French people (don't) hate America

I've realized something about language. There's a stereotype about the French that they a) hate Americans b) hate the U.S. and c) hate literally everything our country symbolizes. However, most of the Parisians (and Europeans) I've met who speak English fluently have this almost unnerving obsession with the U.S. I met a man the other day who is from Luxembourg and lives in France (by the way, he speaks English, French, Italian, German and Luxembourgish, don't worry) who was telling me that he's lived and traveled extensively in the U.S. - he even stayed in South Carolina for a few years! - and that he loves, loves, loves, America and Americans. Ditto the family I work for. Ditto every French person I've met who speaks English proficiently. In fact, several English-speaking French people have, upon finding out that I'm American (they usually thing I'm English for some reason?), smiled broadly - something the French NEVER do - and said, "Oh, I LOVE your country!" You find the same sentiments among French-speaking Americans. We tend to be passionately in love with France / the French / Paris in a way that our non-French-speaking neighbors are not.

On the other hand, when an American walks into a French restaurant / bus / store and insists on speaking English (loudly) to the driver / saleslady / server who speaks nothing but French, you can cut the nationalistic tension with a knife. The American, for some reason, becomes furious because, seriously, doesn't everyone speak English? Isn't this bus driver just being intentionally obtuse? Meanwhile said bus driver is mumbling under his breath about how maybe you should try speaking the language of the country you're visiting, for a change, you self-centered American fool. This exchange leaves both parties feeling grumpy about the other's language / culture / country in general.

I think this arises from the two cultures having very different attitudes about language. Because of France's location, well-educated French people (especially along the borders) often have at least a basic understanding of English and, sometimes, German, Italian and/or Spanish. Additionally, the French are historically fiercely protective of their language - hence the existence of the Academie Francaise - and have become even moreso recently because French is steadily decreasing in its rank among the list of the world's most widely spoken languages. Combine the French language's slump in popularity with the steady influx of Arabic-speakers into France and suddenly the French see their beloved language as being in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Americans don't really feel like we need to learn another language because one of our two neighboring countries is Anglophone and even when you're traveling you can nearly always find someone who has a basic understanding of English. The French wish more people would speak French; Americans merely expect that most of the world speaks English.