in regards to France and fries: Maybe the anti-French sentiment by our government is to curry favor with our lukewarm British allies. What better way to to win the hearts and minds of the English voting public than to observe the age-old pastime of frog-bashing? So here goes: And why not just call them chips like the rest of the world? No Frenchman has ever led France to great military glory. Thier best include Joan of Arc (a woman), and Napolean, a foreigner (Corsica). In fact, France has always waged every war with the tactics they should have used in the last. Maginot Line anyone? Dien Bien Phu? Germany can always rest on its nazi legacy and the reluctance to go to war with anyone for any reason because of it, and Russia , in my opinion, still has a right to be pissed at us for being so two-faced about the Chechens. For some reason the US has a real issue with Russia blowing up Chechen terror training facilities in Georgia. I think it serious undermines the credibility of our whole "War on Terror." What's France's excuse? Money? Appeasing a turbulent arab population within France? Or is it just becuase they hate Bush and his moral clarity and simplicity and his drawl. As a Texan who has spent a great deal of time abroad, one cannot help but be haunted by the unfair sterotypical negative image of us swaggering Red River crossers as rope-belt wearing goofy Jethros completely unable to comprehend the complexities of high french culture: bordeaux wines, existentialism, gauloises cigarettes (who at http://www.gauloises.com/ claim the US government won't allow access to their site...liars), filiatio with crooked teeth, roasted coffee and of course, anti-semitism. (http://www.boycottfrance.com/history_french_anti_semitism.php) France does not just have an imperialistic past. It has an imperialistic present. I think the French form of modern imperialism is much less subtle and far more repugnant than anything the US is accused of. France has been engaged in a new wave of imperialism since the forming of the so called fifth republic by De Gaulle in the 50's, which included cozying up to the third world in Africa and the Middle East to try to regain the powerbase and influence it once enjoyed AT THE EXPENSE OF AMERICAN RELATIONS WITH THOSE THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES. And just confining this to recent news, I might like to suggest the maybe reading up on the not-so-popular French doo-doo that the Ivory Coast is being made to eat: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2703433.stm http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/02/international/africa/02IVOR.html So all lame jokes aside about freedom fries, i do think the chardonnay-sipping, cheese-eating, anti-semitic, Bush-bashing, overly gentrified, fair-weather lefty elitest salon socialist francophiles need to get a clue, at least in this country. Or at least start buying chianti, if you don't like Ameican wine and anyway fries make you fat. (phew) -Deji
I wonder how many French bashers and people who laugh at the French lack of military support for the Americans in the past realize that in Afghanistan, after the Americans it was the French who flew the most military air support missions. When the French believe in something, like fighting terrorism and responding to the 9/11 attacks the French helped us and had our backs. In addition the French have made arrests of terrorists and are sharing vital information with us. I didn't know until I saw crossfire last night that it was the French and not the English who gave us the most military air support in Afghanistan. I think that deserves praise and not condemnation. They like many other people are against the U.S. invading Iraq, big whoopdee dooo. In a way France is Americas oldest ally. It was their naval support in the American revolution that helped us win our independence. All this French bashing just shows people's ignorance. It's kind of funny really.
Just an interesting point. I was at Leisure Learning tonight taking an Italian class and they were in complete disarray because THIRTY SIX students called yesterday and today to request their money back and pull out of French classes. In addition, she said that her friend who is a cook at the Galleria La Madeline said that daily receipts have dropped from about 11K a day to around 2K a day. Man, I understand the bitterness towards the French but are we all sure that La Madeline franchises arent owned by Americans? Who are we punishing here? If you buy Evian water, I think you're an idiot, not a traitor. No one should pay that much for water. I dont like fries anyway...I'm an onion ring guy.
That stuff would be hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that people(American's businesses are being hurt) People act so rash and out of ignorance like that, and then wonder why the French might think some Americans are ignorant hicks?
