Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bobbyhanlon]

the whole 'surrendering cheese monkeys' thing is quite ridiculous if you take a longer view.. yep the french rolled over in world wars one and two, but go back another 100 years or so, you'd find that france was the badass of europe.
anyway.. i'm an englishman, and i don't hate the french at all. in fact i quite admire their arrogance, and the fact that they managed to wangle a seat on the un security council, for example. also, the continued insistence on the use of french at an international level is ridiculous, but still, you have to respect their gall. i think france is a great example of a modern, wealthy country which has accepted the elements of foreign culture that it wants, rejected the ones it doesn't, and in doing so has managed to preserve its traditions without being backward.

[dogshed]

[dogshed]

put the french name on more stuff:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1189259

[dogshed]

I heard a commentator (I think on NPR) saying that we hate France
because after the Sept. 11 attacks it was no longer OK to hate New York.

They also said that the US has a long history of belittling culture and for this
reason it had always been OK to make fun of New York City and France.

With New York suddenly a symbol for all things American that only left France to hate.

[djsmnc]

I never heard a single American mention anything about hating the French until the Freedom Fries thing, and even then, it was just a bunch of church-every-Sunday-yellow-ribbon-on-the-porch-evangelical-drones who were into that whole thing anyway.

There was a French-American guy I knew named Renee (pronounced nasally) who I didn't like because of his condescending nature, and I reveled in secret vengeful delight when the restaurant that his mom helped him open failed. However, that wasn't based on any resentment against the French anyway, just that chode.

[mack4289]

Well the French did elect the author of these gems as both the mayor of Paris and their President. Not that they have anything on the Americans in terms of re-electing incompetents, but knowing that Jacques Chirac had these opinions does make his claiming the moral high ground on Iraq seem absurd. I'm not saying the US isn't guilty of plenty of hypocrisy, but they've got nothing on the French:

http://www.slate.com/id/2165750/

"On Saddam Hussein: "You are my personal friend. Let me assure you of my esteem, consideration, and bond." (wonder why he didn't bring up the oil contracts? http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/03/07/edlauren_ed3_.php)

"Ponder closely, for example, what Chirac has had to say about Africa, where his country has enormous influence, in many places far outweighing ours. During a visit to the Ivory Coast, Chirac once called "multi-partyism" a "kind of luxury," which his host, president-for-life F�lix Houphouet-Boigny, could clearly not afford. During a visit to Tunisia, he proclaimed that, since "the most important human rights are the rights to be fed, to have health, to be educated, and to be housed," Tunisia's human rights record is "very advanced"�never mind the police who beat up dissidents. "Africa is not ready for democracy," he told a group of African leaders in the early 1990s."

"On Britain: "The only thing they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease. � You can't trust people who cook as badly as that."

"On Russia: "For his contribution to friendship between France and Russia," Chirac decorated Vladimir Putin last year with the highest order of the L�gion d'honneur, a medal reserved for the closest foreign friends of France (Churchill, Eisenhower), despite the deterioration of the Russian president's human rights record. A few weeks later, Chirac decided to hold his 74th birthday party in Riga, Latvia, after a NATO summit. He invited President Putin, disinvited President George W. Bush, and snubbed the Latvian president in the process. As the diplomatic scandal grew, the guests all begged off, and the birthday dinner never took place."

"On Eastern Europe supporting the United States in the United Nations: "It is not really responsible behavior. It is not well-brought-up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to shut up."

On Iran's nuclear program: "Having one or perhaps a second bomb a little later, well, that's not very dangerous." Theoretically, Chirac was supposed to be negotiating with Iran to give up its nuclear program at the time.

On hearing a French businessman address a European summit in English, "deeply shocked," he stormed out of the room."

[contrarian]

The French are long on pride and arrogance, short on gratitude, long on the history of the "glory of France" and short of any "glory" in the last 200 years.

As the Americans were saying at the time of 9/11 we (them and the Brits) saved the French in WWI, again in WWII for precious little gratitude. So f em, we'll just ignore them.

I think though that Sarkozy may be a chance for a change for the better.

[Adventurer]

[contrarian]

If you look at the date. It was the French who copied from the Aermicans. The Frech revolution took place after the American one did. At the time of the American Revolution the Frech where trying to screw the Brtis.

Thomas Pain went from America to France and was much invloved ion French political theory at that time.

[kimchi_pizza]

Me? Hate the French? What did they ever do to me?

"Au, contrair mon frair!" (Is that even French even if I slaughtered it?)

In fact, I appreciate their boats when we had a spat with Great Britain and that little gift of Lady Liberty...oh, you shouldn't have... .

Helping to remove the yoke of England and slavery? Thanks, fellas!

[jaderedux]

I don't hate the French. Caveat: People in Paris suck for the most part. They were snobs and my 2 years of French didn't impress them at all. Everywhere else I traveled in France people were cool, fun, didn't make fun of my lousy French and were always helpful.

Paris: Thank you for the Louvre however the big pyramid sucks big ol' butt. Sorry I.M. Pei. Great Architect...wrong place.

Jade and her 2 won worth.

[Privateer]

Do Americans actually really hate the French? Anyway the only reason this is being discussed is all the anti-French propaganda in the American media after France refused to support the war in Iraq. Before that it wasn't an issue so if anyone really hates the French it's mostly down to brainwashing.

[merkurix]

[cangel]

Quite a stretch to say "many" Americans dislike the French. I would say "some" or "a few". Heck, I'd be surprised if half my American compatriots could tell you much about France, much less form a coherent, rational, logical reason for disliking them.

[shifter2009]

I don't think we hate them either. We like making fun of them.