Americans reached Paris, there was an enormous swell of celebration, as “That night Parisians swept the GIs into their arms, dancing, drinking, singing, and often making love …show more content…
Many of them were frustrated by the fact that the war was over and yet they were still unable to get home, due to difficulties mobilizing transport to America. This frustration no doubt translated into acting out through various delinquent activities. As for the drunkenness, many of the men, having been in active combat and seeing some of the horrors of war, were no doubt suffering from post-traumatic stress. These soldiers were probably trying to forget some of their painful experiences with alcohol. It is also more socially acceptable to be drunk in America, than in France, where the citizens drink a lot of alcohol but do not get drunk. These factors, while not excusing the behavior of the GIs, make the perception of the American soldiers as uncouth, drunken brutes seem very one
As American soldiers pushed through France, the French people lined the streets, greeting them with open arms and, sometimes, open beds. They pulled out hidden delicacies and luxuries and freely shared them. By the time the Americans reached Paris, there was an enormous swell of celebration, as “That night Parisians swept the GIs into their arms, dancing, drinking, singing, and often making love …show more content…
Many of them were frustrated by the fact that the war was over and yet they were still unable to get home, due to difficulties mobilizing transport to America. This frustration no doubt translated into acting out through various delinquent activities. As for the drunkenness, many of the men, having been in active combat and seeing some of the horrors of war, were no doubt suffering from post-traumatic stress. These soldiers were probably trying to forget some of their painful experiences with alcohol. It is also more socially acceptable to be drunk in America, than in France, where the citizens drink a lot of alcohol but do not get drunk. These factors, while not excusing the behavior of the GIs, make the perception of the American soldiers as uncouth, drunken brutes seem very one