| France is getting a bad rap for nothing [Thread Closed]
Posted: 5/27/2007 7:44:52 PM | | As an American I am utterly embarassed about the French jokes about them being cowards or surrendering. Seems to me in the whole Iraq debacle they come out smelling like a rose . Their kids are not dying in a war based on lies and they are not in debt because of war. I salute France who has always been a great friend to America | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/28/2007 2:23:08 AM | Jokes are jokes to a degree, which errybody gets some fun poked at 'em, just know where to draw the line. But there are plenty of people that truly feel harshly and superior to the French. These people are ignorant and childish.
The ones that worship Bill O'rielly's stupid ass. Have you seen when Stephen Colbert was in the "no spin zone" (hahaha, how absurd!), he made 3 comments about his name bein French, so silly. I wouldn't worry bout tryin to reach these people, just hope for their own sakes they wake up before their deaths. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/28/2007 5:15:53 AM | Well the US just showed it's true colors over the France/US split on Iraq. When the US was attacked by Al Quaida with the support of the Taliban, France was right there supporting us. They sent troops and aircraft to fight in country that did not attack them. There was no wavering, they honored their agreements under NATO.
A year later we want to go to Iraq and many of our longest and strongest allies showed pause because they knew it was based on bullchips and lies. When countries that hold some of the same values you hold dear show pause, it should make you reflect on what you are about to embark upon. But no, we attack them through propaganda and slander.
Honestly, I am very surprised France and Germany still send troops to Afghanistan after the way we treated them over Iraq. Both have sent combat brigades to fight an enemy that never attacked them directly. History will judge the US very harshly over Iraq. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 3:22:17 AM | OP :
France has hardly come out of this smelling like a rose.
Don't forget that France had good reasons to stay out of the war.
For one thing, the last thing needed in France was to inflame the local Muslim population by launching into a war with a Muslim country.
Secondly, France had an alterior motive to stay out of the war to begin with : like everybody else, their gas sure was cheaper when the Iraqi's were practically giving it away due to the first Gulf War. It's not exactly a secret that France was getting kickbacks on that oil either.
As for the notion that France has always been America's best friend , I suggest you check your history. It's hardly been the case. For a good start, read the history of the Dominican Republic and the Louisiana purchase. Go from there. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 3:27:56 AM |
As an American I am utterly embarassed about the French jokes about them being cowards or surrendering. Seems to me in the whole Iraq debacle they come out smelling like a rose . Their kids are not dying in a war based on lies and they are not in debt because of war. I salute France who has always been a great friend to America
Americans have every right to be ashamed of their country and its leaders. France is a beautiful nation. And America prefers to be friends with the apartheid state of Israel. Should we really care then about American propaganda denigrating the French as cowards? It's all a bunch of lies for the benefit of the average American flag-waving fascist.
I'm sure the French aren't worried about it. They have a proud military history. French armies liberated Europe from tryanny. They also had their fun in Indo-China and Algeria, so I can understand they don't wish to follow America down that path for a second round. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 3:35:44 AM | French armies liberated Europe from tyranny ? When ?
Would that be Napoleon you're referring to ? Uh...you might want to re-read that particular chapter of your history textbook.
It can't be World War Two you're referring to since they got knocked down on the first punch and never did quite get back on their feet (I won't even mention the Vichy Regime)
And you're actually calling the the Americans flag-waving fascists in the same post that you mention the French empire that included Algeria and Vietnam ? Wow.
The apartheid state of Isreal ? Well, you're entitled to your opinion of course but then again, who would the Americans be friendlier with in that region ? I know they have soooooo much in common with Iran of course but right now they're having a bit of a dispute about the fate of the world (potentially I suppose) Or are you suggesting that France is a better friend to oh, say , the Syrians because they won't do anything to stop extremists in that country from attacking America ? I wonder if maybe, just maybe this is why the US considers Israel a friend and not the French. Gosh....it seems too obvious to be true.
My friend, if knowledge is your weapon, this is a gun fight and you brought a rubber knife. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 3:46:15 AM |
Americans have every right to be ashamed of their country and its leaders. France is a beautiful nation.
America is one of the only nations on earth that has yet to reach greatness. Countries in Europe, such as France have been decline for at least 150 years. France is merely an after thought, much like the rest of Europe.
I am one American that is not ashamed of its leaders particularly the existing leadership. I'd even go so far as saying the Clinton years were better than anything any European country can produce.
Hopefully, the new French president can lift France out of it misery. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 4:09:48 AM |
All of Europe was being covered by the German war machine - the French fought with the same patriotism you have for your country.
The French army was a non-factor in WWII. Western Europe was getting its butt kicked until the US got involved. Fortunately the Allies prevailed and Europe was saved. | |
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SISL
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Joined: 2/20/2007
Msg: 10 | |
| France has it coming.
Posted: 5/29/2007 4:59:50 AM | France has done very little to make a difference, and has pretty much defined the words "arrogant ingratitude" in the recent past. Thier government has recently changed drastically, and maybe they are beginning to be a responsible player on the world's stage. France has been saved TWICE from oblivion by US blood and treasure. America is not of a mind to save them again. France should consider waking up, and being more co-operative.
France (and Germany) has been 'on the take" in the middle-east situation for years, playing a "both-ends-against-the middle" game which only serves to worsen the situation.
In addition, they have VERY SERIOUS domestic problems with an under-class of Muslim immigrants who are determined to have things their way in the country. France is reaping the bitter harvest from seeds sown years ago. Such is the fate of all fence-sitters and disemblers. I hope they wake up. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 7:02:52 AM | statisticallysignificant ,
Bad news my friend : the French Revolution started about a decade and a half AFTER Americans had already fought, died, and (for the purposes of this edification) made politically popular the idea of liberty and equality for the masses.
There is some truth to the statement that some French fought for France during WWII but it was the resistance and that's about it. Not negligible , that's true, but not exactly an army of note either. It's also fair to point out that the French soldier of WWII was led by imbeciles both in the military and in the government. For him, he never got the chance to prove his valour.
As for the US having saved France from the Germans...well, kinda. In the final analysis, they saved France from the Red Army more than anything else. This isn't said to dishonour their sacrifice (they knew who they were fighting on the ground) but it was a land grab to settle spheres of influence in the vacuum created by the German collapse by the time D-Day finally got started.
In any case, I have yet to see much in the way of French sympathy for US interests. There is the argument that France chooses its path as a matter of conscience but on closer scrutiny, it appears more like self-interest than anything else. Understandable but hardly laudable either. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 8:48:08 AM | Well, it's easy to knock something you know nothing about.
The French have a great culture, history, and life. Surprisingly, they out produce Americans, while still enjoying life. There's more than just a buck involved, and the French have a good quality of life.
Friends , food , family.... and the time to enjoy it.
Another mistake that is commonly made in this debate is to compare France’s income or GDP per person to the U.S., by which France lags: $30,693 for France versus $43,144 for the U.S. (these are adjusted for purchasing power parity). But this is not a fair comparison, because the French do not work nearly as many hours as we do in the United States. Economists do not say that one person is worse off than another if she has less income simply due to working fewer hours. A better indicator of economic welfare in such a comparison is therefore productivity, which is as high or higher in France as it is in the United States.
Now for some arithmetic regarding France’s notoriously high unemployment rate among young people, which shaped politics there and influenced world opinion during the youth riots in 2005. The standard measure of unemployment puts the unemployed in the numerator, and unemployed plus employed in the denominator (u/u+e). By this measure, French males age 15-24 have an unemployment rate of 20.8 percent, as compared to 11.8 percent for the US. But this difference is mainly because in France, there are proportionately many more young males who are not in the labor force - because more are in school, and because young people in France do not work part time while they are in school, as much as they do in the United States. Those who are not in the labor force are not counted in either the numerator or the denominator of the unemployment rate.
A better comparison then is to look at the number of unemployed divided by the population of those in the age group 15-24. By this measure, the U.S. comes in at 8.3 percent and France at 8.6 percent. Both countries have a serious unemployment problem among youth, and in both countries it is highly concentrated among racial/ethnic minorities. But the problem is not much worse in France than it is in the United States.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/27/812/
Against war ?
Hard to blame them. Situated in an area right beside Germany, they've seen the results of war close up in a way Americans can't even fathom. Like many Europeans, war is not some distant glorious thing. They've directly felt it's flames far too many times through history to be fans of it.
I don't blame them. I think, had we seen the direct results of decades of war over our history, we'd feel the same. War hasn't really touched us here in North America too often. We've been relatively lucky in that respect, compared to the Europeans.
The French Foreign Legion ? One of the most legendary forces ever assembled. Used to far less in support than North American troops, they are able to keep going and live off the land. Their fighting ability cannot be underrated, as Stormin' Norman himself admitted. He's also an honourary member of the Legion , btw.
The influence on the Founding Fathers , and your young nation, is a matter of the historical record.
A great country, and a great people.  | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 9:51:56 AM |
Bad news my friend : the French Revolution started about a decade and a half AFTER Americans had already fought, died, and (for the purposes of this edification) made politically popular the idea of liberty and equality for the masses.
France has done nothing in 200 years of any significance.
Unemployment in France is high teens... if you are under age 25 you are most likely unemployed. France does not have a single company in the S&P500. In fact, any mutual fund comprising of a world index, has maybe less than 1% of the equities based in France.
The fact now, that they want to remove immigrants is quite interesting. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 3:27:22 PM |
Unemployment in France is high teens
and you still don't know what unemployment means.. re: the other thread where you didn't know what unemployment means. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 4:00:11 PM | I am no historian, but France's military history is lackluster, to say the least.
- Gallic Wars
- Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian. [Or at ths time in history, a Roman -ed.]
- Hundred Years War
- Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare; "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman." Sainted.
- Italian Wars
- Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians.
- Wars of Religion
- France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots
- Thirty Years War
- France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring her.
- War of Revolution
- Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.
- The Dutch War
- Tied
- War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War
- Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Frogophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.
- War of the Spanish Succession
- Lost. The War also gave the French their first taste of a Marlborough, which they have loved every since.
- American Revolution
- In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to the Second Rule of French Warfare; "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."
- French Revolution
- Won, primarily due the fact that the opponent was also French.
- The Napoleonic Wars
- Lost. Temporary victories (remember the First Rule!) due to leadership of a Corsican, who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.
- The Franco-Prussian War
- Lost. Germany first plays the role of drunk Frat boy to France's ugly girl home alone on a Saturday night.
- World War I
- Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States [Entering the war late -ed.]. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.
- World War II
- Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.
- War in Indochina
- Lost. French forces plead sickness; take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu
- Algerian Rebellion
- Lost. Loss marks the first defeat of a western army by a Non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare; "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rules of the Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese and Esquimaux.
- War on Terrorism
- France, keeping in mind its recent history, surrenders to Germans and Muslims just to be safe. Attempts to surrender to Vietnamese ambassador fail after he takes refuge in a McDonald's.
I can provide more. Hehe, I really think it's laughable. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 4:35:41 PM | | On a lighter note....Maybe if they could win a Tour de France, there hopes would be raised and there attitudes would change......NaaaaaaaaaaaaH | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 8:52:08 PM | I like France, too bad they got the new guy Sarkozy as President. He is a New World Order puppet and French people are pissed. I feel for the French people. I wish we could help them there but we have our own puppets here. France was there for us in the battle for Independence.
Neocons love to bash French people. I can't stand a non-thinking arrogant stagnant person without compassion. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 9:02:12 PM | Just to let you guys know. I am neither right, left, center, up or down. I am anti. I hate politics, politicians, war, mongering, etc. I believe in self preservation, and the defense of what is right in the eyes of the good. Yeah, I poked a little fun at France. whoopteydoo. And NO, the sum of a country's greatness does not reflect how many wars they have won. BUT, when somebody saves my ass...I respect that friend as FAMILY for LIFE baby! Ya mess with them, ya mess with me. Whereas, my family members who are Veterans, were treated like shit when visiting France. My grandpa was there during WWII, and when he went back in the 70's.....well. So no, I personally wish no one any harm, but to defend the French as a great military complex, and how valiant they are in conflict. BULLSHIT! Not meaning to offend anyone, but the French need to accept their position in the world. What I posted before was the TRUTH! Accept it or don't.
SFH JD | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/29/2007 9:33:34 PM |
Hard to blame them. Situated in an area right beside Germany, they've seen the results of war close up in a way Americans can't even fathom. Like many Europeans, war is not some distant glorious thing. They've directly felt it's flames far too many times through history to be fans of it.
I don't blame them. I think, had we seen the direct results of decades of war over our history, we'd feel the same. War hasn't really touched us here in North America too often. We've been relatively lucky in that respect, compared to the Europeans.
Lucky??? 2,000 Americans killed on Omaha Beach in one day is lucky?? And one of the reasons it may seem distant and glorious is most are buried over there. The French resistance fought bravely, but as a whole...during WWII, they were a Joke. A country that has a short memory when it comes to helping us with anything. | |
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| France is getting a bad rap for nothing
Posted: 5/30/2007 6:00:23 AM |
Where else but the internet can you see a right wing facist hippy and a peacenik marine?
Bwwaaaaa--haaaaa...  perfect timing rsx11s.. I'm agreeing with the Hippy about France.. The best thing they ever did was ship America several Tons of Lady Liberty!
They are very good at surrender, **** and complain... I hope the Newly elected leader gets on the Bandwagon with the US and puts some serious Feet down to benefit us all! | |
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