Posted on 10/12/2004 10:38:19 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
"I was astounded standing behind an otherwise elegant woman..."
You must have had a strange trip in France.
Smart arse...
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Why assume that this is forgotten? We remember. We also remember that the French were in constant conflict with the Brits at that time and Imperial France supporting the enemy of their enemy was not exactly an altruistic policy.
We also know that since 1781 the French have been nothing but obstructionist ingrates, from our perspective of course, you may see things differently.
You must have had a strange trip in France.
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Yeah, it was. See, where I come from women believe in personal hygiene. To experience a world where a "fashionable" woman at the theater stinks like a weight lifter (even through the parfum) was outside what I consider to be familiar and was, therefore, strange. But hey, that's my world. Things might be different for you, I don't know.
I wanted to go to the beaches at Normandy for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
The problem was, I couldn't figure out how to visit France without actually BEING in France.
If I can ever work this out, I'll go.
Not the typical teenages that does exchange trips.
What I would like to know, however, is what is the basis of this arrogance? A has-been culture, irrelevant and insignificant, and drowning in its own delusions.
Where can it go? Start a war or an internal strugle and self-destruct with the delusion of importance all the way to oblivion.
I only got to visit France once. I was on temporary duty at a place called Orange, France (close to Marsailles). The military there on the base seemed nice and the food was pretty good also.
Having been to France more than a few times for extended periods I know there is something terribly wrong there, and soap has nothing to do with it.
Granted, away from Paris and those trendy cities in the south of France, people are normal, friendly and a pleasure, but had I not had family to expose me to that side of France, I would have never experienced it.
The casual tourist doesn't stand a chance!
That would make anyone surley.
From which Ben Franklin who was an oft visitor in France came up with the saying "Surley to bed, Surley to rise, makes a man French and there is no disguise." He later amended that to "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
It's true, he told me so just last week.
Maybe their lifelong grudge against the Brits influenced that decision just a tad?
Especially since we'd been fighting them on the borders just prior?
And, note to prior question: DeGaulle was most influential = only because he set the tone for the last half of the 20th century and today's Americans were there to watch it.
Perhaps if France could pull it's collective head out of the 18th century......
I know this town and the military base. Sometimes there is a meeting on the base. Civils can enter, see the planes near and speak with the pilots, they are great pilots.
http://groupeaeronefs.free.fr/even29.htm
We are so nice people, you know :-)
I think Charles de Gaulle, but I prefer Jeanne d'Arc et Charles Martel, they delivered our country.
It is true that France, on the political scene, including De Gaulle, has often made a point of being a thorn in the side of the US. Sometimes the motive has been pride more than anything, IMO. 
These old Renaults were still in use when I was there, I liked them alot.
They were just trying to stick it to Britain.
It wasn't for some noble vision.
Thankyou for that link, Marie. I love looking at jets and those pics were great. It was 25 years ago when I was there. I was in support of a joint French-American excercise at the time, matching up our jets in dogfights.
We did have one day off (only there a week) and were escorted to Marsailles and the French Riviera for a brief tour.
See y'all, not all French are bad just as all Americans aren't like the democRats. [wink]
France changed a little since you came. We have not the same bus, they are not so pretty :-)
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