Seattle is Closer to France Than to Texas (French school festival demonizes America)

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | February 29, 2004 | David Horsey

[quidnunc]

The typical citizen of Seattle would feel more at home, ideologically speaking, in Paris than in Dallas. Yet, even a liberal Seattleite would be shocked by the images of America drawn by French schoolchildren.

In January, a cartoon festival was held in the town of Carquefou, just outside of Nantes in the northwest corner of France. Students of all ages competed in a contest to illustrate their vision of the United States. They drew obese Americans devouring Coca-Cola and McDonald's hamburgers. They drew the Statue of Liberty with fangs or in chains or being run over by a wicked Uncle Sam on a motorcycle. And they drew George W. Bush: Bush riding a tank to war; Bush taking over the world; Bush as a liar; Bush as a monster.

There were a few lighthearted drawings of Hollywood and Las Vegas and fast food (hamburgers, always hamburgers) but, predominantly, from ages 8 to 18, the French students sketched images of a fierce and fearsome country. One cartoon summed up American villainy with a series of three hands. The first was a fist representing Stalin's Russia. The second was a saluting palm, representing Hitler's Germany. The third was another fist clutching a cross, representing Bush's America.

Stalin, Hitler and Bush — one French student's axis of evil.

-snip-

[quidnunc]

Quote

It is more than aversion to war that breeds Europe's animosity toward warrior America, however. Today's Europeans want to escape from history. They live very comfortable lives and do not want to be disturbed by America's flag-waving crusades. This allowed them to brush aside Bush's bogus claims of an imminent Iraqi threat, but it has also led to a certain level of denial when it comes to the genuine perils of international terrorism.

Bush-hating has also given Europeans a marvelous distraction from their own failures; their failure in the Balkans, their failure to come up with a constitution for the European Union, their failure to build an independent military force, their failure to put together a single, coherent European foreign policy. In so many ways, Europeans who once ran the world now feel impotent to affect international events or even get their own house in order. They float like a lovely but rudderless old yacht in the surging wake of an American aircraft carrier.

To perdition with the feckless, back-stabbing Euro crapweasels and their liberal American running dogs!

[whereasandsoforth]

Let Seattle eat it up! Who cares? The French are not my neighbors or my friends. I don't care what their demon spawns think of the USA either.

This entire "Hate Bush" crapola is way out of hand. I'm glad they hate President Bush. That tells me he is doing something right. The friend of my enemy is not my friend.

But, cutting through the Barbra Streisand of it all, it is pure envy. The French and there little meaningless country stand for nothing in this world and it is killing them from the inside out. Their influence in the world is fading faster than their non-muslim population.

I thank the Lord daily that I was born in the USA. I pity those ignorant French that wish they could be thankful for the exact same thing.

[kaylar]

...a fierce and fearsome country

Sounds good to me, frankly.

[OpusatFR]

You know, I never even think of the Europeans. Never crosses my mind.

[ezo4]

people need to know that the seattle is a lame city... and out side of it are real Americans.

Anything out side of king county proper not including the east side (and of course the jerks in olympia).

seattle is a stupid place don't go there

but come to Washington and see its a great place :o)

[Snuffington]

Hard to blame the French children. This is the garbage they're being brought up with by their vile Frog parents and horrid Frog teachers.

Seriously, the level of propaganda against the U. S. in Europe in general and France in particular is staggering. Very hard on those of us who love Western civilization and would like to think more kindly of the cradles of it. But there seems absolutely nothing remotely civil or intellectual about them. And it's getting worse all the time.

[Charlespg]

Time to remove our war dead from Europe and bring them home

[Not A Snowbird]

The typical citizen of Seattle would feel more at home, ideologically speaking, in Paris than in Dallas.

Well, thank goodness I'm not typical.

[Pontiac]

...a fierce and fearsome country
Sounds good to me, frankly.

I think of The US as a peaceful, peace loving country. Much like a hornets nest.

We like hornets will peacefully go about our business until such time as we are disturbed (attacked).

At such time as we are disturbed we will leave our nest and devote all of our energy to chasing down and killing those we deem the culprits.

And then we will return to peacefully going about our business.

Does this make us fierce? May be, I think this makes us respected.

[kittymyrib]

I would give a sizable donation to bring our fallen warriors home. French soil is not worthy of them.

[Pukin Dog]

I just spent a month just north of Seattle in Everett, WA. Just watching the local newscasts you can tell that Seattle is the most liberal city in America after San Francisco. Major support for Gay Marriage, they hate the President, love Howard Dean but will accept John Kerry, and they have the worst unemployment in the country.

[The Great RJ]

The images of France that we remember are a Nazi army marching through Paris with at least some French citizens giving the Nazi salute and the anti-semitic graffitti that dots Paris--unfortunately these images are real.

[CholeraJoe]

The next time the French are conquered by a facist dictatorship, they shouldn't count on American blood being shed to liberate them.

[andy58-in-nh]

Next time, they can have France.

[Zeroisanumber]

"Running Dogs" Heh, I haven't heard that one in years.

[andy58-in-nh]

Great minds do think alike.

[Bon mots]

Next time, it will be their beloved Muslims slitting their French throats. We will never come again. Screw you France.

[radiohead]

Well, thank goodness I'm not typical.

Me neither.

I went to Dallas 2 years ago for a conference. I felt like I was making a pilgrimage.

[lilylangtree]

One more reason Boeing should not return to Seattle to built that new aircraft the 7E or something or another. That would bring more power to the unions. The unions as a block vote democrat. Seattle needs to be less dense and therefore less democrat. Then the whole of King County wouldn't have the political power that it enjoys now because of its dense population.

[kaylar]

"Let them hate us, so long as they fear us". I wish they were a helluva lot more afraid of us : I am TIRED of these loathesome people trying to dictate our tax rates and tax policies to us (OECD and WTO) and trying to use the WTO and the UN against us. I am furious over the Galileo flap, not so much because they want their own satellite system rather than use ours for free, but because their frequency was chosen to damage our military capabilities (or so I gather). I will NOT forget their silence and complicity after the China spy plane flap, and I will NEVER forget the garbage that started coming out of the EU as early as mid September 2001. They were publicly gloating that 9/11 was a "golden opportunity" to force the US back into the "international fold" re : Kyoto , the ICC, and various other sovereignty-sapping treaties and 'protocols. I will never forgive that, EVER! My feelings towards Islam and Muslems is like a schoolgirl crush, compared to how I feel about the EU!