French get a rude French awakening

Washington Times ^ | Wednesday, October 13, 2004 | By Kim Willsher

[JohnHuang2]

PARIS — The French are arrogant, rude and surly to foreign visitors, said a leading French politician behind a scathing report on how the Gallic welcome leaves much to be desired. Bernard Plasait, a member of France's upper house of parliament, has concluded what millions of visitors have known for years. "Our bad image in this area, the arrogance we are accused of, our refusal to speak foreign languages, the sense we give that it's a great honor to visit us are among the ugly facts of which we should not be proud," reads the first paragraph of Mr. Plasait's report, which was commissioned by the government.

[Bandaneira]

Yes simplistic stereotypes of French people are pretty boring.

P.S. Who would you say was the most influential Frenchman/woman out of the following ?

(a) Charles de Gaulle
(b) Jean D'Arc
(c) Jean Charcot
(d) Albert Camus
(e) Charles Martel

[Grzegorz 246]

"About soap you are always doing the same joke..."

I know that this is just a stupid stereotype, but what about legs... ? I heard that French women don't shave their legs .

[AIC]

Every since France made the U.S. pull out all of the troops from France in the late 1950's and pleated to the U.S. to get involved and protect them in Vietnam and then running out and leaving the U.S. and other Allies to fight in Vietnam, I have had no use for the French or every going there. I have had a couple of offers to go and I refused.

[Bandaneira]

My partner is French and has great legs.

[Grzegorz 246]

Your partner is a man or woman ?

[Marie007]

It is not the true, french women shave their legs and others.........

[RavenATB]

My wife has a friend who recently hosted a French boy as an exchange student. From the moment the young man arrived in their home he was rude, extremely demanding, thankless, and harshly critical of virtually "everything American."

I recall speaking about the boy with them at Church one morning, and it occurred to me the manner in which the boy was acting was virtually the same as I've experienced with every staunch liberal I've ever known.

[Grzegorz 246]

"and others........." ?

[Happy2BMe]

The 'Ugly Frenchie Franco' - ping.

___________________________________

'Our bad image in this area, the arrogance we are accused of, our refusal to speak foreign languages, the sense we give that it's a great honor to visit us are among the ugly facts of which we should not be proud.'

[wtc911]

Especially when everyone around you smells as bad as you do.

________________________________________

For those here who haven't had the pleasure of the trip to Paree allow me to verify....they do not bathe regularly and they do stink, even the upper crust. I was astounded standing behind an otherwise elegant woman....worse than the locker room at Golds Gym.

[lowbridge]

It is wrong to be French! -Al Bundy reciting one of the 9 commandments of Iron Head Haynes.

[cyborg]

I loved France. I didn't notice all of the rudeness that some claim there was, but then again I was very respectful and attempted to speak french. I met some very very ugly Americans in England, and if that's how a lot of Americans behave abroad well then I'd be rude to them too.

[gracex7]

Sounds like a typical teenager.

[Sal]

(e) Charles Martel

Unfortunately, his influence is in the process of being reversed. I'll never go back.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

They're even worse when they come over here. Nothing spoils a trip to the Grand Canyon like being on one of the park buses with a bunch of French tourists. Even Germans finish a distant second. (Exception: German military personnel training in the SW, seem to me to embody the epitome of courtesy.)

[LonePalm]

Il n'y a pas d'honte être français. Il y a seulement l'honte dans rester de français.
(There is no shame in being French. There is only shame in staying French.)

Don't judge all of France from Paris. Many of the people in the rest of France don't like Parisians either. Go to the south of France.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[Marie007]

I don't know the word in english

[Bandaneira]

The French helped the American Revolutionaries in the War of Independence. Why do some people forget this fact ?

[normy]

How to bring American dollars back?

Vote out Chirac.

Send 10,000 troops to Iraq and chip in 25 billion for rebuilding costs.

Accept US authority over those troops until the mission is over.

Apologize at the UN to Powell and Bush and the American people for stabbing us in the back.

Ask for nothing in return in the way of contracts or oil.

Then it will be up to our discretion to ever trust you again.

[Bandaneira]

Vlad the Impaler had an effective way of stopping the Muslim hordes. When they kept crossing the river into his territory he counter attacked and sent them back over the river. The remaining stragglers who kept trying to kill his forces and wouldn't surrender were beheaded and their heads were put on spikes for the opposing army across the river to see. This act stopped the hordes and saved his territory.