My (limited but pleasant) experience with the French is that they are far more sensible than their government and media would lead one to believe.
In fact, the proof of it is the fact that muslims are targeting them.
Roger that. If people get out of Paris, for the most part, the French are a lot more sensible than the govt or press. There’s a lot of “fly over” France where the folks love Americans.
Very much like here — the big-city types in Paris and elsewhere are a pain in the derriere, but the people in the greater countryside are lovely. I was astonished and heartened by their gigantic demonstrations in support of traditional marriage (La Manif pour Tout) just a couple of years ago when their socialist government was ramming through legalization of "gay marriage." Over a million people turned out into the streets to demonstrate.
That goes for pretty much every country - including the US.
It really is the people vs the establishment, the elites.