Comments on: Ryan Tate’s Anti-French Tirade

By: Barney hasn't left the building

Barney hasn't left the building — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:22:10 +0000

Ryan Tate Says: July 11th, 2008 at 10:10 pm Hello everyone! This is the email I just sent Miquelon. Love your country! Miquelon, You know I just spent three weeks in France last year (at no small expense!) after three weeks of French lessons so I was surprised to see your post. It seems like you are perhaps not a regular Gawker reader, so let me say: We often parody or mock things (eg stereotypes) by exaggerating the “logic” of those things. And here I do exactly that with anti-French sentiment. Do you honestly think I could believe all that? And if I did, would I express in a “gossip roundup?” I fail to see any satire in your latest anti-French piece, Ryan. If you love our country you have a funny way of showing it and so do the people who have commented on your latest article. I certainly don't see any satire in their comments either.

By: Barney hasn't left the building

Barney hasn't left the building — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:12:50 +0000

This cowardly nut job that is Ryan Tate has a bad case of francophobia.
I suggest he gets some help.
http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/francophobia.html

By: Marc @ miquelon.org

Marc @ miquelon.org — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:36:15 +0000

Ryan just couldn't resist this one : France Scandalized as Library Surrenders to Google

By: Laurent

Laurent — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:30:52 +0000

This is obviously a satire, the purpose being precisely to ridicule francophobia. I see nothing wrong in this.
Respirez les mecs ; c’est une bonne chose que de lutter contre la francophobie mais si ça dégènère en une posture rigide, braquée, et sans discernement, ça le fait moins !

Ciao

By: Anne Suire

Anne Suire — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:22:44 +0000

In France people stay longer in a hospital but in the US they unfortunately kick you out, that’s how they care about their patients.

By: Pascal Ledermann

Pascal Ledermann — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:11:22 +0000

Laissez le pauvre petit morveux s’exprimer. Il represente assez bien le systeme scolaire americain.

By: Miquelon

Miquelon — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:59:44 +0000

Miquelon.org and Ryan Tate quoted in the UAE Times (updated URL). - "Ryan Tate, a satirical writer on the gawker.com website, defended the cover. He recently drew the ire of miquelon.org, which says it monitors anti-French activity, for a humorous piece attacking “lazy, arrogant French doctors” who made Angelina Jolie stay in hospital for three days after the US actress gave birth to twins rather than letting the “tough American patriot” leave immediately."
This article was also noticed by Spectator.co.uk - "It's not just The New Yorker that's in trouble over the use of clever satire. Gawker's gossip writer found himself being upbraided after posting these red-state thoughts about Angelina Jolie's much-discussed pregnancy. As you can see from the comments section, Tate was still getting grief even after he explained that he had his tongue in his cheek. Perhaps his critics assumed he was one of those Americans who have no sense of irony."

By: DS

DS — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:38:36 +0000

Barney — it seems to me your primary complaint against Mr. Tate is that he’s a very poor satirist. Which is a fair comment. But does the fact that miquelon.org or its authors or commenters are poor bloggers or commenters diminish the fact that you are indeed blogging, commenting, and writing? No. Likewise, Mr. Tate’s failure (in your eyes) as a satirist doesn’t render him a francophobe. Moreover, the value of satire is not dependent on it being clear to “all” (as you put it).

Miquelon — votre reclassement n’a vraiment aucun sens. Encore, il me semble que vous n’avez pas compris le sens de satire: c-à-d une pièce où l’on ridiculise les idées à la mode, les systèmes politiques, ou les vedettes. Est-ce qu’il y a vraiment pas d’autres nouvelles qui méritent votre attention à part le courrier mondain de gawker.com?

Je suis étonné de constater la colère manifesté à l’endroit de M Tate qui me paraît absolument démesuré.

By: Miquelon

Miquelon — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:23:06 +0000

~~I am ready to reduce my charge against Ryan to "satire with intent to defame", a sub class of anti-French offenses.~~ Marc in Tioga NY ONE YEAR LATER: Ryan Tate renews his French Bashing.

@ryantate "One year ago today, I accepted a French surrender. http://bit.ly/LMzDe Happy Bastille Day!"

OUR STANDARD RESPONSE: About that Surrender Thing...

French Surrender Jokes as offensive to us as 9/11 jokes to Americans
"France’s army did not simply surrender or run away in 1940, as ignorant American Know-Nothing conservatives claim." http://bit.ly/2x7V98
French surrender jokes are offensive. We had 300 000 military dead, 2 million labor camp, 4 years occupation.
WW1: 1.6 million military dead, WW2: 300 000 military dead (as much as USA).

I can talk to French Bashers, I can try to educate Haters, but there is one thing I cannot stand, it is insincerity.

By: Barney hasn't left the building

Barney hasn't left the building — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:28:46 +0000

The difference being that Swift’s talent made his intentions obvious to all.
This is not the case, I’m afraid, with Mr Tate who is neihter funny nor talented.

Just stop stereotyping us and insulting us every chance you got. Period. Is that too much to ask ?
We would like to be more than an abstract sum of offensive clichés to our american friends.
We have like the most pro-american President in the western world now. Isn’t that what you folks always wanted ? Can you treat us like normal people now ?

By: Patrice Ayme

Patrice Ayme — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:34:32 +0000

Satire is difficult. It requires context, but it’s hard to provide that as people surf the Internet. Some of the sincere critique against France during the attack and destruction of Iraq was indistinguishable of, and was going BEYOND the worst satire. It had real effects (ask the Iraqis), because it invalidated the seriousness of the critiques about the proposed attack by the Bushmen.
France herself is strong enough to take whatever. In May-June 1940, she was fighting 145 Nazi divisions, plus the Soviet Union (giver of oil to the Nazis, among other things) and the USA (giver of technology to the Nazis, and oil too). Details on early essays on Tyranosopher (http://patriceayme.com/).
So humor is difficult. Was the Susanne above joking? One can only hope she did not: such specimens full of distasteful cliches have mostly disappeared in today’s European UNION. It’s a nice reminder of how venimous their species used to be. But of course (physical) cleanness was big with the Nazis. They used it to hide their dirty motives.
Patrice Ayme

By: DS

DS — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:09:00 +0000

Miquelon – you are not only confused, but tirelessly stubborn. Ryan Tate’s explanation was not a “just kidding” defense. It was an explanation of the context you and many of your readers missed: the piece was satire. I suggest you check out Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” a paradigm of the genre, and then re-evaluate your tirade.

Your tragedy is that there really are francophobic issues to take issue with in this huge world of ours. The fact you erroneously have decided to skewer a satire only underscores that it won’t be you who will be leading an intelligent charge against such problems.

Dommage.

By: Maria

Maria — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:50:43 +0000

J’aime la France. And I’m not American. But when I first read the roundup last week, I thought it was a parody.

While French-bashing has become quite common among a certain part of the American population, the sheer density of stereotypes should give a hint as to its intent. Also note that everything that comes after the actual news (ie, Angelina Jolie will have to stay three more days in the hospital) is absolutely absurd – are people who are offended at this suggesting that the writer truly believes the doctors will be having sex with their mistresses instead of letting her leave the hospital? Or that they are locking her in the ward while they party for July 14th? This is either satire, or an incredibly stupid attack. It may be that for a bullied people the tolerance level is lower, but for someone who is neither American nor French, this was satire. Not particularly funny, but not xenophobic, either.

By: Barney hasn't left the building

Barney hasn't left the building — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:36:24 +0000

Eh ben, you have to wonder why all those apologists have appeared all of a sudden.
No pasaran aurait linké ce post sur leur hate site ?

By: Gérard Morvan

Gérard Morvan — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:27:12 +0000

One of the consequences of bullying is that the bullyed can’t take a joke anymore. Every single comment directed at him will be seen as further bullying, even if that’s the last thing on the person’s mind. This also applies to french-bashing. After having been subjected for years to surrender jokes, dirty jokes, after seeing each and every thing we do mercilessly criticized (even if other countries who do them are left alone), we can’t take a joke anymore. No more than Italians can take a joke about the Maffia, I guess.