"At Least It Wasn't Paris!" or an Angry Diatribe Against Francophobia
As I was walking back to the sdj from an emergency coffee run and smoke break, I glanced at the headlines in the machine selling newspapers and noticed a very disturbing title in The Daily News. The article was on New York losing the 2012 Olympic bid, a trite and hackneyed subject here in this city where nobody, with the exception of the Grand Asshole Bloomers himself, even wanted the damn Olympics to come in the first place. In huge capital letters, it screamed out : AT LEAST IT WASN'T PARIS!
I find this ongoing francophobia so juvenile its pathetic. They didn't join our oil war, boo hoo....so we villify them for actually being intelligent free-thinking non-lemmings? This ridiculous machismo is a tiresome perpetuation of the swaggering cowboy U.S. stereotype, egged on by a president who declares "You're either with us or against us.". Gee, it must be nice to view the world is such simplistic do-gooders and evil-doers terms. Go eat your "freedom fries" and forget all about Lafayette's aid in ensuring that freedom. It's okay that London wins the Olympic bid, because Tony Blair shoved his head up Bush's ass and proceeded to blindly follow into the lion's den. France had more common sense than to jump into a drained swimming pool and crack their heads open, so they clearly do not deserve to win an Olympic bid.
I am a very proud citizen of La Republique Francaise, as well as a sometimes proud citizen of The United States of America. As of late, I am more often ashamed of the U.S. than proud. I am also deeply embarassed on behalf of America for such purile antics as this neverending campaign to malign France; a campaign in which only the U.S. participates. And maybe Britain, but they've always hated the French. ( but their food is completely inedible, so they've got no room to criticize)
I have endured a lifetime of teasing for my pronunciation of Brie and quoissant and Montreal, and have always takem the personal ribbing good naturedly. But the bullshit villification of ridiculous proportions disgusts me and offends me on the deepest level. And we wonder why we're the butt of all the world's jokes?
I find this ongoing francophobia so juvenile its pathetic. They didn't join our oil war, boo hoo....so we villify them for actually being intelligent free-thinking non-lemmings? This ridiculous machismo is a tiresome perpetuation of the swaggering cowboy U.S. stereotype, egged on by a president who declares "You're either with us or against us.". Gee, it must be nice to view the world is such simplistic do-gooders and evil-doers terms. Go eat your "freedom fries" and forget all about Lafayette's aid in ensuring that freedom. It's okay that London wins the Olympic bid, because Tony Blair shoved his head up Bush's ass and proceeded to blindly follow into the lion's den. France had more common sense than to jump into a drained swimming pool and crack their heads open, so they clearly do not deserve to win an Olympic bid.
I am a very proud citizen of La Republique Francaise, as well as a sometimes proud citizen of The United States of America. As of late, I am more often ashamed of the U.S. than proud. I am also deeply embarassed on behalf of America for such purile antics as this neverending campaign to malign France; a campaign in which only the U.S. participates. And maybe Britain, but they've always hated the French. ( but their food is completely inedible, so they've got no room to criticize)
I have endured a lifetime of teasing for my pronunciation of Brie and quoissant and Montreal, and have always takem the personal ribbing good naturedly. But the bullshit villification of ridiculous proportions disgusts me and offends me on the deepest level. And we wonder why we're the butt of all the world's jokes?
posted by Le Synge Bleu at 3:14 PM
2 Comments:
The animosity between the The USA and France has along history, and the ant-French sentiment being expressed recently is not solely based upon France's refusal and outright condemnation of the US's actions toward Iraq. These feelings go all the way back to the founding of America, the rivalry between France and Britain (we were first a British colony and assumed many of its characteristics), and continuing through the XYZ affair and the mistrust and disappointment of the French Revolution and Napolean's imperialism. Jaques Chirac and his government have clearly taken the position as the anti-America in world affairs and in the UN to stake out some influence in world affairs and justify their position as a UN Security Counsel member. From WWII to Vietnam, and America's willingness France's side, many Americans feel betrayed by the Chirac governments outright hostility, arrogance, and duplicitous nature. When it comes to Iraq, France was not willing to help us overthrow Saddan because they were "in bed" with the Iraqi governing party with respect to oil deals and trade relationships. This is why members of the Chirac government are being implicated in the UN's oil scandal. France was a long time beneficiary of Iraq's oil and was a leading seller of military and technology to the Saddam regime. They even helped Saddam build a nuclear facility which the Isrealis were forced to destroy. (don't even get me started on the French anti-semitism). So, as you see, there is some legitimate basis for the US and NYC tabloids being a little anti-French. Sometimes issues need to be look at from a wider scope and we Americans need to see things through the eyes of other governments. We are not the only govenment in the world that makes its decisions based upon our own selfish motives....ALL GOVERNMENTS DO!...AND THAT IS USUALLY A GOOD THING. France's position in the war against Iraq was not based upon higher morals and UN guidelines for how to conduct a just war (is there such a thing?), but rather it was Chirac's government displaying its self interest in being the leading voice of American opposition in the UN, its deire to retain its relationship with Iraq for oil profits, and Chirac's govenment's domestic political realities where they needed to maintain their coalition in Parliament by pacifying their very large domestic muslim population.
daluma,
as i'm a french citizen, they don't usually look at me as a loud obnoxious yank, but yes that is the general stereotype. from my travels, i'm not entirely sure its unfounded, however.
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