Ethnocentric exchanges

Parisians have a reputation as beginning rude, haughty, and self-centered with regards to tourists and foreigners. In fact, this stereotype is often extended to all of France, but most people will agree that it really only concerns the inhabitants of the City of Light. The majority of my experiences with Parisians have been fine. Certainly, they're by no means warm and welcoming (that qualification I reserve for the Dutch), but in general, I have not experienced much of an attitude problem. However, recently I had two fairly innocuous experiences with rude Parisians which also betrayed their ethnocentrism. I had a package to pick up at the post office yesterday (thanks, Mom!). When you pick something up, they always ask for ID. I handed over my Pennsylvania state ID, as it is, indeed, an identification card with my picture on it, that proves I am who I say I am. The woman at La Poste looked at me aghast and said, "What the hell is this? This is not an ID!!" I explained to her that yes, indeed it is an ID, an American ID. She refused to accept it and asked me for my passport. I gave it to her and got my package. This really does put me in a bind though. It means that I am forced to always carry my passport with me, something I am not entirely at ease doing since it is such a precious document. This episode speaks to general French ethnocentrism, as they only accept forms of identification that the French themselves would accept. In the US, no one would ever dream of carrying their passport around with them. That's precisely why we have ID's! They are just as valid. Simply because I am currently residing in France does not automatically invalidate my US ID. It still has my full name, photo, date of birth, and signature. But the French are very particular, and it is one more example of how when you come here, you must conform to their system, even if you are not a national.
The second incident occurred today. I went to my local fnac (like a best buy but so, so much better). I was interested in perhaps purchasing Intouchables, which has just come out on DVD. The film was the runaway hit of the year, and I missed it in theaters. Moreover, I was interested in the DVD because it would have subtitles, and as there is a lot of slang in the film, I had resisted seeing it out of fear of not comprehending everything. I was having trouble reading the back of the box to see if there were English subtitles included, so I went up to the cashier and asked her. She said, "it's a French film! Why in the world would this have subtitles? Do you always read every film you watch?" I explained to her that typically DVDs contain subtitles and audio tracks in different languages. At least American DVDs do. And guess what? This one didn't have English subtitles! Just another example of how French products and systems are made expressly for the French, everyone else be damned. I guess this should come as no surprise to me, as I am living here and everything. It's surprising and a bit jarring because I am so used to the American system, replete with multiple language tracks on DVDs and customer service options in Spanish. One of the founding principles of my country of birth is the notion of tolerance and open immigration. The French don't have that. In fact, they have what many call an 'immigration problem'. This ties in to what I've noticed here about immigrants too--if you immigrate to France, the state expects you to fully assimilate into their system. Furthermore, I think many of these experiences and expectations stem from the fact that France has an official national language. America does not. As someone I know said, in many ways America is a truly polyglot nation. Don't get me wrong, I adore France and am having the time of my life here. But sometimes I miss American open-mindedness. Believe me, I know America isn't perfect--far, far from it. Nevertheless, I feel that as a whole, the US is more welcoming, open, and tolerant. Even new York!