Is it gauche to despise French over politics?
Posted on 02/21/2003 8:51:45 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Is it gauche to despise French over politics?
"We have a massive love-hate relationship ... "
02/21/2003
Angered beyond the breaking point by a swaggering leader who refuses to listen to reason, furious at a nation that dares disdain the culture and values of the United States, many in America have decided to declare war - against France.
Yep, with battle imminent against Iraq, home of Saddam Hussein, it turns out that in many minds the real enemy is our oldest ally, the French.
From barbs in talk show monologues to a carefully staged protest in Las Vegas to a menu change at a sports bar in Beaufort, N.C., Americans have made it clear that France and its high-profile stand against U.S. action in Iraq are about as popular as a weepy wedge of Camembert.
Why, there are even rumors of boycotts in Dallas, from vacations in St. Tropez to bottles of Petrus and Lafite to the latest offerings from the fashion salons of Paris.
But mostly there's talk, often angry talk, aimed at all things French.
One French woman who has lived in Dallas for nearly a decade said a customer walked up to her in the shop where she works and offered: "So, you do not like Americans? Well, I could care less."
The French woman, who asked that her name not be used, would have been shocked except that she's heard so much like that in recent days.
"My son goes to school here, and since the beginning of the year, a teacher has constantly made remarks about the French," she said. "At first we kind of laughed. But it happened every single day. Just this week I called the principal about it."
On television, France's stubborn demands for more United Nations inspections in Iraq, for concrete evidence of terrible weapons, has become the stuff of comedy.
"France wants more evidence," David Letterman recently joked. "The last time France wanted more evidence, it rolled right through France with a German flag."
"The only way the French are going in is if we tell them we found truffles in Iraq," cracked comedian Dennis Miller.
Not everyone is picking on the French, of course. Pro-peace groups rallied Thursday outside the French Consulate in Los Angeles, backing France's stance.
Still, the barbs don't stop. Even politicians are getting in on the act. At a Republican gathering in Missouri last week, U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt wondered, "Do you know how many Frenchmen it takes to defend Paris? It's not known, it's never been tried."
Neal Rowland, owner of Cubbies in Beaufort, a sports bar on the North Carolina coast, said he was so fed up with French disloyalty that he renamed french fries "freedom fries" on his menu.
A French dressing-down
"I'm not at all happy with the French," he said, but he's certainly made a lot of friends in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.
"We've had just an overwhelming response to this," he said. "I've had calls from the BBC, from Channel 4 in London, from all sorts of places.
"And I've turned down all offers of free plane tickets from the French government."
The French really offered him a free trip?
"Well, no," he admitted. "But we're waiting."
And then there's the U.S. media, which in recent weeks labeled the French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys," a phrase borrowed from The Simpsons, and French President Jacques Chirac as "the rat that tried to roar."
Ah, Monsieur Chirac. With the insults come the indignities, including having his photo plastered into the Las Vegas asphalt by a 14-ton armored vehicle, which went on to crush a loaf of French bread, bottles of French wine and even a bottle of Perrier.
Of course, the French have never been particularly shy in their criticism of the United States, sneering at American pop culture even as they lined up at McDonald's.
But such is a relationship that dates back to the American Revolution, and remains mostly intact.
"The two most nationalistic and chauvinistic democracies in the world are the U.S. and France," said Dr. James Hollifield, director of the John G. Tower Center for Political Study at Southern Methodist University. "What we don't realize is we're as arrogant and self-confident in some ways as the French are.
Two great republics
"Both countries were created by revolutions. They were the first two great republics in the world. We've been linked together from the beginnings of our modern contemporary histories, and both peoples take a lot of pride in that.
"And both insist they're the best. We have a massive love-hate relationship that's been going on for 200 years."
That said, France and the United States are so intertwined that he suspects that French opposition to an American war in Iraq might be temporary.
"When push comes to shove, the French have been with us," Dr. Hollifield said.
"When push comes to shove over Iraq, I believe the French will be with us again."
For now, the two countries walk separate paths. And that angers a lot of people, including some French-Americans.
"The French have amnesia," said Michel Monzain, owner of Tony's Gourmet Restaurant and Wine Tasting Warehouse in Dallas.
"They should go and visit some of the American cemeteries in Normandy.
"That's why on June 6, we close the place down. I don't have amnesia."
Mr. Monzain hasn't seen evidence of a local boycott against French products. "We'd be the first ones to notice it," he said. "And we haven't seen a drop in our sales of French wines."
Still, he'd like to see his homeland show some loyalty to his adoptive country.
"Of course, getting the help of the French military - I'm not sure how much that would help," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
E-mail myoung@dallasnews.com
I am expecting my T-Shirt and bumper stickers between today and Monday !:
What's the most dangerous job in France?
Riding shot-gun on the garbage truck.
When touring Paris, what do you do if someone farts inside the car?
Roll up the windows.
What does a single sperm cell and a Frenchman have in common?
They both have a one in a million chance of becoming a human.
Vive la guerre!
It is never gauche to despise the French.
Hating the French isn't a new fad for me, I've hated them for as long as I can remember.
French President Jacque Chirac asks if anyone else smells dog crap.
Brave Jacques Chirac ran away,
Bravely ran away, away.
When danger reared its ugly head,
he bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Jacques Chirac turned about
And gallantly, he chickened out.
Bravely taking to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat,.
Bravest of the brave, Jacques Chirac.
Punch his sister in the jaw.
True. Except for the "love" part.
I went to UT-Arlington, but I'm in far NE Dallas county now...
The French started the Panama Canal, and the US finished it. The French rolled over in WWI, the US came in (a bit late) to free them. The French rolled over in WWII, and the US freed them. The French started the Viet Nam War, and the US lost 50,000 men trying to finish it. And what have the French done in return? They adopted Jerry Lewis as their favorite American. Hardly a fair trade.
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