I think it's funny that the Euro press in general and French in particular have this air of snobbish sophistication to them, as if they and only they truly understand how the world works.
So isn't it funny that virtually every German, Brit, Pole, or Russian I've ever met has never been anywhere? The haughty, imperious Euros can't be bothered to drive for 2 hours to go to another country, or take a long train ride? But Americans, who need a 6 hour+ plane ride to even reach Europe, are chastised for not knowing every other language and custom on Earth.
Let's talk about which universities people around the planet pray for a shot at admission. Let's talk about Nobel Prize winners. Let's talk about superstar faculty in dozens of disciplines. Let's talk about which societies support their higher ed in a major way, and study abroad, and proportion of candidates who graduate, and go on to advanced degrees, and lead their fields. Let's talk about creating the greatest economic, cultural, and military power humanity has ever known, and let's talk about how we did it from nothing in 3 centuries.
Then let's talk about who's provincial and who's "stupid".