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Europe unites in hatred of the French


Blackleaf

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Europe unites in hatred of French

By Henry Samuel in Paris

(Filed: 17/05/2005)

Language, history, cooking and support for rival football teams still divide Europe. But when everything else fails, one glue binds the continent together: hatred of the French.

Typically, the French refuse to accept what arrogant, overbearing monsters they are.

But now after the publication of a survey of their neighbours' opinions of them at least they no longer have any excuse for not knowing how unpopular they are.

Why the French are the worst company on the planet, a wry take on France by two of its citizens, dredges up all the usual evidence against them. They are crazy drivers, strangers to customer service, obsessed by sex and food and devoid of a sense of humour.

But it doesn't stop there, boasting a breakdown, nation by nation, of what in the French irritates them.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britons described them as "chauvinists, stubborn, nannied and humourless". However, the French may be more shocked by the views of other nations.

For the Germans, the French are "pretentious, offhand and frivolous". The Dutch describe them as "agitated, talkative and shallow." The Spanish see them as "cold, distant, vain and impolite" and the Portuguese as "preaching". In Italy they comes across as "snobs, arrogant, flesh-loving, righteous and self-obsessed" and the Greeks find them "not very with it, egocentric bons vivants".

Interestingly, the Swedes consider them "disobedient, immoral, disorganised, neo-colonialist and dirty".

But the knockout punch to French pride came in the way the poll was conducted. People were not asked what they hated in the French, just what they thought of them.

"Interviewees were simply asked an open question - what five adjectives sum up the French," said Olivier Clodong, one of the study's two authors and a professor of social and political communication at the Ecole Superieur de Commerce, in Paris. "The answers were overwhelmingly negative."

According to Mr Clodong, the old adage that France is wonderful, it's just the French who are the problem, is shared across Europe.

"We are admired for our trains, the Airbus and Michelin tyres. But the buck stops there," he said.

Another section of the study deals with how the French see the rest of Europe.

"Believe it or not, the English and the French use almost exactly the same adjectives to describe each other - bar the word 'insular'," Mr Coldong said. "So the feelings are mutual."

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This is a TRUE story. Not satire. Here's the Telegraph's webpage of this story -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../ixnewstop.html

Tue May 17, 2005 6:58 pm

Edited by Blackleaf
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Guest Lottie

This article is absoloute rot and all its doing is inciting more hatred where in fact there is none. The media as usual have nothing better to do than to spew out rubbish and the unfortuante few who cannot think for themselves believe it.

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Yes, I myself am wondering the point of posting this article....

I hope its to talk about how generalisations and such are stupid and below most people, so that we can all learn omething from the idiots who answered this poll....

Otherwise...I cant see the point.

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i don't recall people creating such a guffaw when someone posted a similar article regarding disdain for the US by europeans:)

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That was political, if I remember..... This is quite different....

if not, I wasn't a mod then...so I cant say...lol

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The French Are probably reading a similar article about the British or Americans as we speak. grin2.gif

Got to ask the question how many of the people polled have actually met more than one frenchman and how many have formed opinions based on media portayal.

I spent some time in France.The people in Paris do come across as arrogant and opinionated BUT that could be levelled at the majority of people who live in capital cities around the world.

The people i met in the Ardeche valley in the south were among some of the nicest, generous,humorous people i have ever had the pleasure to meet.

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nah it was a similar article to this

i don't actually care if you do lock this thread or not heh its all mindless garbage:P

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i have met plenty of french men, tho that might be because Canada has a large french population, in quebec. There good people, tho that might be them being Canadian tongue.gif

~Thanato

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The French Are probably reading a similar article about the British or Americans as we speak. grin2.gif

Got to ask the question how many of the people polled have actually met more than one frenchman and how many have formed opinions based on media portayal.

I spent some time in France.The people in Paris do come across as arrogant and opinionated BUT that could be levelled at the majority of people who live in  capital cities around the world.

The people i met in the Ardeche valley in the south were among some of the nicest, generous,humorous people i have ever had the pleasure to meet.

625514[/snapback]

No the Frence are probably on strike and when they read this they will have a another reason to strike again.

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Get over French are very egosticial, over arrogant, conceited people. This is coming from an American.

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Guest Lottie
Get over French are very egosticial, over arrogant, conceited people. This is coming from an American.

625624[/snapback]

And you know this how? Have you been there? Have you lived there? . Can you prove that every single French person is like this? Or is it that you are one of the unfortuante one's who believe everything the media tells you.

This thread is complete madness...why was it even posted, for what reason? How sad.

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Most of the sh-t we get about France comes from the byist media coverage we get so i wont omment on that

But and a big but on the many occasions i have seen Chirac on TV of heard him on the radio he looks and sounds like a posh dictator

The man was mixed up in a lot of sh-t a wee while ago and on what the french press were saying he should have went to jail for it ,you can see he wants to bring Britain into the grips of Europe and he sitting on top dictating how things are going to be (never)he would have our country toits knees in a matter of years

I have met hundreds of french people when they used to come over to holiday 2 miles from my house and they were brilliant people

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Ok... i gave this thread long enough..... This is not a discussion of any real significant effect, and I dont think there can be much debate on it so....

This thread is now closed...

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