I have very little regard to the French on just about any subject so I agree with you there. But I take offense at your comments about California parents. That is painting w/ a pretty big brush. There are parents from California that do a great job and parents that don't. But that can apply to any state.
In my many, many years of being a parent (now a grandparent), I have worked at schools, w/ home-schoolers, church youth, Boy Scouts troops, and exchange students (host mom x3), so I can can verify that there are a lot of great parents here in California.
Of course there are people in California who do a good job.... my comment was about California in general as a place. I raised my daughter in California and she survived in spite of the craziness out here. Perhaps your skin is a bit thin...