The french loathe americans that is well known. But why, didnt we liberate them from nazi hell? Dont we send thousands and thousands of tourists every year to support their economy? Dont we buy tons of cheeses, wines and other french tasty treats every year?
So why do they hate us?
When it come to food the frenchman has a very definate idea of what is right and wrong. Food is not just food but an art. And there is a definate formula that is exclusively french.

The average Frenchman hates ketchup, it is crass an unimaginative. They hate not just Heinz ketchup but all ketchup. Not only ketchup but americans insist on calling chips or pomme frites "french fries". They(the americans) to top it off the insult to the pomme frite or french frie by dipping it in ketchup.
So everytime an american dips a french frie in ketchup he insults france and just about everything they believe in.
There will never be any peace of mind between the french and americans until americans quit eating french fires dipped in ketchup. I dont see that ever happenning. Personally I always ask for extra ketchup with my fries because I know it rankles a frenchman somewhere. Hence eternal cultural incompatability.

I had the unfortunate oppurtunity to have to work in *spit, France, *spit a few years ago and it was he11. I never want to go back...the food sucks, the people are rude to the max & they all hate Americans just because we are more progressive than they are...

Boon and Bob, you seem to be outdoing even the French in cultural incompatibility.

Not really I've got a BA in french literature and speak their language fairly fluently without an american accent.
Its not just that americans are demanding provincial buffoons but the real frenchman is still a nationalistic arrogant domaneering butt cheek. They still think they are the hub of culture and sophistication. Horsehockey! Sure there are alot of wonderfull things about France and europe. But most of that is in appreciating the art of past generations.
France essentially surrendered to the germans to prevent her cultural heritage from being turned to rubble by the germans. What they have left is a nihilistic/narcissistic culture of arrogance and some very spectacular architecture and art. I wish I did'nt like french cheeses so much as well as the wines and cognacs. Oh well.


For a very long time french was the true international language. No longer. It is fourth rate in a third world country. France is now a third world country IMHO!

With that sort of attitude it sounds as though the French would be getting the best part of the deal.

The French people are not arrogant but proud of their heritage and don't feel the need to grovel to tourists. Better that way than the fake "have a nice day" you get at Maccas.

Americans seem to have a need to be liked by everyone, yet do their best to be as obnoxious, loud and belligerent as they can.

Bonsoir,

Trot

Bob~

A BA in French literature. I do think I'm a bit green with envy. I can barely speak enough to find my way to the bathroom and with a little luck, I might get myself slapped by a belle jeune fille. Probably more for the damage I did to her language than for trying to slip my arm around her.

Yeah, they do have some wonderful stuff there. But they are the proverbial center of the universe according to their rules. Like a very annoying uncle, I try to count to ten anytime I get too frustrated with them. Sometimes I have to do it quite a few times over. I remind myself that we couldn't have sent anyone over to help them if they hadn't helped us get started in the first place. Out of their own self interest of course.

Boon Mee~

You must have been stuck in Paris. I'm just guessing here, but tell me if I'm wrong. And every country has it's group of Pain In The Derriere types, Paris seems to be the center of that sort in France. A similar classic British behaviour occured when the natives didn't understand spoken english, it was to be remedied by simply talking LOUDER. Some Americans use the same tactic.

Okay, I will own that I haven't been over to France, but it is on my list of things to do when I retire. I hope to spend a month or two living as cheap as I can and visiting Nice and the Cote d'Azure.

I will, given the chance, occasionally dip some pomme fritz into the ketchup, even if I have to bring the ketchup with me.

Jeepz

I was working out of Marselles. Traveling through Paris every 28 days. Actually, the rudeness factor was most pronounced on the flights from Marselles to Orly. Once in Paris and taking the shuttle over to Charles de Gaulle, it was quite civilized.
The condescending attitude was also very evident at work. I'm employed in an industry that uses, among other things, the English system of measurement i.e. inches, feet etc even when overseas and the French had a tough time with that.
We never tried to "wind them up" with the ketchup-thing, they just didn't like us!

Barbarian !!!!!

Trot

And its nothing new this dislike. I noticed it in 1964 when I first started travelling to france as a child.
I spoke french very well then. I would sneek up on then by being american. In the colonie de vacances(summer camp) I went they did'nt believe I was american.
I think it is a deep seated resentment that we have all the money and we rescued thier sorry butts from the nazi's

I got to say that the French don't realy get on well with us Brits at all either. And to be honest most of us Brits could'nt give a toss about the French.

Seems to be a deep rooted dislike there going back a thousand years or so and a lot of wars. And thats the way we like it besides we always either kick their ##### or bail them out
The French have this thing about sophisication,re: food,sex,smell,style,art.
The food is crap,IMHO,sex is sex and it's up to the individual,
smell no comment about perfume as I hate it all but the toilets are a lot like Thailand but not clean yuch!.
Style? well errr no it's the Italians who have that.
Art ? it's all history as they decided to chop off the heads of all the smart people a couple of hundred years ago.

As far as United Europe is concerned, the people of the UK REALLY don't want any part of it.

Call us paranoid but giving the reins of power to France - Germany is not too popular, no siree not with our history. I mean it's not been stable for that long yet and they want to unite? very bad idea IMO.

There is all this one continent benefit, world power talk etc etc. Dogturd, it is realy just the French-German desperately trying to regain their old status and power.

As for them hating America I personally think it's plain old jealousy.

The french hate the U.S. government, people confuse America with the united states government all the time.
Infact, according to the U.S. government Canada, Mexica and quite a few caribean countries belong to AMERICA.

If hating the U.S. GOVERNMENT makes me french..then...bonjour!

Just stick with G'day mate!

KeepCanadaFree~

Your point is a popular one among others residing on the North American continent and some on the southern one too. The reference to America is not that we (citizens of the United States of America) are the sole or only inhabitants, but rather that it is used in our nations name. We are the United States of America. Hence, the short hand saying of Americans.

If you had named your country the Canadian Federation of American, you'd be arguing that we had no right to use that short hand since it would apply equally to you. But, you folks didn't.

So the term American refers to our country's name, not to the continent which we are privileged to share with you. I realize that most prefer us to use the term States instead. But we are an obstinate lot. I did use that term quite a bit and occasionally still do, but when it became politically correct to do so, I became less interested in it.

Jeepz (posting his own personal USofA point of view)

I guess the French are still pissed off over the outcome a couple of campaigns in which, having gone their favour, "rock & roll" would now be known as "rocher et petit pan".

This thread should be closed : the French don't hate Americans. They just feel sorry for them. They've got the worst cuisine, the worst movies, the worst president, the worst God. In a few words, the worst way of living, the worst culture ever seen on Earth.

But they also have Bob Dylan, T.C. Boyle, Walt Whitman, John Irving, Jimi Hendrix, Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg and the Grateful Dead. Writers or musicians that the French admire.
Anyway, I still think that the British are superior to their American cousins.

Certainly some very valid points. But more and more america represents a blend of culture: mexican, korean, chinese, vietnamese, italian, fench ,german, polish, albanian, irish, scotish, welsh, ethiopian and so on just to name a few. It was predicted some time ago that spanish will be the most spoken language in the US by 2050. If you you travel the southwestern states you will no reason to doubt that prediction.

The french also love Tom Waits. So many americans dont even have a clue.

They've just got a bad case of Third World envy. Extra ketchup for you adjan jb, no fries!

You are not alone in your opinions. True American culture was decimated in the name of 'progress'. That's why Americans are so fond of Great Britian because we have so much heritage.The Americans had thousands of years of heritage before they killed it all and forced what was left into 'reservations'.

Land of the Free...unless your actually a native american.

That old chessnut.
How about... you Brits killed a few yourselves...or, they are all gone now, and have been for a long time, or, they were a bunch of savages, so who cares, or, if they are still around, they are making millions with legalized gambling, so let's concentrate on the future or at least the last 100 years?

The French don't hate Americans. Micheal Moore just won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival. Jerry Lewis is a hero.

The French just don't like the no-culture Texan cowboy, kill em all let god sort them out, bunch that have hijacked the American government. Luckily these people don't represent the real America.

Well it would seem that behind the smiles Chirac and Bush still have fundamental differences. Georges, flushed with his success at the UN, now wants Jacques to help get NATO involved.

"I do not think that it is NATO's job to intervene in Iraq," Chirac told reporters.

"Moreover, I do not have the feeling that it would be either timely or necessarily well understood," said Chirac.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp...w/89285/1/.html

Previous attempts to drag NATO into Iraq didn't get far either..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,893756,00.html

What a shame. I forgot to mention Tom Waits. And Tim "the Voice" Buckley.

Wanna bet? Don't mess with Texas!

John Wayne lives!

The Bushes come from Conneticut (SP). The good old boy thing is just an act.

I have not been able to understand giving France Security Council status in the UN. They were invaded or conquered during the two World Wars. They capitulated during WWII. They have no military to speak of. Their status in NATO was in name only. Napoleon is long dead, and the last brave Frenchman died with him. Perhaps their Security Council membership should be transferred to a true global power like India.

That sounds like an excellent idea! And we might just be able to sell them an aircraft carrier that really works!

Napoleon was a tyrant. Not any better than Hitler. How can you call him a brave Frenchman ?
Actually, our last brave Frenchman was a woman: Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc). She was nuts but she had balls.
We were given a seat at the Security Council because we are so charming, noone can resist.

I France hate America, they have some serious cheese-ball problems. If it wasn't for Americans, those croissant eating goofballs would still be goose-stepping

And Napolean wasn't even french he was corsican.

Reading through this thread, I am not sure who hates who more?

The Parisians have a reputation for being rude to anybody, but overall, French hating Americans? I read here about Americans not feeling welcome, and others commenting more on their 'dislike' of the French for various reasons, mostly reasons to do with food and what they think the French owe them. If you know little of the French, other than that they don't like ketchup and should be grateful to you, and you don't care to make an effort to appreciate, why post it in the European forum?

Is your ignorance something to be proud of?

Quite frankly, I don't care what the French or Germans think of anything (meaning their government).

If they hate us....so what? How does that affect me? It simply dosen't.

Your giving a good example of my point.

How they feel about you will effect you when you'll invade the next country and want their help.

They wouldn't help anyway...so who cares...they wouldn't even fight for themselves in WWII...because they are a bunch of appeasing weak-knee'd liberal cheese munchers..

Pauly. Don't forget "surrender monkeys".

Somebody way back up on this thread said the French didn't hate all Americans....they like Michael Moore and Jerry Lewis. A better pair of comedians you couldn't find. Jerry Lewis is pathetically silly and Michael Moore is just pathetic.

They don't like any country where women shave their armpits.

...or blokes don't change their underpants.

Welcome to the forum chuckybaby.

Thank ye kindly, tall, dark stranger.

Troll...

you changed your icon? What is that...a disco ball with a wagging finger? Goes well with your Bee Gees 8 tracks I guess.

We are going off topic here, dear. If you like to let me know about your personal preferences, e-mail me. I am sure we could arrange something for you, I live in Bangkok.

After 7 painful years of living in Germany, this is what I have been able to conclude about love and hate relationships on the continent: The French hate the Germans. The Germans hate the French. The Germans hate the Italians, the Turks and the Yugo's. The Brits hate the Germans and the Germans hate the Brits. The Austrians, believe it or not, are like their German bretheren...they hate everyone. I cant speak for the Swiss, they're too neutral for me. Oh I forgot to say the Germans and French hate the Dutch...perhaps its because the Dutch are so much like the Americans in outlook and demeanor.

7 years in Europe was my limit. Thank God for Holland...without frequent trips to Holland, I would have turned into a German. Gott im Himmel. The Americans need not be too concerned about why French hate them. There is a plausible medical reason...a lack of sunshine combined with an overly tight sphincter muscle surrounding a very small cranium.

Students of history know why British troops traditionally wore red coats into battle. Why do French troops wear brown pants as part of their uniform?

Gotta go...

I think this could be developed into a song using the tune "Three Blind Mice".

Off topic now....I still DON'T CARE what the french morons think, I can't respect a people that won't even PROTECT THEMSELVES during WWII...buncha pantie wearing losers.

What folks have you been mixing with on your tour of duty?
Other US soldiers?

Personally I can not confirm your obsevations. There are rafts between the european countries, due to the history of conflicts with each other, true.
But I argue that in present time Europe it is not hate, there are still remnants of prejusice and distrust, but in the present generation it doesn't go much further than jesting and teasing. I am talking about the majority of people, of course you can still find folks hating each others' guts and using national prejudices to have a go at each other.

Or maybe I have been mixing with the wrong people.

WHO CARES ABOUT THE FRENCH??????????????????????

Not me, I don't really care who hates us or who doesn't, because more then likely .... they hate us. If they can't accept us for who we are that's their bag, baby.
They're all just jealous, but won't admit it. America has the best music, the most diverse landscape, the best entertainment, the happiest people, the most freedom, the best cars, the grandest highways, the most beautiful, hygenic people, the smartest people, the best doctors, the most lawyers, the cutest babies, the highest self-confidence, and EVERYONE'S trying to get in, and the bouncers at the doors are only letting the best dressed in, and the outsiders are just bitter. I can't wait until it becomes Planet USA.

Oh did I forget to mention we are the most arrogant people on the planet?

Nice, Cleo....

Who wouldn't want to live in America? It is without doubt the best country on the planet!

You've been watching too many Disney films, white boy!

A holiday in France would do wonders for your chalky complexion.

I haven't had a holiday for years, although I'm thinking of coming over the US next Summer, doing a bit of work and then doing a whistle stop tour of America.