Why Hate France??

[Sasaki Kojiro]

LOL you do realise that Van Gogh is Dutch don't you ?

French, Dutch, what's the difference?

[Avicenna]

Intellect is actually valued there rather than sneered at in the Anglo-saxon world.

Doesn't matter if intellect isn't valued where you're from. It just makes things easier because the weak but intelligent people who succumb to peer pressure and do not do well aren't rivals anymore. The problem is the fear that your children would do the same.

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

You can meet people whom you feel are great or outright twats from any nation. It just sounded as if you are trying to write off a country by a few individuals. I could be wrong however. I'm not attacking you if you might think that.

Truly, I have mixed feelings about many places because of the variety of people I have known from different areas. When I say mixed feelings I really mean mixed feelings rather than bad feelings. I have had very few positive experiences with people from certain places and would not hesitate to mention it (although it has led to me being accused of bigotry) if it came up. The French though, probably a 2:1 ratio of French people I have known to be good rather than gits.

Edit: or to put it better, for every French person I've known whom I was thoroughly apathetic towards, I have known 2 whom I have liked.

[Brenus]

1. "The Social Contract" Rousseau, the man Voltaire ask to eat grass, a revolutionary?

2. Chirac. He was elected, as good, if not better that G. W. Bush. At least it wasn’t his brother who declared the elections valid… Well, they are in the same pollitical side, at least…

3. You can't wear a cross in public, or a headscarf. Go to France to see, you will have a shock…

Please I want real reasons, valid point of view. Ok, I accept Rousseau… Chirac, with an effort, is accepted.

I find on other reason to hate France. Without the French Fleet and the French Army, Yorktown wouldn’t have to surrender, because the reinforcement could have arrived and the USA wouldn’t exist. That is a very GOOD reason to hate France for this reason, for a lot of people…

“or at least send it back to italy.” Euh, the Mona Lisa was bought by Francis 1st.

“They are part of NATO” No, they aren’t. They share the Integrated Command, but they are independent (to use Nuclear Power), in theory.

[Soulforged]

He did some not so nice things to North England:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Harrying_of_the_North

Though that's terrible, it's also very typical of medieval Europe, even more for a man with the name of "Conqueror", I really don't know anyone in history who went for that name and didn't massacred anyone in the wake.

William was the worst king we ever had, he was a ruthless bastard, litterally.

That depends on your perspective. Looking at it from a third party's point of view (without being british) I can say that he relatively did what he had to do to consolidate power, a clever and harsh man. Let's see:

Abolished elected monarchy,

That's bad for you, no one said that elective monarchy is the paradigm of goodness and in 1066 it wasn't a good measure.

Killed off, relatively, nice English aristocracy,

Remember Machiaveli.

Instituted oppressive feudal system.

Wich feudal system isn't oppressive?
You should compare him to previous kings and to the next ones to see if was the best or not.

[master of the puppets]

“or at least send it back to italy.” Euh, the Mona Lisa was bought by Francis 1st.

oh, ok.

we would have still won the revolution without the french navy,more lives would have been lost and the conflct prolonged but the british would still be forced to pull out due to the tremendous expense of the war. not saying i'm ungrateful to the french for that, cause i am, thanks for the help 200 years ago. but i consider that paid off by our freindly aid to the french in WW1 and WW2.

[Divinus Arma]

I don't hate France. But some things that irk me:

(1) If you do not speak French in France, you are virtually despised and ignored. (By comparison, if you come to the U.S. and speak french, we will try and help you. But also, Spanish is disgusting to me since it is destroying our English heritage.)

(2) The French are really dirty. They rarely bathe and frequently cover themselves in perfume to mask the foul musk of their hairy women and effeminate men. Paris is a dirty city. [While I have never been to France, my wife has been there twice for weeks on end]

(3) They think waaaaay too highly of themselves in their sense of importance in world affairs. Sorry France, but you are not the global leader. You aren't even the regional leader of the EU.

(4) Too supportive of Middle Eastern idiots. Oh well, you guys are payin the price now with your illegal immigrant boomskis. I can't be mad at you for that. Hopefully, a lesson will be learned.

Aside from that, I like France. France is one of the greatest allies of the US and I would like to see a closer relationship between us. I also like your foreign legion. Cool idea.

[Soulforged]

I don't hate France. But some things that irk me:
(1) If you do not speak French in France, you are virtually despised and ignored. (By comparison, if you come to the U.S. and speak french, we will try and help you. But also, Spanish is disgusting to me since it is destroying our English heritage.)

No te preocupes amigo tomátelo con calma y vas a ver como pasa, después de todo no es el fin del mundo, es todo sobre globalización, que, ya que estamos, los favorece más a ustedes que al mundo hispano.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

No te preocupes amigo tomátelo con calma y vas a ver como pasa, después de todo no es el fin del mundo, es todo sobre globalización, que, ya que estamos, los favorece más a ustedes que al mundo hispano.

Aber, wir sind nicht Argentinian oder Mexicanisch, wir sind Amerkanerin weil wir aus Amerika kommen. DA und Ich, das ist, aber nicht dich.

Ich weiß, das Deutsch bist die übersprache, weil ich Deutschland liebe. Aber, ich spreche kein Deutsch. Es tut mir leid.

Tschüß!

(500 gramatical errors in there )

[Divinus Arma]

No te preocupes amigo tomátelo con calma y vas a ver como pasa, después de todo no es el fin del mundo, es todo sobre globalización, que, ya que estamos, los favorece más a ustedes que al mundo hispano.

Despite not caring for espanól, I still need to learn it since the SouthWest United States is rapidly becoming Northen Mexico.

Let's see, I'll try to translate what I think this means without using the internet translator...


Do not worry friend tomátelo with calma and vas a ver whats up, después of everything no is the fin of the mundo, is everything sobre globalization, why, when estamos, those in favor of more of you who are spanish.

Gah. I shouldn't worry because I will see that something will happen and that something is good for both of us, and it has to do with globalization. I really have no idea what you said. Damn, I need to learn this language. I hear the same rapid-fire gurgling everyday in So Cal.

French at least sounds kinda pretty.

According to a cheesey internet translator, you said this:

You do not worry to friend tomátelo with calm and you are going to see as it happens, after all is not the aim of the world, is everything on globalización, that, since we are, favors more to you than to the Hispanic world.

Okay that clears up alot. huh?

[Strike For The South]

No te preocupes amigo tomátelo con calma y vas a ver como pasa, después de todo no es el fin del mundo, es todo sobre globalización, que, ya que estamos, los favorece más a ustedes que al mundo hispano.

Dont worry my friend you take it to serouisly after golblazation the favored language will be diffrent lots of Spainsh/ Hispacnis

Damn Mexican dialect is el diffrent. Yo es Alumbardo Tal vez en manna Buenos Noches

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Abababbababababa;tgj3raoef,mavm gf940 hytngalkvmkl;anf awnrtof; cnbvaiwkmtgf jao;nv aknf e


^ Makes more sense to me than spanish. Sorry.

[yesdachi]

Thanks for the Statue of liberty, France!

I don’t hate the French. And aside from the snobby façade, I only have one beef with the country. Why so wussy all the time?

[Shaka_Khan]

Ouch.

[Just A Girl]

Lots of people were born out of wedlock.

And william was the bastard son Duke Robert the 1st of Normandy.
this dosent change the fact that he was dissliked enough for people to call him William the bastard.

being called such a thing or to have been born out of wedlock, was not a good thing back then, much worse than it is these days.

so to activley call him william the bastard is to show dissrispect and distain, and he was not very well liked.

his name didnt change becousl he liked being called a batsrad now did it.

[Brenus]

“he was disliked” He WASN’T dislike. He was a bastard; in term of he was the son of the Duke, Robert Le Magnifique and one of his mistresses, the favourite one Arlette. He wasn’t the son of a legitimate marriage. He became Duke at 7, and if he should have been disliked, at this period, he would never reach the age of 8. The barons kept their words made to his father, more or less.
Bastard is just a status, in this case, not an insult.
Not that to be a bastard was easy, even at that times, and he didn't took mistresses himself, staying with Mathild.

[InsaneApache]

It seems that his horse suddenly shied away from a fiery ember of the smoldering ruins. The horse took William and threw him violently into the saddle's iron pommel (that big knob on the front of the saddle).

His injuries were solely internal, but severe. The saddle burst his intestines and waste matter began to fill and poison his intestines.

Peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal cavity membrane) quickly set in. William was carried to Rouen where he slowly died over a period of five weeks. Pus filled his intestines.

William died on September 9, 1087 at the age of sixty years.

Within minutes, the servants stole everything from his residence - including his clothes - and left his swollen, lifeless body lying naked on the floor.

An obscure knight named Herluin was the first to discover William's nude body. At his own expense (he was not a wealthy man), he arranged for the body to be prepared for the funeral and transported to Caen.

Just before the solemn funeral procession reached the church, the cries of fire were heard. The mourners were forced to put his coffin down and go fight the fire. Eventually, they put the fire out, returned to the body, and continued it along its way to the church.

The funeral was held on a blisteringly hot day. As a result, his abscess had swelled and became putrid.

When they tried to fit William's body into a custom made sarcophagus (stone tomb), they found out that it had swelled so much that it would not fit in!

What to do? What to do?

Very simple - squeeze him in!

They tried pushing him in to no avail. They then pushed on his swelled abdominal wall.

William the Conqueror's body burst like a popped balloon!

The pus and putrefaction drenched the King's burial garb. The stench filled the chapel. The mourners raced for the doors with their hands covering their noses. Needless to say, they buried him very quickly!

His body was allowed to rot in peace until 1562 when the Huguenots dug him up and threw his bones all over the courtyard.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke.

[Brenus]

“They rarely bathe and frequently cover themselves in perfume to mask the foul musk of their hairy women and effeminate men.” Why using good water to bath? Only dirty people take shower… And perfumes are kept for exportation….

“They think waaaaay too highly of themselves in their sense of importance in world affairs. Sorry France, but you are not the global leader. You aren't even the regional leader of the EU.” So who is in charge of the thinking? The sinking, we know, it starts with U… Hops, wrong place to write that, sorry...

“but I consider that paid off by our freindly aid to the french in WW1 and WW2.”: Except that in both cases mentioned, it wasn’t a voluntary movement, but US were attacked by Germany or allies (sinking of Lusitania, Zimmerman Telegram, and Pearl Harbour, then declaration of war to US by Germany). US hadn’t really a choice.
Louis VXI, following what we call today a lobbying campaign organised by Benjamin Franklin, helped by La Fayette, sent money, troops and ships to fight the UK. It could have as motivation to seek revenge of the lost of Canada and India. Unfortunately for him, because the US negotiated separately with UK (against all agreements) his plans failed. The Kingdom of France plugged in debts, then he lost his throne, then his head. And the French Republic took over…

[Soulforged]

Despite not caring for espanól, I still need to learn it since the SouthWest United States is rapidly becoming Northen Mexico.

LOL- Remember that your land is oportunity, never forget that spirit in spite of the foreign, after all every land in the world is formed after a thousand inmigrations.

Do not worry friend tomátelo with calma and vas a ver whats up, después of everything no is the fin of the mundo, is everything sobre globalization, why, when estamos, those in favor of more of you who are spanish.

Gah. I shouldn't worry because I will see that something will happen and that something is good for both of us, and it has to do with globalization. I really have no idea what you said. Damn, I need to learn this language. I hear the same rapid-fire gurgling everyday in So Cal.

The problem with learning from any native language to spanish, english, french (and portuguese) and perhaps japanese (between the more famous of course) is that you've to change the way you move your mouth and your tongue. For example there's an old counsel here that says: "To learn to speak english imagine having a potato in your mouth and try to speak with it".

French at least sounds kinda pretty.

The same happens to me with english.

According to a cheesey internet translator, you said this:
You do not worry to friend tomátelo with calm and you are going to see as it happens, after all is not the aim of the world, is everything on globalización, that, since we are, favors more to you than to the Hispanic world.

Yes it's very cheesy. What I said was this: "Don't worry frind take it easy and you'll see how it gets better, after all it's not the end of the world, is all about globalization that, by the way, favours you more than the hipanic world.
The word "tom&#225;telo" is an argentinism of the spanish word "tomatelo" (<you> take it), the written accent makes all the difference, for instance you don't necessarily have to learn that kind of word, for what I know what is teached is a neutral spanish, pure in the sense of emptied of all national modism (though some mexicanism you'll have to learn I suppose ).

[TheSilverKnight]

“France was not the first European nation to abolish slavery .” So, which one? England abolished slavery in 1833. And I said it was re-establish by Napoleon….

Actually, iirc, Sweden abolished slavery sometime in the 1300's...so that would've been the first modern European nation to abolish slavery.

[Louis VI the Fat]

It is simply annoying to step into a place, try to ask for something in english... Silent stare... try german... silent stare... try various hand gestures... silent stare... try danish in an annoyed voice... silent stare.
.

Yeah, yeah, English, German, Sign language, Danish - crap, we're just very politely, in silent astonishment, waiting for that foreigner to finally figure out that French is the language of France.

Also, if somebody doesn't speak English as a foreign language, what are the odds they speak any other? Why do all those foreigners persist in trying your sign language, Danish, Swahili, Thai, Gwastrbmnlytiti or whatever incomprehensible foreign gibberish on us?

Or better yet, when asking for directions (take your pick of language) you get a response in french. Now I can make out a few things in french, but directions? If I ask in english it is because I can't speak french. If you can't (or won't) speak english or make yourself clear, then just make it clear that you can't help

But they are trying to make clear that they can't help you.
Obviously, they will have to do so in French - if they could do it in any mutually intelligable language, they would've helped you in the first place.

[Louis VI the Fat]

*Louis, having a coffee and reading his newspaper in the spring sun*
11:15
"Parlez-moi, excuse vous Anglais?'

Eventually figures out what they want: 'Sure, mate. First left, take the metro, two stops'.


*resumes reading*
11:17
"Oi, sup manz, i is from Ingerland an its fukin chav central innit an' i need to know whereabouts me an' me blads can get ourselves pissed?

Eventually figures out what they want: 'Sure, mate. First left, take the metro, two stops'.


*resumes reading*
11:18
"Obeecham te kato lud. Tseluni me? Vinaghee si fmislite mee!"

'Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement s'il vous pla&#238;t?'

"Obeecham-te-kato-lud. Tseluni-me?"

*Louis stares silently*

"Obeecham te kato lud. Tseluni me!!???"

*goes off to the park*

[rory_20_uk]

Can't understand English, even at a basic level? Where have they been the last 50 years.

My favourite story was one Frenchie who was doing the usual impression of a brain dead peasant when faced by the World's dominant language. He drops with pain in his chest. The nearest medic to him is English, and Frenchie sings like a bird in near fluent English when he needs something.

Yes, French used to be the language of the educated world (Lingua Franca). It's not any more, and if you're lucky it might not end up next to Latin as a dead language.

But if you want to be known as a land of unhelpful pr*cks, go on pretending that "je ne comprend pas.."

[mystic brew]

i've spent a year working in france, and i just don't don't get the vast majority of things that have been said about the french.

I think it's more that we are essentially very similar as countries, but we exagerate the small differences...

And on the language front, i have never found the french to be unhellpful if you make the slightest effort. and by that i mean learning the phrase "excuse-moi, je ne parle francais, desole"

*shrug* vive la difference.

[InsaneApache]

I have to say that my schoolboy French enabled me to get the right autoroute to Luxembourg from the first toll on the road from Basel.

My French was awful and her English was non-existant. But I flashed my ice-blue Anglo-Saxon eyes, smiled, said Bonjour, common tally vu, then shouted as loud as I could, "Where the bloody hell is Luxumbourg!"

A Gallic shrug quickly followed, so I gave in.

"Belgique, Belgique" I cried in desperation...."Ahh" she replied and handed moi a notre.

Faultless directions for another 300 miles.

Vivre la Madamme!!!

[Divinus Arma]

The same happens to me with english.

You find english pretty?

I always had a kind of scale for my respect for languages in terms of how they sound:

French
Proper English
Russian
American English
Japanese
Dutch
German
Farsi or other Arabic
Chinese
Trailer Park English
Spanish
Ebonics
Thai
Vietnamese

On the other hand, I have a different repect for languages based on my perspective of their difficulty to learn:

Any asian language
Any Arabic language
Russian
English
German or dutch
French
Spanish


I'm not a fan of Spanish, but I consider learning it one of my life's goals. It is a necessity in SW U.S. I would also like to learn French and German for pleasure, since there is no utility in it for me just yet.

[Louis VI the Fat]

French rugby.

How a nation can play so wonderfully in one match that spectators are left slack-jawed in awe, and then the next play like schoolboys. Or, as in our recent match with you in Paris, change in the same match!

Ah, now this could serve as the motto of entire France.

[Papewaio]

Okay, our turn to start an omg-quick-hand-me-some-Kleenex-because-they-all-hate-us whine thread.

I mean, disregarding the fact that we nuke islands in the Pacific, blow up Greenpeace vessels in Australia, colonized South-East Asia, install sick puppet regimes in Africa, abondon America in war, try to break-up Canada, extort money from Europe and piss-off the English for a national sport, what have we ever done to deserve the world's wrath?

Let's hear it, lads.

The French government blew up a Greenpeace vessel in New Zealand not Australia. Which was a terrorist action, and it was planned to kill more of the crew then it did... only a birthday party kept the crew up... I think the terrorists got promotions and medals on the return to France...

Along with testing nuclear weapons in an atoll... ie compressed coral... kind of porous... not a good place for long term storage of waste.

Colonized South-East Asia... thankfully not that much.

Installing sick puppet regimes in Africa... is there any option to do anything else there?

Trying to break up Canada... do the French Canadians speak modern French or some argot that died a century or two ago?

Pissing off the English for a national sport is an international game that the French don't even excel in.

As for Rugby... best team in the world one half, worst in the second. They are like elves in bloodbowl.

As for speaking French in France... fair enough it seems to be the logical place to speak it. Obviously a tourist will have an easier time traveling in Aus if they speak English, I have seen plenty of tourists who cannot speak English have Aussies help them out as much as possible to find their way.

I have trouble though figuring out why the French think they are so good... considering two tiny countries on their borders make such fine chocolate and are the preferred choice around the world, that Italian way of making coffee seems to be the prefered choice around the world, Dutch cheese seems to be the prefered choice around the world, Spanish and Italian olive oil seems to be the prefered choice around the world, English seems to be the seems to be the prefered choice around the world for business language, seems to be the prefered choice around the world for music, German engineering seems to be the prefered choice around the world.

I'm just curious to think what French things are the prefered choice around the world?

[Kaiser of Arabia]

The only good thing France has ever done is blow up a greenpeace vessel in New Zealand *hides from pape*

[Soulforged]

You find english pretty?

Of course I do, particulary in songs, even raps songs where I understand little of what is said (though for many people the less they get of the song the more they like it).

But if you want to be known as a land of unhelpful pr*cks, go on pretending that "je ne comprend pas.."

This is not exclusive of the french is just common sense. If you go to a country where at least half of the people speak only one language then the odds of finding one that speaks yours is 1 on 1. You can't spect for every french to speak english, or viceversa.
Here for example, if you ever come, be careful of trying to buy something in centric areas and comercial centers, only knowing spanish, you've to learn the typical language of Argentina and specially of Buenos Aires, if not then get prepared to get blackmailed and other things, many traders like to do that to strangers.