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French get a rude French awakening
Washington Times ^ | Wednesday, October 13, 2004 | By Kim Willsher

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 ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: france
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To: wtc911

"I was astounded standing behind an otherwise elegant woman..."

You must have had a strange trip in France.


41 posted on 10/13/2004 4:53:28 AM PDT by Bandaneira (The Third Temple/House for All Nations/World Peace Centre...Coming Soon..)
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To: Grzegorz 246

Smart arse...


42 posted on 10/13/2004 5:00:55 AM PDT by Bandaneira (The Third Temple/House for All Nations/World Peace Centre...Coming Soon..)
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To: Bandaneira
The French helped the American Revolutionaries in the War of Independence. Why do some people forget this fact ?

_________________________________________

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.

43 posted on 10/13/2004 5:05:48 AM PDT by wtc911 (I have half a Snickers...it was given to me by a CIA guy as we went into Cambodia)
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To: Bandaneira
"I was astounded standing behind an otherwise elegant woman..."

You must have had a strange trip in France.

_____________________________________________

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.

44 posted on 10/13/2004 5:10:41 AM PDT by wtc911 (I have half a Snickers...it was given to me by a CIA guy as we went into Cambodia)
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To: LonePalm
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.

That's the truth. While I personally have had a wonderful time in Paris, I know some people from Toulon who have had a lot of bad things to say about the Parisians. They're always stressed out and in a hurry. Things definitely are a lot different in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

It's almost a lost cause to try and argue these finer points around here.
45 posted on 10/13/2004 5:12:04 AM PDT by July 4th (You need to click "Abstimmen")
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To: JohnHuang2

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.


46 posted on 10/13/2004 5:18:14 AM PDT by Pete'sWife (Dirt is for racing... asphalt is for getting there.)
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To: gracex7

Not the typical teenages that does exchange trips.


47 posted on 10/13/2004 5:31:03 AM PDT by clarissaexplainsitall (stewed tomatoes are just plain gross)
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To: JohnHuang2
D'OH!

It's a nice place to visit; once or twice.

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.

48 posted on 10/13/2004 5:31:48 AM PDT by Publius6961 (The most abundant things in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.)
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To: Marie007

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.


49 posted on 10/13/2004 5:38:29 AM PDT by Mustng959 (In loving memory of those that gave their all to preserve our Freedoms!)
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To: Marie007
Marie, the bottom line is pretty simple: only truly inferior people work so hard at maintaining a "superior" image.

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!

50 posted on 10/13/2004 5:44:33 AM PDT by Publius6961 (The most abundant things in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.)
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To: Dan(9698)

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.


51 posted on 10/13/2004 5:49:33 AM PDT by HighlyOpinionated (Parlez vous francais?)
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To: Bandaneira

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......


52 posted on 10/13/2004 5:57:05 AM PDT by norton
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To: Mustng959

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


53 posted on 10/13/2004 6:25:12 AM PDT by Marie007 (La politique dénature et ruine l'amitié)
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To: Publius6961

We are so nice people, you know :-)


54 posted on 10/13/2004 6:27:04 AM PDT by Marie007 (La politique dénature et ruine l'amitié)
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To: Bandaneira

I think Charles de Gaulle, but I prefer Jeanne d'Arc et Charles Martel, they delivered our country.


55 posted on 10/13/2004 6:29:22 AM PDT by Marie007 (La politique dénature et ruine l'amitié)
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To: Marie007
It's been a long time since I was in France, but I enjoyed the country and the people, and even Paris, where I spent most of my time.

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.

56 posted on 10/13/2004 6:39:41 AM PDT by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)
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To: Bandaneira

They were just trying to stick it to Britain.

It wasn't for some noble vision.


57 posted on 10/13/2004 7:04:26 AM PDT by Stopislamnow
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To: Marie007

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]


58 posted on 10/13/2004 7:29:04 AM PDT by Mustng959 (In loving memory of those that gave their all to preserve our Freedoms!)
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To: Marie007
This one looks funny :-)
59 posted on 10/13/2004 7:34:44 AM PDT by Grzegorz 246
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To: Sam Cree

France changed a little since you came. We have not the same bus, they are not so pretty :-)


60 posted on 10/13/2004 8:08:06 AM PDT by Marie007 (La politique dénature et ruine l'amitié)
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