French...Culturally Superior!

[KarlMarx]

Having been recently in Paris, I found a suburban emptiness back in the States. Walking through elegant parks, and getting used to people actually being skinny and eating with health in mind was beautiful. The ridiculous thing is how Americans find it very easy to insult a country with thousands years of history. Contrary, to the extermination of Native Americans, Decleration of Independance, and...wait thats where it ends, France possesses a long intruiging history. The U.S (of course generalizing) is predominantly populated by individuals whose weight is a frightening thing and also being totally ignorant about other nations. Worst, an American will tell you he is proud of this ignorance. So, letting recent international choices for war or no war aside, how can we permit ourselves to insult a country whose citizens would laugh at our high level of uneducation and obesity. The problem is here folks! Americans spend an extremely high amount of time glued to the telivision, secluding themselves in their suburban houses. The French have something like 6 national channels. They do something called "social interaction" in public places such as cafes and parks. Parks in the U.S can be seen with people running, rollerblading, anything to loose weight... all to be put back shortly. I'm sorry I can't expand more on this, but please share your comments.

No doubt that there is a weight problem in the US and many western countries. Of course, the recent obsession with obesity in this country has NOTHING to do with the fact the Trial Lawyers are targetting fast food (or does it?)!

How that makes Americans culturally inferior to the French is beyond me. Probably one thing you can thank is the dumbing down of the American Educational System. Most people don't know a Renoir from a Renault. Of course, American know-how has brought about micro-electronics, fiber optics, the Internet, the vaccine for polio, computers, light bulbs, mass production of the automobile, the airplane, the rocket ship, String theory, literature, art, pop culture (not all of it bad), and many other things.

As for exterminating the Native Americans....ahem....France is one of the most anti-semitic countries in Europe. Did you see any Jews in France? Ever wonder why you didn't? Because the culturally superior Vichy French government collaborated with the Nazis in their final solution. Many French Jews did not survive World War II.

Finally, most people would not have anything against the French if they stopped being so Anti-American. France regards us as a rival (probably because they view us as being English) and fights us at every turn, except of course, when they are being invaded by a foreign power!

Did you ever notice that there are a great number of American soldiers buried in France? Have you ever seen a cemetary of French soldiers here in the US? Exactly.

We have many national channels, all privately owned, and one government run channel, PBS which is nothing more than a propaganda outlet for the Left. Thank goodness for that!

Also, the standard of living in France is lower than it is here in the States. They also have a much higher unemployment rate and they have a large population of immigrant Moslems that present a grave national security risk.....

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Frogs can't rock.

but they are great bass bait... I caught an 8lb large mouth bass once with a live frog. hmm..i wonder if we can catch Bin Laden with a live "frog" ??

 

[fuzzykitten99]

No doubt that there is a weight problem in the US and many western countries. Of course, the recent obsession with obesity in this country has NOTHING to do with the fact the Trial Lawyers are targetting fast food (or does it?)!

How that makes Americans culturally inferior to the French is beyond me. Probably one thing you can thank is the dumbing down of the American Educational System. Most people don't know a Renoir from a Renault. Of course, American know-how has brought about micro-electronics, fiber optics, the Internet, the vaccine for polio, computers, light bulbs, mass production of the automobile, the airplane, the rocket ship, String theory, literature, art, pop culture (not all of it bad), and many other things.

As for exterminating the Native Americans....ahem....France is one of the most anti-semitic countries in Europe. Did you see any Jews in France? Ever wonder why you didn't? Because the culturally superior Vichy French government collaborated with the Nazis in their final solution. Many French Jews did not survive World War II.

Finally, most people would not have anything against the French if they stopped being so Anti-American. France regards us as a rival (probably because they view us as being English) and fights us at every turn, except of course, when they are being invaded by a foreign power!

Did you ever notice that there are a great number of American soldiers buried in France? Have you ever seen a cemetary of French soldiers here in the US? Exactly.

We have many national channels, all privately owned, and one government run channel, PBS which is nothing more than a propaganda outlet for the Left. Thank goodness for that!

Also, the standard of living in France is lower than it is here in the States. They also have a much higher unemployment rate and they have a large population of immigrant Moslems that present a grave national security risk.....

 

[Working Man]

Nope. I am not buying the notion that the French culture is superior to that found in other nations. They have not proven it to me. As a matter of fact/opinion I don't care for their wine, nor eating things that crawl on the ground and have tenticles.

Remember Vietnam??? What cultural attribute would you say France provided for its dealing with Vietnam, its people, or the resulting war?

A country that does business with another that happens to be under a recognized embargo is merely an opportunistic sort. Hardly worth praise.

Remeber the war in the Falkland Islands??? Who's missle sank the HMS Sheffield??
Who sold the technology to the Argentines?? Yep. The opportunists of what country??? The same people who built a chunnel to join their "culture" with their ally.. Go figure.


If I were to chose between a people who had superior culture, and a society that I trusted/respected,,, the later would have my vote every time.

 

[KarlMarx]

Actually, as we all know the Italians are culturally superior!

1. You get drink wine at every meal!
2. Pizza!
3. You get to cry at operas!
4. Pasta!
5. Foreplay is easy --- "hey are you up?"
6. We've developed swearing into an art form!
7. All those statues!
8. Young Italian women! (of course, at my age, the older ones are easier to catch0
9. You're related to everyone!
10. Pasta!
11. You get to talk with your hands!
12. Feel guilty at the drop of a hat!
13. Argue and fight one minute, best friends the next! (and vice versa)
14. Pasta!
15. Italian cookies!
16. Espresso!
17. Once a year you get to walk the church statue!
18. Pasta!
19. Your mother treats you like you're still 6 years old no matter how old you are (ooops...sorry, mothers of all cultures do that)
20. Bocce ball!
21. Did I mention the pasta?

 

[KarlMarx]

Nope. I am not buying the notion that the French culture is superior to that found in other nations. They have not proven it to me. As a matter of fact/opinion I don't care for their wine, nor eating things that crawl on the ground and have tenticles.

Remember Vietnam??? What cultural attribute would you say France provided for its dealing with Vietnam, its people, or the resulting war?

A country that does business with another that happens to be under a recognized embargo is merely an opportunistic sort. Hardly worth praise.

Remeber the war in the Falkland Islands??? Who's missle sank the HMS Sheffield??
Who sold the technology to the Argentines?? Yep. The opportunists of what country??? The same people who built a chunnel to join their "culture" with their ally.. Go figure.


If I were to chose between a people who had superior culture, and a society that I trusted/respected,,, the later would have my vote every time.

You left out the best part, the French also sold Saddam the nuclear reactors that the Israelis had to bomb back in the 1980s. Otherwise, he would have acquired the Bomb long ago.

 

[Avatar4321]

Having been recently in Paris, I found a suburban emptiness back in the States. Walking through elegant parks, and getting used to people actually being skinny and eating with health in mind was beautiful. The ridiculous thing is how Americans find it very easy to insult a country with thousands years of history. Contrary, to the extermination of Native Americans, Decleration of Independance, and...wait thats where it ends, France possesses a long intruiging history. The U.S (of course generalizing) is predominantly populated by individuals whose weight is a frightening thing and also being totally ignorant about other nations. Worst, an American will tell you he is proud of this ignorance. So, letting recent international choices for war or no war aside, how can we permit ourselves to insult a country whose citizens would laugh at our high level of uneducation and obesity. The problem is here folks! Americans spend an extremely high amount of time glued to the telivision, secluding themselves in their suburban houses. The French have something like 6 national channels. They do something called "social interaction" in public places such as cafes and parks. Parks in the U.S can be seen with people running, rollerblading, anything to loose weight... all to be put back shortly. I'm sorry I can't expand more on this, but please share your comments.

I would hardly call drinking wine, and complaining about Americans very sophisticated social interaction. Maybe if you got up off your butt and actually went out youd realize that americans do alot of socializing.

 

[Working Man]

I think the tension between the two countries is caused by having very similar high opinions of themselves, and their culture.

I think the other guy who said Italians have the best culture is most correct.

Them damn Italian cookies do it for me every time!!! Pavarotti gets the young chicks even though he is as big as a VW Bettle. The God Father is watched every Christmas, and Easter by more people than any other movie, even by non Italians as a holiday tradition. "Forgettaboutit" is an international saying and EVERYONE knows, and loves, Tony Soprano.

Manja Anthony!! )

 

[drac]

I think the tension between the two countries is caused by having very similar high opinions of themselves, and their culture.

Based on what?

 

[Comrade]

I think the tension between the two countries is caused by having very similar high opinions of themselves, and their culture.

I think the other guy who said Italians have the best culture is most correct.

Them damn Italian cookies do it for me every time!!! Pavarotti gets the young chicks even though he is as big as a VW Bettle. The God Father is watched every Christmas, and Easter by more people than any other movie, even by non Italians as a holiday tradition. "Forgettaboutit" is an international saying and EVERYONE knows, and loves, Tony Soprano.

Manja Anthony!! )

Well, as romantic as the Italian Mafia may be they are simply well organized theives and killers who are leeches and parasites on the honest worker.

I had a friend in Russia who opened a new business and found himself visited by the Russian mafia, pattern off the Italian fascist structure of leadership, and he was beaten and so was the women in the office with him. And they agreed to a regular series of payoffs from that point on, barely less than their profits and ... so we can be thankfull the entire crop of thugs in America are now snuffed out since the 90's, more or less.



As for the French, they are a people with no hope of achieving a reality consistent with their own image.

They refuse to compete for cultural dominance in the world market, and instead wall off their society off in a manner where the state television and media regulates all production of domestic media with strict standards against foreign influence. And so popular or not, they pay to ensure the continuing French state media is ran as their government deems fit. Which to me explains why they are full of shit all the time about 9-11 conspiracies and internatinal Zionist banks who run our world. They are dupes of Pravda ala Francais.

And since they flirt with communism more than any in Europe, their way down on the list and barely in the top 10 anymore... next year Italy should beat them in total GDP, and that's got to be humuliating. They make almost half of what the Irish take home per capita... who would ever think Ireland is richer than almost all in Europe, considering the early 20th century.

As they mire in socialist stagnation and refuse to deal with their hellishly problematic Muslim minorities, all which are growing to become the majority in perhaps a decade or two, it's like watching a society in total helpless denial.

And in that state, all the stale hallmarks of their former society, from fine dining to fine wines, and from being once a great empires to also claiming great diplomacy, all of those things are only mere remnants of reality, with their culture almost now wiped clean by McDonalds, Starbucks, and US music and media, fashion, technology, etc....

Once great, France is gasping for it's last vestiges of things that seem important but are meaningless now.


It's once powerfull economy is almost now behind Italy.

It's unable to even field a fraction of a division overseas.

It's proven to be a failed ally among Arab states.

The once respected permanent security council veto at the UN rendered meaningless.

It's challenge against American resolve empty and self-defeating.

To illustrate the melt down of France, both tragic and ridiculous, you need to detail a few storys to really understand... so:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2798627.stm

Chef 'suicide' after critics' attack

Loiseau was regarded as one of France's greatest chefs
One of France's most celebrated chefs has apparently committed suicide after his flagship restaurant was downgraded in a top restaurant guide.
Bernard Loiseau was found dead at his country home, a hunting rifle by his side.

His death came a week after the renowned GaultMillau restaurant guide cut its rating for his Cote d'Or restaurant in Burgundy.

Now the critics themselves are facing the criticism - accused of exercising too much power, toying with the establishments they assess and ultimately pushing Loiseau over the edge.

"I think GaultMillau killed him. When you are leader of the pack and all of a sudden they cut you down, it's hard to understand, it hit him hard," restaurateur and friend Paul Bocuse said.

Both sad and silly, no?



http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/2003127.asp

How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier
by James Dunnigan
December 7, 2003
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
France is considering joining with Britain to buy a new carrier of British design. Actually, the French had planned to built a second nuclear powered carrier, but they are having so many problems with the first one that they are quite reluctant about building a second like the troubled "Charles de Gaulle". Britain is building two 50,000 ton conventionally powered carriers, at a cost of $2.5 billion each. Under the proposed plan, France would order a third of this class, and bring down the cost of all three a bit. This project might not come off, because France wants a lot of the work to be done in French shipyards.

The new French nuclear carrier "Charles de Gaulle" has suffered from a seemingly endless string of problems since it was first conceived in 1986. The 40,000 ton ship has cost over four billion dollars so far and is slower than the steam powered carrier it replaced. Flaws in the "de Gaulle" have led it to using the propellers from it predecessor, the "Foch," because the ones built for "de Gaulle" never worked right and the propeller manufacturer went out of business in 1999. Worse, the nuclear reactor installation was done poorly, exposing the engine crew to five times the allowable annual dose of radiation. There were also problems with the design of the deck, making it impossible to operate the E-2 radar aircraft that are essential to defending the ship and controlling offensive operations. Many other key components of the ship did not work correctly, including several key electronic systems. The carrier has been under constant repair and modification. The "de Gaulle" took eleven years to build (1988-99) and was not ready for service until late 2000. It's been downhill ever since. The de Gaulle is undergoing still more repairs and modifications. The government is being sued for exposing crew members to dangerous levels of radiation.

The cause of the problems can be traced to the decision to install nuclear reactors designed for French submarines, instead of spending more money and designing reactors specifically for the carrier. Construction started and stopped several times because to cuts to the defense budget and when construction did resume, there was enormous pressure on the builders to get on with it quickly, and cheaply, before the project was killed. The result was a carrier with a lot of expensive problems.

So the plan is to buy into the new British carrier building program and keep the "de Gaulle" in port and out of trouble as much as possible. The British have a lot more experience building carriers, and if there are any problems with the British designed ship, the French can blame the British.

And yet after humuliation time and again like this, the mask of arrogance is going to break, and it's only a matter of time. And when they break it's going to be a complete collapse, and we'll probably feel sorry for the French and help them out, because we are like that. And it's going to look like this:

 

[TheButlerDidIt]

I am currently in Budapest, Hungary. This country is filled with a false sense of national pride. Their greatest hero (Attilla the Hun) was quite possibly the worlds first terrorist not to mention that he wasn't even hungarian. Hungary sided with the Kaiser in WW1 and then with the Nazi's in WW2. Stalin took over after the war and hungarians are taught in school that it is americas fault for not saving them from the communists. Finally and this burns me most of all, most hungarians believe that it was america who orchestrated the attacks on 9/11 then blamed radical islam because we wanted to test our new weapons. I can't wait to get home.

P.S. I have come to believe that European countries would be better served if they were more proud of their present and hopefull for their future instead of the attitude "our museums have existed longer than the country of america therfore we are superior"

 

[KarlMarx]

I am currently in Budapest, Hungary. This country is filled with a false sense of national pride. Their greatest hero (Attilla the Hun) was quite possibly the worlds first terrorist not to mention that he wasn't even hungarian. Hungary sided with the Kaiser in WW1 and then with the Nazi's in WW2. Stalin took over after the war and hungarians are taught in school that it is americas fault for not saving them from the communists. Finally and this burns me most of all, most hungarians believe that it was america who orchestrated the attacks on 9/11 then blamed radical islam because we wanted to test our new weapons. I can't wait to get home.

P.S. I have come to believe that European countries would be better served if they were more proud of their present and hopefull for their future instead of the attitude "our museums have existed longer than the country of america therfore we are superior"

I thought that the Hungarians were descendants of the Huns (thus the name of the country). During the reign of the Roman Emperors (at least around the 2nd and 3rd centuries), the Huns were allowed to settle in the region that is now Hungary. Hungarian is not a slavic language either, it is related to some languages out in Asia, which is where the Huns originated from.

 

[TheButlerDidIt]

The "Huns" are not the reason for the name "Hungary" but I can see how one would make that assuption. The country is called "Magyar" (pronounced mar-d-jar) by the locals while the "huns" are called "Huns" (pronounced Huns).

Most european languages, including English, French, and Spanish belong to the Indo-European language family. Thus they are more or less closely related to one another. The only exceptions in Europe are Hungarian, Estonian, Finnish, and Lappish. The Lapps do not have a state of their own. They live in the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland as well as the northwestern extermities of Russia. Hungarian, however, is is not so closely related to the others. The Finno-Ugric Family - as the name implies - has two main branches: the Finnish-Permian Group and the Ugric Group, with Hungarian beloning to the latter one.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2282/finno.html

 

[8236]

I've been to Paris several times. Nice place to visit, but the people are rude.

Now, most will tell you, and it is true to some extent, the Parisians are much more rude than the French outside of Paris.

Anyway, why won't the Europeans just accept that WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM. If we were, our forefathers never would have left there long ago. Our forefathers didn't like Europe, so they left. They just need to accept it.

Yep, Londoners are rude gits aswell. I think it's what you will prob. find in any capital city. It's all those people engaged in the rat race - they are too busy making money or powermongering to be polite.

As a Europeen I can assure you that I accept 'it'. I think that all of us in Europe would have gone to America at the time, if we could have done. However, the Europe that appeared after going through the meat grinder last century is completely different from the Europe that your forefathers left behind. I guess we had to discover the words compromise/consensus/co-operate. Hopefully America will too one of these days.

 

[8236]

The "Huns" are not the reason for the name "Hungary" but I can see how one would make that assuption. The country is called "Magyar" (pronounced mar-d-jar) by the locals while the "huns" are called "Huns" (pronounced Huns).

Most european languages, including English, French, and Spanish belong to the Indo-European language family. Thus they are more or less closely related to one another. The only exceptions in Europe are Hungarian, Estonian, Finnish, and Lappish. The Lapps do not have a state of their own. They live in the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland as well as the northwestern extermities of Russia. Hungarian, however, is is not so closely related to the others. The Finno-Ugric Family - as the name implies - has two main branches: the Finnish-Permian Group and the Ugric Group, with Hungarian beloning to the latter one.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2282/finno.html

Ah, sir, you forget the Basques! A fascinating ethno-linguistic grouping!
http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/000244.html

 

[8236]

hungarians are taught in school that it is americas fault for not saving them from the communists.

There is a kind of warped logic behind that idea-if you are refering to '56 invasion -that is.
America (and the rest of the world) was distracted at the time, by the Anglo-French-Israel Suez adventure/crisis, which allowed those sneaky Russians to do their stuff.

PS. We in Europe are superior because less of us believe in god/religion.

 

[insein]

There is a kind of warped logic behind that idea-if you are refering to '56 invasion -that is.
America (and the rest of the world) was distracted at the time, by the Anglo-French-Israel Suez adventure/crisis, which allowed those sneaky Russians to do their stuff.

PS. We in Europe are superior because less of us believe in god/religion.

Believing you are better than God does not actual make you superior. In fact it proves your inferiority.

 

[Comrade]

Yep, Londoners are rude gits aswell. I think it's what you will prob. find in any capital city. It's all those people engaged in the rat race - they are too busy making money or powermongering to be polite.

As a Europeen I can assure you that I accept 'it'. I think that all of us in Europe would have gone to America at the time, if we could have done. However, the Europe that appeared after going through the meat grinder last century is completely different from the Europe that your forefathers left behind. I guess we had to discover the words compromise/consensus/co-operate. Hopefully America will too one of these days.

Without America Europe would never have been united and free, and it's not as if "The War to End all Wars" enlightened them nor do they owe their unity to WWII. They owe America for all of this, and I hate hearing how we are the ones who seem ignorant to them.

 

[CSM]

Yep, Londoners are rude gits aswell. I think it's what you will prob. find in any capital city. It's all those people engaged in the rat race - they are too busy making money or powermongering to be polite.

As a Europeen I can assure you that I accept 'it'. I think that all of us in Europe would have gone to America at the time, if we could have done. However, the Europe that appeared after going through the meat grinder last century is completely different from the Europe that your forefathers left behind. I guess we had to discover the words compromise/consensus/co-operate. Hopefully America will too one of these days.

The Europeans had to discover compromise/consensus/cooperate because if they did not they would no longer exists. Their critical natural resources in those nations have been pretty much used up, Their economies were spinning out of control (thus the EU) and they are all beggining to lose their autonomy because of it.

 

[Comrade]

The Europeans had to discover compromise/consensus/cooperate because if they did not they would no longer exists. Their critical natural resources in those nations have been pretty much used up, Their economies were spinning out of control (thus the EU) and they are all beggining to lose their autonomy because of it.

That makes sense if it's limited to actions among mature, liberal democracies. Modern democracies don't have much reason to use force or go to war with each other, do they?