I find it bizarre to hear all these French people complaining about people being anti-french when you are notorious for being major assholes to americans and being extremely anti-american. So why not shine light on both issues and defeat them together. that way the French aren’t being discriminated against and neither are the Americans. everyone wins!”"
 
I understand some things a little more clearly now…

easy? I know this cliché for american women in France but french women????
If they believe that i can understand they bash France after meeting the first french woman in their life… I mean even expecting a smile is really naive actually…

But how is that the “face of America”? You do realize that there are 300 + million of us, right? If you want to be fair, you would say that SP was the face of the Republican party. This is where I felt that Jane had a point. It was because she noticed your slant toward American-bashing. That is what I’m pointing out to you.

And if you didn’t have an anti-American slant on your mind, you wouldn’t be googling American fat-stats.

<blockquote>”You attack a person unfairly, his/her first reaction is self-defence even if it means hitting back which is a mode of self defence.”</blockquote>

You are right! It IS human nature. But there’s so much crap you can find on Americans that is ACCURATE. Why not bust us where we should be busted instead of resorting to factual errors and hyperbole? I recommend that you read Superfrienchi’s blog. He bashes back, but he does so factually.

<blockquote>”I had my first experience of non stop French bashing and endless bullying in 2003 at an international school by my American, British and Canadian classmates/schoolmates when I wasn’t even 14 all because France refused to go with Bush and invade Iraq. I was called names and played practical jokes on until my parents stepped in to make them stop. Despite this horrible experience, I have not become anti-American, anti-whatever nationality for the sake of being one. However, I will not take anti-Frenchism sitting down either and I know many French won’t too.”</blockquote>

For that, I apologize. And can empathize as well.

Just don’t take the innocents down. Swing back at the bigots. Direct your speech to the Anti-French – not to the wide-spread of Americans.

You see what I mean?

As for symetrical arguments, I’ve explained before that I don’t agree with the premise that anti-Americanism excuses anti-French behavior. We need to break this cycle one way or another, my purpose on the web is clear : to be a watchdog and denounce anti-French attitudes in the press, media and entertainement industry.

Bonnes fêtes

Looking back at this disgusting post its probably what made me comment in the first place. I personally don’t ever come into contact with anti-french behavior in my life so reading something like this. Someone condoneing being anti-american over what some Americans may have said really irks me. And the fact that you had the nerve to resond to my, what I thought was harmless, post and to completely ignore this one….well it just proves that you have a cultural bias. In your mind you believe anti-americanism is no big deal and that anti-frenchism is a widespread phenomenom. Please, I’m not buying it. Do you know how much your culture is envied and copied around the world? I guess you wouldn’t while just moping around searching for all this anti-french bashing.

The only reason you think anti-french behavior is so widespread is because you are constantly searching for it. If I had to “search” for all the anti-americanism in this world….well I’d be near wanting to kill myself by the end of it.

Its embedded in french society, if I may say so, more than anti-french behavior is embedded in American. There was a tv show in France, a puppet show, that aired the day after 9/11 with a small skit parodying the situation. With newscasters sitting at desk while a screen behind them showed the towers in flames. And then the newscaster said “Allah 1 Jesus 0″. Talk about inappropriate.

Or what about France’s protests against McDonald’s and Disneyland? After all, who is the one that eats and goes to these places in France if not the french? Or how about how the French Government tried to label Jurassic Park as a threat to French Culture? These aren’t made up, given all this can’t you see how I might be under the opinon that France has a “general attitude of being anti-american”.

You ignore all the good things I posted and are trying to make me out to be the “bad guy”. No Idea why, just from two lines which I may have written a little more politically correct, but you forgot the the next couple of lines of that post and the entire next post.

Thank you for accomodating my comments in this forum.

Will be breaking for Christmas — Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year to you and to every reader of Miquelon.org.

Best wishes to all.

PS. I might not be able to post as often come 2009 as I expect to have a heavy load at uni this coming term but will try to be back as often as possible. Again, many thanks and heartfelt congratulations for this wonderful forum.

“How can you stand up against tired myths surrounding the French and then imply that Americans are the fattest people in the world – which they’re not. <a href=”http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23890071-29277,00.html”>Australia has usurped the US</a>. A fair and balanced blogger will be inclusive in his research rather than exclusive.”

Well, thanks for the info but I didn’t see that when I was googling about overweight in America.

“I think Jane’s got a point here” A point about what? That Americans are not loud and dumb and fat? I’ve already told her I didn’t think she was.

“I’ve seen in other French blogs where one was saying in so many words that Sarah Palin was the new face of America – despite her having the lowest approval rating in history among any other running VP.”
I honestly believe there’s some truth in it if one were to base the definition on the fact that she’s been a major political force for the Republicans in the recent US presidential election. To my mind, she represented tens of millions of Republican Americans.

“Some Frenchies are using “the fight against Anti-Frenchism” to be Anti-American. That’s very unfair and hypocritical.” No, it’s human. You attack a person unfairly, his/her first reaction is self-defence even if it means hitting back which is a mode of self defence.

I had my first experience of non stop French bashing and endless bullying in 2003 at an international school by my American, British and Canadian classmates/schoolmates when I wasn’t even 14 all because France refused to go with Bush and invade Iraq. I was called names and played practical jokes on until my parents stepped in to make them stop. Despite this horrible experience, I have not become anti-American, anti-whatever nationality for the sake of being one. However, I will not take anti-Frenchism sitting down either and I know many French won’t too. This reaction is neither unfair nor hypocritical.

“All I got from what you wrote is that you are good at twisting words.”
That’s a back handed  compliment I don’t believe I deserve, so, let’s go straight to the point:

You came to this blog which is an anti-French bashing blog and  dropped a stereotyping epithet against the French calling us major assholes to Americans (your exact words) and claiming that it was a general attitude in France. Correct or not?

You now are trying to turn the table at me as if I had started the name calling. Did you really expect the French to feel good about what you’ve said, to thank you for that odious stereotyping, to welcome your unbridled name calling without batting an eyelash?

What gave you the right to bash the French with your odious stereotypings and then to feel so offended when a French person takes a vigorous stand against your French bashing (because that was exactly what started this exchange)?

I think Jane’s got a point here.

I’ve seen in other French blogs where one was saying in so many words that Sarah Palin was the new face of America – despite her having the lowest approval rating in history among any other running VP.

Some Frenchies are using “the fight against Anti-Frenchism” to be Anti-American. That’s very unfair and hypocritical.

All I got from what you wrote is that you are good at twisting words. Like you did about the stereotypes about americans saying “loud and dumb and fat”, I reiterated the stereotypes of the french “major assholes to Americans” and “anti-american”. 

Whatever you got from that statement it wasn’t meant to be offensive, it was directed at a couple comments in general on this page condemning people for being anti-french while saying rather rude things about Americans. Obviously I am here for a reason, I am interested in this site and France. I’m sorry you were “offended” or whatever you were from my post. My point was that light should be cast on both anti-american and anti-french attitudes, because I have noticed on this blog that many posters want respect for France and things french but say rude things about American and Americans. My intentions were good I can assure you. I have in the past contemplating moving to France, and learning French. I have nothing against the French or France in general.
To respond to your post about the stereotype of french being cowards I think it is more or so because of the events during WWII, and I wrote another comment saying that it was unfair and wrong to call the French cowards when they lead underground resistance movements against the formidable might of the nazis and the courage of the people even when their country was being torn apart by war.