The “Friends” Effect

Last night we were watching a TV program where a real estate agent helps a person find a new place to live.  This is nothing new; there are a plethora of shows like that in the United States.  Like many, I watch these shows because I’m curious.  I want to see what other people’s houses look like and how they’re decorated.  It’s not high-brow programming, but made to be a distraction that plays in the background as we talk.  Most often, the clients on the program are young couples or family changing location for work or because their current living situation has become too small for their growing family.  Last night’s program was a bit different; the clients were 5 friends who wanted to rent together; they wanted to be roommates and this idea completely challenged the agent who worked with them.

The idea of co-habitation is nothing new in the United States; from college rentals to the first apartment in the city, having a roommate is common and a way to defer some living expenses.  Newspapers are filled with offers of multi-bedroom apartments and I was never given a second a glance while apartment hunting with a friend.  This however, is a relatively new idea in France.  While Christophe was a student, every person he knew had a studio apartment, lodged with family, or rented a room from a local.  This practice is changing and it’s largely due to an American import: “Friends”.

It’s funny that a common practice in the US would have such a large impact on another culture. “Friends” is a comedy; it shows all the positives of living together, so I can see why the idea is appealing.  This made me think more about the influences of American TV on the French culture.  French TV now has the whole gam of “CSI” programs and most commercials have an English tagline, even for non-American products.  In the French language, there is the adaptation of certain words, such as “re-looking” to “re-looker”.  The English word is changed by adding the French infinitive of the verb -er.  The word “relooker” doesn’t exist in the French language; it is completely created and the idea is rooted in American TV programs where a person’s appearance is completely changed or “relooked.”

I find this funny, but approach the change with caution.  Languages are living elements that change and adapt; influences flow in both directions, and the French language is easily found “Americanized” in the United States.  The influences the languages bring should be something positive and interesting. Cultures do not need to create indestructible barriers; they should be able to adjust to new ideas, but they should also guard against the deterioration of the definable differences.   If French youth want to rent an apartment together, by all means do it.  There are many positive points of living together that go beyond financial reasons; however, the influences of TV need to be taken in doses.