Well first of all thank you for that. But from your statement I see that you do it too. I've been to your country many times and have certainly met many wonderful people. I've also been to France many times and have ALSO met wonderful people there.
There is prejudice everywhere. I've met Germans who absolutely hate the British but love Americans. I've met Europeans who have established stereotype of all other Europeans. For example, I've been told:
Bavarians are loud bragging fools.
North Germans are tight-lipped, humorless stoics.
Southern Italians are happy thieves. They'll cut your throat with a twinkle in their eye.
Irish are drunken idiots.
Scots are tightwads.
Parisians are obnoxiously rude.
Greeks are lazy bums.
French farmers are always striking incompetents.
etc, etc, etc.....
We all do it. We all tend to think things about different folks. On this forum, there are often stinging debates about Yankees versus Southerners, and bragging and/or quick put downs of Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, etc, etc, even though all the posters involved are conservatives!
I tried to live in Europe trying to see the good in folks I met and not to appear too American. It wasn't that I'm not extremely proud to be an American (I AM!), but during the 90's terrorism was a big deal in Europe versus the USA and I wanted to lower my risks. I also thought blending in a little made it easier to see the "real" Europe. So I drove a European car, dressed like the average Joe there, and learned to speak at least a few words in every language of the country I spent time in. And that made it really, really fun!
When you think about it, Christianity requires either a Godless dictatorship or democracy in some form. Christianity can't be forced on people in a dictatorship. The state cannot make you a Christian, since God through Christ (not the state) calls every man individually. Man must have freedom to make the choice, or it is no choice at all. However, in an atheistic dictatorship, one could still accept Christ and be a martyr, while earning great rewards in Heaven. Those who worry about a Christian theocracy in America simply don't understand true Christianity. The bigger danger is Godless totalitarianism.
Thanks for your post.
Living in London I get to experience every nationality and indeed as a nation it is expected to mock the French. We have been at each others throats for years. Even though some of my best friends are French I have it ingrained in me to mock them. That said of all the tourists in London the Americans and the Germans are the nicest and most polite. The Oriental's tend to take lots of pictures and get in the way. And the French and the Arabs tend to be rude.
I am generalising a lot and will give everyone a chance normally but when I am on the streets of London I avoid beggars and the French. London is too busy a city to not stereotype.
But if someone needed help of any kind then I would offer my service without thinking about their nationality.