An oh S*** moment if there ever was one!

[TnT]

A while back, like 10 years ago, on BBC radio they had a top ten list of commonalities between the British and the Americans. Number one was something a kin to an extreme distrust for towards the French.

Making fun of the French dates back to colonial England. I saw an awesome documentary about Ben Franklin recently. Franklin spent many years in France leading up to the alliance. He was trying to build a friendly relationship, but it was going slow. The colonies sent John Adams back to speed up negotiations. Adams absolutely hated the French. Some say he hated them more than the British, but he needed France's help.

In more recent times French bashing reached a new high when France refused to support the US in various NATO actions. At one point, a few years ago, a US senator renamed the french fries and french toast served in the White House to be "freedom fries" and "freedom toast" respectively. This of course sparked many jokes from people who agreed and also by people who thought it was ludicrous. I still call my friend Freedom Richard to this day.

[Brian Ellis]

"Freedom fries" was a short-lived name used by some in the United States for French fries. The "freedom fries" affair was an example of anti-French sentiment in the United States. In the international debate over the decision to launch the 2003 invasion of Iraq, France expressed strong opposition in the United Nations to taking such action. The French position was not popular in the United States, leading some US citizens to campaign for the boycotting of French goods and businesses and the removal of the country's name from products.

(Wikipedia)

Nothing to do with NATO, but the US/UK aggression, based on fictitious WMDs. Who can say the the French position was wrong?

[Jammrock]

I think the French have had their fair share of conflicts, on both the losing and winning sides.

And I don't think Jeanne d'Arc was exactly recent history (or Napoleon, who was French Corsican, BTW or, even less Charlemagne, who was Frankish - France didn't even exist as a country in the 8th c.) and she was not burnt by the French, but by the English.

Yes, well, the French didn't realy do a lot to rescue her. Since she was considered an officer she was ransomable, but the French chose not to do so.

[az]

Jamm, I was not accusing you, hope you read that

The Freedom Fries thing was hilariously stupid, IMHO, especially seeing as how french fries aren't french, but belgian, in the first place. I also don't understand why the same americans that hated the french for not agreeing with them didn't hate the germans, at least not as loudly.

Poland defended Vienna against the Turks.

[VJ]

The Freedom Fries thing was hilariously stupid, IMHO, especially seeing as how french fries aren't french, but belgian, in the first place.

True, but the verb "to french" means 'to cut up in small pieces', which is where the term french fries comes from.


Jörg

[agallag]

I thought "to french" meant to stick your tongue down her throat.

[Dr Mordrid]

Wanna know what started a lot of recent (as in 50+ years ago) US animosity vs. the French? Look up the landings at Safi at the start of WW-II's Operation Torch.

Despite extensive pre-landing contacts with the Vichy French to "organize" what would happen when the US forces landed they shelled and snipered them anyhow.

That left a bad taste in many US families involved, mine included, and military officers.

Then there is their tendency in more recent times to advance to the rear socially, politically, ethically and otherwise.

[az]

The Wikipedia Article makes it sound less clear than you.

Aside from this, the people from that time are almost all dead. I certainly react very, very negatively if somebody feels the right to hate me because of things done by the generation of my grandfather.

[ZokesPro]

The Wikipedia Article makes it sound less clear than you.

Aside from this, the people from that time are almost all dead. I certainly react very, very negatively if somebody feels the right to hate me because of things done by the generation of my grandfather.

And propagating the hate won't change what happened in the past. IMO, it's best to forgive and move forward, otherwise it's just anothe step in the wrong direction.

[az]

Never forget, but forgive for a better future. And there really isn't anything to forgive me, as a german, for instance, because try as I might, I couldn't have changed what has been done by germans before I was born.

[Umfriend]

No worries az, I forgive you anyway. :d

[az]

Now, is forgiving a great sin ethical?

[Nowhere]

Dunno, but since I'm a bad, bad person anyway, I forgive you too.

[az]

BTW; last.fm is great! (and apparently supported by my squeezebox via plugins! yay!)

[Umfriend]

Now, is forgiving a great sin ethical?

I am not sure. What do you think?