British Courtesy

[KvHagedorn]

Sorry, don't speak French, myself.. guess I'll have to go spend my tourism dollars in Germany.

[cjolley]

I was in Paris in about 1969 as a teen ager and went into a ticket booking shop to see if I could score some posters.
The lady in the shop wouldn't give me the time of day.
Then I switched to German (at the time I was fluent) and she transformed instantly into the nicest, most helpfull shopkeeper you can imagine. And GAVE me a whole armload of cool posters.
I got the impression it wasn't as much that I didn't speak French as that she assumed I didn't speak anything but English.
On the other hand maybe she desided I must be German and that made me OK.
Anyway, the transformation was astounding...
Chuck

[Fat Tone]

The French have always been a little too close to the Germans for British comfort

[UtwigMU]

I met 2 French people that live here. One guy married with local and he speaks Slovenian so well, that it took about 2 minutes to figure out he's not from here.

The French teacher at some language school from Paris spoke Slovenian so well, that I noticed, she's not from here at 4th or so lesson, when she didn't know the word for cup handle.

I understand French people at being worried about McD, Hollywood and US English erroding their culture and being protective about their language, but they are by no means high or not able to adapt.

On the other hand the Americans that live here - you can notice them instantly (for instance a guy that walks in fancy bar in shorts) and only ones that speak Slovenian are Mormone missionaries.

About France vs Brittain, IMO this goes back to 100 years war and Jean d'Arc.

[Duty]

Originally posted by az
Excuse me, but why is it that everybody seems to hate "the french"? This is an honest question, and please, don't let this turn into a temp-thread.

AZ

Because they were rude to me and my friends, every time we were in France. The only time that any of us had a good time in France was when my friend ripped one a new ass in French. Seeing that he spoke the language they where nicer. Not nice but not as rude. I was once told that the people outside of Paris are nicer. That scares me as I have not been to Paris other then to change planes. If the people in Paris are worse then they are really bad.

Just my experiences...


Jeff

[UtwigMU]

Well, most travelling Americans appear to give stereotype impression, so most people appear to behave according to steorotype to them.

[gt40]

Some english canadians seem t have the same view about Quebec, although personally I haven't had any problems while visiting there.

[Wombat]

Originally posted by UtwigMU
Well, most travelling Americans appear to give stereotype impression, so most people appear to behave according to steorotype to them.

No, you don't notice "most travelling Americans," you just notice the ones that fit the stereotype you're expecting. If you're looking for ****oles, then you'll see ****oles.

[UtwigMU]

... hence I used word appar, that's what I meant. Also perhaps the travelling Americans notice ****oles in Europe and gain such impression.

[KvHagedorn]

Yeah.. you prob think some Americans are Europeans if they are just walking around not looking obvious. If you see a Bavarian in jeans and a normal shirt you dont scream "there goes a Bavarian, how typical!" If he's wearing lederhosen and an alpine hat though... Just like all Frenchmen don't wear a beret and horizontal stripes.. some probably still do, and make the rest look silly for coming from the same place.

[Fat Tone]

Joke: Definition: STFU about stereotypes and enjoy for what it is.

[az]

OK, sorry I found the joke funny, but then I began to wonder why many americans (I didn't know about the brits) seem to hate the french with a passion, thus I posted a question. Maybe I should have started a new thread, sorry for leading yours off topic.

AZ

[UtwigMU]

The Brittish French and American French thing is mutual. I too was kind of surprised at animosity towards English when I was in France.

Although there are some cool jokes about Belgians you are told in France.

[Fat Tone]

Sorry Az, its just some people were starting to get rather defensive, and it was another PWP from me

[Brian Ellis]

I've been in France probably a thousand times, most regions including Paris. I am bilingual French/English, although my French is with a give-away accent which betrays my Brit origin as soon as I open my mouth. I have had problems on only two occasions:
1) On the Paris Métro, I was with half-a-dozen UN guys of various nationalities, speaking English. A drunk started to lambast us, in French. I replied to him courteously in French and explained that we were of mixed nationalities and that he was not demonstrating the traditional French hospitality to a German, an Indian, a Korean, two Americans, a Mexican and myself, a Brit. He immediately shut up.

2) I had been to a factory in Rennes with some equipment. At the end of my visit, my host helped me cart the stuff to my car, a Toyota Camry. As soon as he saw the car, he started to lambast me for not driving a French car. I said to him that I lived in Switzerland but made frequent trips to Italy, Germany, the UK and elsewhere; should I have an Italian, a German and a British car, as well, so as to please my interlocutors in those countries? At least I was neutral with a Japanese car! This didn't shut him up, so I just left him ranting and thinking he was a poor bugger. However, this unpleasantness was not directed at my nationality, but at that of my wheels (which incidentally came with Michelin tyres!).

The problem with the French is that they tend to have a collective inferiority complex, which usually disappears very rapidly as soon as you show signs of wishing not to be arrogant. But let a Brit want fish and chips in newspaper with salt and malt vinegar and he is despised for ever, or an American want coffee before his dessert and he is considered ignorant.