Demogyptica Thread

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

This is just a highly civilized conversation.

[Aro]

My two cents... In the 50's, and the beginning of the 60's, a lot of great jazzmen were in Europe, especially in France (for many reasons, including racism and abuse of drugs, they had to leave the USA). You will not find any other people in the world who likes jazz in such way (the French people), except the American people (and me! ).
Another interesting contradiction: Woody Allen is a success in France, and barely can find money to make his films in New York.
The Americans... well, French things are "très chic", like fashions, cheese, champagne, restaurants, Literature and Philosophy (the upper classes in America love the French). Or you can just take a look at the influence of the French Existentialism in the "beatnik" movement in the 50's and early 60's... This influenced the hippies, in a certain way. In the 30's and early 40's the American writers used to go to France to do their job... Not to mention that Vietnam was a problem received from the French.
There’s a 'cultural war' happening, but USA and France are so involved one with other since the beginning of the 20th century... You can’t have a winner, and THIS explains a lot...
If you don't believe in that bullsh*t, ask the Canadians to see how they manage this...

Now seriously, I’m reducing such complex interaction to few examples; students of History, Sociology and things like that will lynch me, I know, but as an overview… isn’t so bad. There’s something real in all that crap, IMHO…

France and USA are like a married couple... some fight, some sex, some misunderstanding, some repulse, some attraction... and are both xenophobic (just kidding!)!
In other words, a perfect couple!

[feanor0815]

Hello,

here is another of this german Demogyptions taking
part in the ptw-Demogame.


Want to say Hello and first got a question to those
speaking english as a native language.

Maybe you know the song "Up in my Room" from Patrice
which refrain is :
When I'm up in my room and I'm thinking of you.

I heard it in the radio and tried to findout who's the
interpreter. I didn't find anything cause I misunderstood
the refrain. I heard
When I'm mopping my room and I'm thinking of you

I postet it in our Webring Forum and we wonder if this
happen to native speakers too (espcecially this) ?

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Aro
If you don't believe in that bullsh*t, ask the Canadians to see how they manage this...

The best I heard about this subject, was about the influence of the British, US American and French in Canada. It said "Our (the Canadian) country could be a conglomerate of British administration, French culture and American technology. Instead of this, we are a conglomerate of British technology, French administration and American culture."

[Aro]

[vulture]

In defence of France, I think we are all overlooking the greatest French warrior ever - Asterix

[UnOrthOdOx]

Originally posted by feanor0815
Hello,

here is another of this german Demogyptions taking
part in the ptw-Demogame.


Want to say Hello and first got a question to those
speaking english as a native language.

Maybe you know the song "Up in my Room" from Patrice
which refrain is :
When I'm up in my room and I'm thinking of you.

I heard it in the radio and tried to findout who's the
interpreter. I didn't find anything cause I misunderstood
the refrain. I heard
When I'm mopping my room and I'm thinking of you

I postet it in our Webring Forum and we wonder if this
happen to native speakers too (espcecially this) ?

I am unfamiliar with that particular song, but I would say that misunderstanding lyrics is a common thing even for those native to the language. It has become kind of a common joke here, actually, how people get so many different ideas of what a song actually says, there are even commercials making fun of it now.

I once heard an interview with John Mellencamp where the interviewers were wanting to know what the actual lyrics to one of his songs wasbecause they had been arguing over it. He admitted that there were actually no lyrics in that part of the song because he couldn't think of any when writting the song, but liked the beat so he just tried to make it SOUND like he was saying something...

[Jon Shafer]

It's very common for mix-ups like that to happen with anything that has to do with translations between languages. Take President Kennedy and his famous "Ich bin Berliner" speech, where one little word made the difference between what he meant and something very different from what he meant.

[alva]

No, he's not a doughnut(how do you spell that word)

now, excuse me while i kiss this guy

[Wittlich]

It took me a while to realize what you said Alva:

"now, excuse me while i kiss this guy"

"now, excuse me while I kiss the sky"

[Panzer32]

Originally posted by alva848
No, he's not a doughnut(how do you spell that word)

You spelled it correctly; it can also be spelled donut, but I prefer doughnut. Its like, its made of dough or something, not like the music note...

[Zero]

Originally posted by UnOrthOdOx

I once heard an interview with John Mellencamp where the interviewers were wanting to know what the actual lyrics to one of his songs wasbecause they had been arguing over it. He admitted that there were actually no lyrics in that part of the song because he couldn't think of any when writting the song, but liked the beat so he just tried to make it SOUND like he was saying something...

Better yet, the best example is "Louie". Forgot the guy who sang it, but apparently the government thought there was some subliminal teen mind degenerating message to it and so they decided to investigate, because the lyrics were so vague the way they sang it.

Don't the german people get lyrics confused sometimes? theres gotta be some words that sound similar you can get mixed up!

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by GhengisFarb
This is just a highly civilized conversation.

An American who has always liked France and French history deserves a kind answer on De Gaulle. De Gaulle, when he began dealing with the Americans, was nothing, and has nothing making his claims legitimate; he choose to be tough and Roosevelt despised him because he was not a democratic representative of the French people. This bad start never improves until the end of WW2. This does not mean that he hated America, and the relations between De Gaulle and Kennedy (remember Cuba ?) were more than friendly.
This personal attitude of De Gaulle during WW2 was not adopted by the whole French people, and by far; the truth is that there was a strong communist party supporting Russia against America, and they made a lot of noise, but the majority, not blinded by ideology, had really positive feelings toward the US. To day, it seems that you American resent badly any criticism we make, or any disagreement we have, but what would be friends who do not tell what they feel ? Cant we like the Silicon Valley and dislike MacDonald ?
You know that from the birth of the USA, our two nations have never been at war; no other great nation has this chance.

For the sissiness, some figures could help understand what sissiness really is: In WW1 the losses of French soldiers amounted to 3550000 killed in action plus the wounded, that is about 70000 killed per month in average.
In WW2, the 1940 campaign caused 100000 French soldiers killed in action in 6 weeks.
In the first six weeks of Barbarossa, the Russians have lost much more ground, just the size of their country changed the outcome.

France, as a nation, is more than one thousand years old. And I have a great deal of respect and admiration for what all those guys before us have accomplished. I am not proud of it, because I have not played any role in the past, and my only concern is: would I have been up to the task? This is also the reason why I do not despise those who have failed or lost battle because nobody knows for sure that in the same circumstances, he would have been more courageous or more talented.

[Meshelic]

France WAS the original supporters of the American revolution against the Brits 1773 - 1780....in that area. Running muskets, artillery and ships to the revolutionaries.....without them the U.S. might not exist in it's present form today.... there's food for thought. They were in fact the first allies of the American resistance. (Probably one reason the American's decided to keep em around WWI, WWII...just kidding Davout I know that's not true...)

Lafayette was one French hero from that period...

Being an American, I'm glad the French intervened on our behalf. However, being an American in France itself is a whole other story; for every moment that I lived there it seemed that the French stood up for every stereotype thrown their way.

I'd say the French hate American's more so than the other way around. That's probably why American's are so, well....unkind now. And speaking from personal experience having lived overseas in France, I would say I have quite a reasonable and valid opinion on this.

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Meshelic
However, being an American in France itself is a whole other story; for every moment that I lived there it seemed that the French stood up for every stereotype thrown their way.

I'd say the French hate American's more so than the other way around. That's probably why American's are so, well....unkind now. And speaking from personal experience having lived overseas in France, I would say I have quite a reasonable and valid opinion on this.

I understand that you include Spiffor and I in those French hating Americans. Up to you, but you are badly wrong.

Hate is an extremely strong feeling, dont you think ?