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How do you feel about the French?

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BANNED
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Joined: 18 Sep 2008

I live in England and personally have no feeling for or against the French. They don't really have a positive or negative effect on my day.

However, I have noticed, through Xbox Live, Americans in particular seem to take massive personal offence if a French player happens to be placed in their game. Phrases like "We can't let the fucking French win" and "Fuck the French" suddenly fill the air. I know England has a long history of war with the French, and many people in England distrust them for this reason, but unless I skipped a history lesson, I'm pretty sure America and France have had few military interactions. Of course, there could be another reason for this hatred, but it escapes me, so...

How do you feel about the French? And if you are an American, could you enlighten me.

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Gone Gonzo
Posts: 3644
Joined: 3 Apr 2008

There are two things I cannot stand... People who are intolerant of other peoples cultures. And the French.

They annoy me for some reason. They seem very very stuck up

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 3617
Joined: 7 Aug 2008

Like almost every other nation, I don't really have an opinion on them, they are the exact same as me, except live in a much sunnier country, ... and speak French.

Beat Writer
Posts: 128
Joined: 11 Oct 2008

People shouldn't be judged based on their heritage, or even what their government does (even if the people did pick the government)

There are a lot of countries that have done terrible things, but the individuals shouldn't be blamed for it.

Paperboy
Posts: 14
Joined: 21 Aug 2008

Cheese eating surrender monkeys.

Everyone knows the sterotype, once they win a proper war (the Napoleonic Wars don't count) I will respect them as a country.

Now to read The Daily Mail.

Gone Gonzo
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Joined: 3 Apr 2008

Im A Cuttlefish:
Cheese eating surrender monkeys.

Everyone knows the sterotype, once they win a proper war (the Napoleonic Wars don't count) I will respect them as a country.

Now to read The Daily Mail.

Do an "I'm feeling lucky search" on french military victories

Infamous Scribbler
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Joined: 21 Oct 2008

smallharmlesskitten:
There are two things I cannot stand... People who are intolerant of other peoples cultures. And the French.

They annoy me for some reason. They seem very very stuck up

I see what you did there.

The French are fine in my book. I think the reason most Americans dislike the French is because (correct me if I'm wrong) during World War I or II, the French did not help or something.

On the Record
Posts: 5977
Joined: 7 Feb 2008

I spent 2 weeks in France in September and I only met one unpleasant French person in a Subway station in Paris. I like the French, they make really good bread.

Press Junketeer
Posts: 484
Joined: 5 Feb 2008

Well, being a Canadian, I feel completely at ease with the French. Granted, I get a little annoyed with Quebec for their less than social approach to OUR language, but I get where they're coming from. We English weren't the friendliest bastards back in the day, and I reckon a few of em' still remember. Hell, we're not always the friendliest bunch now a days.

I think all this animosity to the French is really just an echo from generations past. Any kid or teenager that spouts off on xbox live like that has probably been listening to a little too much right wing propaganda, and likely orders "Freedom Fries" proudly. The French are largely socialist, and that scares some people. It always has.

Gone Gonzo
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Joined: 7 Nov 2007

I thought these threads were banned?

Pulitzer Laureate
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Joined: 25 Jun 2008

Yeah... they're Allright.

BANNED
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Madnezz:

smallharmlesskitten:
There are two things I cannot stand... People who are intolerant of other peoples cultures. And the French.

They annoy me for some reason. They seem very very stuck up

I see what you did there.

The French are fine in my book. I think the reason most Americans dislike the French is because (correct me if I'm wrong) during World War I or II, the French did not help or something.

This is the kind of uneducated ignorant reasoning I suspected. Pick up a textbook and read. It's not like the Americans took 3 years to get involved or anything. This is not directed at you by the way.

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Beat Writer
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Joined: 19 Oct 2008

"I surrender!"

Pulitzer Laureate
Posts: 765
Joined: 9 Apr 2008

I was thinking about French military history, which is more extensive than most people think, and I came across this page.

http://www.militaryfactory.com/battles/french_military_victories.asp

Nice list of victories, draws, and losses.

Plus the American Independence War would have been lost without French support, so Americans paid them back with that whole World War 2 business. I'd say they are even right now.

Oh, and I am French Canadian, but that is a whole other bucket of worms.

Muckraker
Posts: 312
Joined: 16 Oct 2008

Hmmm. There was a similar "how do you feel about the British" thread about a month ago and it got taken down before I could say "thank you for The Clash".

I like the French. They brought us Stereolab, Phoenix, Air, Daft Punk and Justice. I do think that they face some unique social problems, like trying to maintain national language usage and identity in the face of an increasingly English-speaking global society. I know that France has been criticized for not being more supportive of the United States' recent middle-eastern conflicts, but you can't expect all of your allies to blindly agree with you just because you're the big kid on your block.

Infamous Scribbler
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elgringobandito:

Madnezz:

smallharmlesskitten:
There are two things I cannot stand... People who are intolerant of other peoples cultures. And the French.

They annoy me for some reason. They seem very very stuck up

I see what you did there.

The French are fine in my book. I think the reason most Americans dislike the French is because (correct me if I'm wrong) during World War I or II, the French did not help or something.

This is the kind of uneducated ignorant reasoning I suspected. Pick up a textbook and read. It's not like the Americans took 3 years to get involved or anything. This is not directed at you by the way.

Ah, thank you. My school has decided to trash World History and replace it with U.S. History, so that may be the reason. However, my dad is the stereotypical "'Murica, heck yeah!" guy. He basically says that the "Frenchies" are a bunch of cowards who ran away during the war. When I told him that the colonists would have lost the American Revolution without the French, he told me it was "different." Figures.

Pulitzer Laureate
Posts: 979
Joined: 25 Sep 2008

I fart in your general direction!

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 4614
Joined: 25 Feb 2008

They live to the east of me across the Sea.
They make Wine, Cheese, bad Cars and the have lots of mountains.
They produced Fabien Barel.
They're generally a charming bunch, foreign, but charming nonetheless.

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1169
Joined: 2 Sep 2008

America owes everything to the french.

Press Junketeer
Posts: 400
Joined: 1 Nov 2008

@ hillbilly yanks in general - if you dislike the French, you might want to stop considering the statue of Liberty a symbol of America.

Anonymous Source
Posts: 7
Joined: 22 Oct 2008

As an American, I'd like to weigh in on this fun topic. The French are, simply put, easy targets. If you make fun of virtually any other country/culture there's invariably someone who defends them. Pick on the French though, and your comments are met with silence and nods of agreement. I don't think there's any real animosity between Americans and the French (right wing mountain nuts notwithstanding); I think it's all in good fun. Americans just like rivalries. It's kind of our thing. That reminds me...

How many Frenchmen does it take to screw in a lightbulb? One. He holds the bulb and all of Europe revolves around him.
How do you confuse a French soldier? Give him a rifle and ask him to shoot it.
Why don't credit cards work in France? Because they don't know how to say CHARGE!

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 2873
Joined: 25 Aug 2008

Frenchie horse eating ba.. no I'm joking I've been to France a couple of times and it seems an ok place I really don't see the problems some Americans seem to have with the French at least we British have an excuse for disliking them (Napoleon, the 100 year war)

Copy Clerk
Posts: 100
Joined: 10 Aug 2008

I don't really care much about the French, just as I don't care much about Belgians, Germans, Americans, Japanese, Australians, Atlantians, Meropians or whatever place someone may come from. I just make fun of everybody, even cheap Dutchies such as me.

Besides who would take those snail-'n-frog-gobblers serious?

Oh, and on the subject of them not doing a thing in WWII: They sent all their troups to the German borders, dug trences and burried themselves in there. Next the Germans flew past them in their new toys (airplanes) and conquered France since all Frenchies were still amazed and shouting things like: "Airplanes?! c'est cheating!" and "OMG, le HAX!". guess that hasn't really changed over the years...

Pulitzer Laureate
Posts: 730
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

I love the French.

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1710
Joined: 2 Jan 2008

samandingo:
As an American, I'd like to weigh in on this fun topic. The French are, simply put, easy targets. If you make fun of virtually any other country/culture there's invariably someone who defends them. Pick on the French though, and your comments are met with silence and nods of agreement. I don't think there's any real animosity between Americans and the French (right wing mountain nuts notwithstanding); I think it's all in good fun. Americans just like rivalries. It's kind of our thing. That reminds me...

I was going to try to post something to this effect, but now I don't need to.

BANNED
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samandingo:

How many Frenchmen does it take to screw in a lightbulb? One. He holds the bulb and all of Europe revolves around him.
How do you confuse a French soldier? Give him a rifle and ask him to shoot it.
Why don't credit cards work in France? Because they don't know how to say CHARGE!

FOR SALE:
French Rifle.
Never been fired.
Only dropped once.

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Beat Writer
Posts: 212
Joined: 25 Sep 2008

been there seemed like nice people

Press Junketeer
Posts: 444
Joined: 23 Nov 2008

Well, I don't like the French all that much because my grandpa told me to. He was a British Major, and has been always mad at them since WW2.

Copy Clerk
Posts: 52
Joined: 5 Nov 2008

there only achievement is Disneyland and america had it first.

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1622
Joined: 1 Nov 2008

I've been there twice, and I only met one unpleasant person (who through a bottle of water at me from his moving car...). That not withstanding, they were a nice bunch of people which went against the stereotype of the stuck up French...
So I hold nothing against them as a nation, only one individual (as with all nations - you can't assume a stereotype fits an entire nation).

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1180
Joined: 21 Oct 2008

Yeh French-bashing from Americans is a bit stupid.

I think the only reason it started coming about was because France wisely stayed out of the Iraq war and there is nothing cowardly about standing up for yourself. Even then its most likely only ignorant Americans bash France.

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1579
Joined: 6 Jun 2008

elgringobandito:

However, I have noticed, through Xbox Live.

I think that explains it.

I like em. They make Frenchcore and have lots of technivals.

King of the Yetis
Posts: 2539
Joined: 15 Jul 2008

For an Englishman, I have a very laid back attitude towards the French. Providing they do so within the confines of their own country, they can eat whatever they damn well please and surrender to anyone they fancy. When I moved to Canada however I found even my enlightened view of our Froggy neighbours stretched to the limit. Here in Canada, because 32.9% (Wikipedia) of the population speak frenchese instead of a proper language, everything produced, be it a can of beans or the latest video game, has to have the title and documentation in both English and Frogspeak.

On the Record
Posts: 7046
Joined: 22 Aug 2008

Assassin_Thunder:
there only achievement is Disneyland and america had it first.

I suppose the Statue of Liberty doesn't count for much in America these days?

Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1610
Joined: 13 Oct 2008

fix-the-spade:
They make...bad Cars...

As if the cars we build here in America are so much better. Personally, I'd rather drive a Renault or Citroen than a Ford or Chevy.

As for the French people, I've met quite a few that I really enjoyed. Nice folks, good food, great wine, and generally, all around nice people to spend time with.

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