Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Why Do We Seem to Care More for the French than Others? Several stories have pointed to mass killings around the world in recent years. Why does the world seems so much more concerned about the Paris attacks? Seven  likely reasons why so many care about the people of Paris. 1. Identity. It’s seems personal. Many people identify with the people of Paris. Many people have been to Paris or wish to go there. Regardless of reality, Paris- and therefore its people- represents love, romance, and culture. Not a lot of world cities have the same attraction as does Paris. When  Identification is active, threats seem more personal. 2. Family. Under threat conditions people look for allies and enemies. The French look like many other Europeans who have settled large parts of the  world occupied by Western powers (e.g., British, Spanish, Dutch, German, Portuguese). Humans don’t spend a lot of time analyzing situations when they are under attack. Percep...