Culture is Fascinating! Did you know that national symbols can tell us a great deal about how a culture perceives itself? One of the most recognizable symbols here in the U.S. is our American Bald Eagle. The only eagle native to North America was chosen by our forefathers to represent liberty and freedom. The eagle soars high above the land surveying the vast expanse of the continent. He is majestic and dignified. France, also a proud and very dignified country has an avian symbol too; it is the rooster or Le Coq. Gilles Asselin and Ruth Maston in their book Au Contraire! Figuring out the French say the “rooster does not fly high in the sky, and it does not soar to reach high peaks and discover new horizons. Rather, a rooster wakes up the entire village at dawn, attracts attention from others, and never retreats from his defiant and domineering attitude toward the rest of the coop.” U.S. Americans and French associates may sometimes find it difficult to reconcile differences in the workplace. What do national symbols have to do with national behavior? Global LT’s Cultural Training Programs - National Symbols