The Franco-American Daily Deconstructionist: Michel Has Another Serving of Pasta
September 23rd, 2009 | Published in Comment, Features, Life & Culture | 15 Comments
Michel Has Another Serving of Pasta
In his new blog The Franco-American Daily Deconstructionist; History and Culture in Everyday Life, John Hess’s attention is caught by a recent French road safety advertisement.
Michel Has Another Serving of Pasta
by John Hess
Yes, this is the title of a public interest advertisement. And in most countries, you’d guess that it had something to do with good nutrition, perhaps to counter the carbohydraphobic excesses of the South Beach diet. But no, this is France, and it’s about road safety.
The advertisement appeared on hoardings in the summer of 2009, and may be viewed in full here. The very incongruity of its purpose and content caught my attention as few adverts do, which I suppose is to its credit: an original idea. Sort of like if an advert for Porsche featured a smiling old lady: “since Roger bought his 911T, Dora is finally proud of her son-in-law.”
But I’m afraid it may have given life-saving a bad reputation. In America for example, to be effective the ad would have had to point out the moral significance of Michael’s survival; “Michel Gets to See His Grandchild graduate from College”, or “Michel Calls his Daughter to Say ‘I Love You.’” But here in France, we get the equivalent of “Michel Mechanically Consumes Yet Another Ordinary Meal.” Yes, thanks to better driving habits, Michel is one of the statistics that has been saved, permitting him to mindlessly continue his meaningless, unproductive existence. Almost makes one want to run Michel over, then back up over the corpse just to be sure.
Of course, this is a stereotypically American point of view, and there is something to be said for simply enjoying life as it comes, from day to day, and that this enjoyment should be protected and cherished. But I do think that this is advert is an interesting expression of what I would describe as the dominant French mode of life today: social existentialism – living for the pleasures of everyday life, with as much beach time and tasty food as possible, and as little work, risk, stress, disease, etc. as possible, with a huge assist from socialism. Thanks to the welfare state, Michel has retired relatively young (the advert subtly indicates that he’s a pensioner), and thanks to the nanny state, Michel is alive.
The irony of course is that, in spite of this insistence of the importance of simply enjoying everyday life, the French are not really the most cheerful lot one could meet. While the advert claims that 12,000 lives have been saved over the last six years due to [ahem] our more careful driving, this is the number of depressives who manage to commit suicide every year. Perhaps the advert really should be called “Michel Has Another Serving of Pasta, and He’s Dissatisfied and Grumpy Because it’s not Lobster and Champagne on the Beach – But at Least He’s Alive, For What That’s Worth.”
Not very catchy, I admit. But I do wish that the government would get serious, and sponsor a much needed, and succinct, dual ad campaign: “Stop Driving Like a Bunch of Wackoes”, and “Either Enjoy Your Beautiful Country, or Give it to the English.”
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September 24th, 2009 at 5:52 am (#)
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September 25th, 2009 at 10:52 am (#)
I enjoyed this article! Not 100% on the same lign as my own opinion but sharp and cute. And yes, there is some true reflection of “Social Existentialism”
September 25th, 2009 at 12:49 pm (#)
John,
What a well written piece – thank you. I had never seen this ad, before. Thank you for a very candid look from a cross-cultural perspective.
Shonah :-)
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:04 am (#)
et si c’était du deuxième degré??? and if it was just humour ???
October 5th, 2009 at 7:50 pm (#)
I just can’t believe that the Ministry of Transportation has a sense of humor.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:53 pm (#)
I love this ad – it looks like all public service adverts should: from the 1970s
October 6th, 2009 at 7:43 am (#)
Hey, someone looks depressed and sick of being in France…I guess it is time to go back to the US. Have you thought og it John? Or you will become just like the French that you describe with such witty cynism…Unless this is already the case? Man! Move it do something! You are american you should have more faith and optimism. Have you already succombed? Hey, Good luck anyway. And how do they say in your country: “God Bless You”
October 6th, 2009 at 8:07 am (#)
Hum!
October 6th, 2009 at 8:16 am (#)
Is this not an other figure of “Amélie Poulain” with glasses and moustache ? Less glamorous I suppose…
Bye
October 7th, 2009 at 10:16 am (#)
John, I don’t think that Michel is so dissatisfied and grumpy as you mean. Look precisely at the picture, particulary at the empty place in the front : it is obvious that Michel just has murdered his wife, so that he can have another serving of pasta, and he is probably thinking about his new life possibilities. And in fact, I’m sure he’s considering to move to L.A. !!
October 18th, 2009 at 10:48 am (#)
If it’s ‘just humor’, I don’t get it!
Cross-cultural understanding when it comes to humor doesn’t seem possible!
October 19th, 2009 at 7:19 pm (#)
Hi John,
Much as I hate to say it, the ad is probably a sign that the French do indeed do irony, even if it tastes different to the “Anglo-Saxon” variety. You made me chuckle though, and that’s what’s important in life, so fair play…
Can you post a link to your blog, if you have one?
Cheers,
Ben
October 19th, 2009 at 7:52 pm (#)
Hi Ben,
We’re lucky that John is blogging exclusively for Grenoble Life for the moment – a second post will follow in the next couple of days. Watch this space!
James
January 29th, 2010 at 12:29 pm (#)
Yes John ,You are right about one thing,this is a stereotypically american view of French culture and not very original.In contrast I find the AD clever original and showing to ordinary people an ordinary person who has survived by being more responsable in his driving!
January 29th, 2010 at 12:32 pm (#)
Its just humour Mr Hess ,You know ,not every country must follow Americas way of doing things?