Voilà une semaine après le début du débâcle DSK en France. J'aimerais prendre quelques minutes pour réciter mes observations côté US et côté français. Il n'est pas souvent que les deux pays rentrent en conflit direct; j'ai donc choisi ce moment pour reprendre mes "posts" sur ce blog.
For those who may be unaware of the
scandale that this affair has created in France, beware that many accusations have been made regarding the propriety of the US justice system, the possibility of a conspiracy theory (
complot), the role of the press, and the staging of the court hearings to make a very prominent and respected politician and presidential hopeful look bad.
French television programming has been filled with talk shows, analyses and over-analyses of the situation and once again not understanding
ces sacrés américains and their strange ways.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a presidential hopeful here during the last presidential election in 2007 when current president Nicolas Sarkozy won his first term. At that time many hoped DSK would run, considering him miles above Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal and Centrist Democrat
François Bayrou, and were sorely disappointed that he
lost to Royal 20.83% to 60.60%. Many were hoping that he would get another shot at it in next year's presidential election.
La presomption d'innocence dans les deux pays
The
choc began when DSK was shown with handcuffs being led by police. The practice of publishing or broadcasting such images was made illegal in 2000 in French law, during a
reform of laws regarding presumption of innocence. Socialist party members have qualified the images as
cruel, brutal and that of resembling a lynching, the latter being an interesting reference to American culture. On various shows specially organized to discuss the controversy, many Socialists spoke passionately about the injustice they felt DSK had suffered, becoming very emotional on several occasions during public appearances.
On the other hand, mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg stated simply: "I think it is humiliating, but if you don't want to do the perp walk, don't do the crime.'' Pretty straight talking and potentially slanderous, since DSK has not been proven guilty.
US - France: Different cultural perspectives
However, this difference of opinion does reflect the cultural parameter of universalism vs. particularism. The latter, a common feature of protestant countries, is based on the absolute differentiation between right and wrong; Emotion is not in the equation. In particularist, often Catholic and Latin countries, it can be more difficult to separate logic and emotion. This is just one of many ways that allow the French to continue to see many sides of a story, compared to a more binary, black-and-white view for Americans.
It was amazing to hear stories like DSK's wife, former national news anchor Anne Sinclair, saying she didn't think for one minute that he was guilty and that she was happy to know that her husband had a reputation of being a
séducteur, which is, she said, an important quality for a polictician. While charm and charisma are good attributes to win over an electorate, the moment may not have been right to express that idea - and call it
seduction particularly. Some people are wondering if DSK found it hard to separate seduction and using authoritative power.
Levels of Authority
Yet another observation made during this
polémique was that DSK was said to have been mistreated by the justice system and the press in America, while the victim's story was given little attention with no real focus to its potential credibility.
It is true that DSK is a respected politician, but he does have a history of chasing women. In 2002 Tristane Banon says she was attacked by him, but never made a formal complaint, after being dissuaded by her mother, who thought it would be inappropriate to do that to such an important man and that it would certainly cause shame to Tristane. The story becomes even more incestuous when we understand that Tristane is the goddaughter of DSK's second wife and that her mother, Anne Mansouret, is an elected official representing the Socialist Party in Normandy.
This brings up the cultural concept of power distance and authority, both of which are higher in France than in the US, which is more egalitarian in terms of societal perception and interaction. This is separate from ideas of what some call social justice and the allocation of resources.
Strauss-Kahn asked NY police for a
traitment de faveur, or special treatment, as he was a dignitary and didn't want to be seen handcuffed. Putting aside the argument as to whether public handcuffing limits an accused person's right to being presumed innocent, it does say something about a man and the culture he is used to if he asks for such a favor. Perhaps this happens more than we know and if so, why don't we hear about it?
I am not presuming innocence or guilt for DSK and it is not him pictured in handcuffs, nor my respect for him as a politician, nor accusations alone that will make me decide. It will be the facts presented in the trial that will be convincing or not. Both sides will present their cases, having had ample time and resources to do so. Once again, we can hope to believe that it will be the judicial system - not the media circus - that will determine the outcome.
