Europe unites in hatred of French

[Atahualpa]

Originally posted by CyberShy
You know what the problem is overhere in europe, just a single example. In europe everybody speaks english but the french. The french think their language is the important language.
When there's a united broadcast like the eurovision songthingy (every year, don't watch it, waste of time)
Everything is declared in English and french!!! WTF! English and French!

Boy, you haven't come around a lot... Spanish don't speak english, Italians don't speak english. I am here in Spain and I can tell you... FORGET IT! If you just speak english, not even in Granada (with lots of foreign exchange students - the students yes ofc) they will understand you... and I was travelling in Italy and it's amazing how they DON'T speak it! And you know France, Italy and Spain make up a lot of people in Europe.


The french have to bear the scapegoat image here, but it's just not true. Go and ask a German what they think of the British... go and ask anyone what they think of the British... not much more positive responses here either... it's just that the Tommys are not worth caring for because they are on their island and everybody's happy when they stay there.
Or ask a German what they think about the Netherlands, or maybe you know better.. I can't imagine you like the germans very well...



Overall this is just a very shallow piece of getting-what-you-expected research. I wouldn't take it too seriously. There is lots of negativity among european countries...

[Pekka]

No it's not a scapegoat thing, french are bunch of bastards and that's just it.

BUT this brings an interesting question. Since Liberty lovers say that everyone hates the US because of their freedom and ... economy, then how come everyone hates France too? Does this mean we are also jealous of.. exactly what?!

This is just the reality of the situation. Everyone hates everyone. So Americans, you're not special and when you cry the world hates you, yeah, but they also hate French. And lots of other folks as well. No exclusive deals here. Stop crying and start hating!!

If you have followed the news in the last few days, you'd also know everyone hates Russia too, and especially in Eastern Europe, Baltics etc.. have very special warm feeling for them

Screw everyone else than me.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
I always thought it was a weird quirk of history that the English and French were united in two huge wars against the Germans, when in day-to-day relations, both the English and French despise each other with more passion than either dislike the Germans...

Not quite.

The French and the bloody Rosbifs love to hate each other. But at least in the perfide Albion, the hatred for Germany is more genuine. I am under the impression that, for many Brits, the Germans are still the Huns.
French and Rosbifs make fun of each other, jibe at each other, and have deep disagreements over Europe. But it's not nearly as strong (or rather: as serious) as what the Rosbifs feel for the Germans IMO.

[Pekka]

Don't try to spin this. It's not fun poking. It's not love hate relationship. We hate you. EVeryone genuinely hates your frog ass!

[Robert]

But at the eurovision festival there's nobody speaking itialian or spanish.

Oh, and about the dutch and the germans.
A recent poll showed that the hatred of the dutch is almost gone. Only among those who were in the war there's still some anti-germans sentiment.
But 50- likes the germans.
And it's well known that the germans like the dutch as well.

Like we like the belgiums as well. Of course we make fun about them and have a lot of jokes but in the end we do like the belgiums.

I think (but I have no support for that) we like the british as well. Of course we think they're strange etc. but they're certainly not arrogant or something.

Not to mention the danes or those from luxembourgh. no problems with them overthere.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Pekka
BUT this brings an interesting question. Since Liberty lovers say that everyone hates the US because of their freedom and ... economy, then how come everyone hates France too? Does this mean we are also jealous of.. exactly what?!

Our grandeur. Duh.

[Starchild]

I've always felt the English-French rivalry to have serious overtones of sibling disagreement. On a day to day basis, we'll scream at each other until we're blue in the face but, if someone else threatens us, we band together.

[Stefu]

In many respects France is kind of like the America of Europe.

[BeBMan]

Those French I met personally last year actually were quite nice people

[Robert]

Originally posted by BeBro
Those French I met personally last year actually were quite nice people

I think it's more about the overall attitude, and then forall the way other countries feel about this attitude.
Of course there's no problem with the french as persons. (ok, with some is, but with some dutch there are problems as well )

[BeBMan]

Yeah, I know I just wonder if those who described "the French" in the article have spoken from experience, or if they reiterated only cliches...

[DeathByTheSword]

well about the not speaking english part...the entire northern part of Europe ending at belgium and austria will probably be able to speak english below that the is seriously terrible (spain, france, italia, portugal) (dont know about the greeks)...i was strassbourg for a cross europe debate between schools (this was 4 years ago) and during the normal debate the langauge was english...result...there wasnt any real debate because one half couldnt understand the other half and the other half couldnt even understand eachother

[MikeH]

Typical xenophobic Torygraph article. They love putting the boot into the French.

And Spiffor's wrong, we have a bigger football rivalry with Germany but as a nation we definitely hate the French more. The wars with Germany are a recent thing, we've been fighting too and fro across the channel for over 1000 years.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Stefu
In many respects France is kind of like the America of Europe.

This has mostly to do with the gaullist arrogance that supposes that Europe is a pool of resources to be used for France's international grandeur. The "these countries have missed an opportunity to keep quiet" (by Chirac, when new members expressed support for the war in Iraq right after Chirac and Schröder unilaterally said that Europe was against) is exactly in this line of thinking.

I agree that it utterly sucks, and Chirac's arrogance has seriously hurt our image in Europe*.


*You'll find a general agreement in France about the gaullist viey of Europe, but it's not intense enough that the people push their politicians to adopt a gaullist European stance. If we had a leader with a non-megalomaniac personality (like Jospin), France's European behaviour would be completely different.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by MikeH
And Spiffor's wrong, we have a bigger football rivalry with Germany but as a nation we definitely hate the French more. The wars with Germany are a recent thing, we've been fighting too and fro across the channel for over 1000 years.

Ah yes. But I thought our ancient hatred had merely degenerated in the occasional bar brawl, bad language, and crap torygraph article. I mean, things have never been the same since Fashoda