-Caveat Lector-
I concur with your observation (more than one who might refer to them as:
"The French are all vulgar troglodytes who rarely bathe and stink of rancid
coffee and fetid wine."). Ah, c'est la vie.
Having lived and studied among the natives thereof, I gained a different
sense of perspective. The French are unique in the sense they have
survived in pretty much their same geographic location for centuries and
once held title to a good portion of Europe. I have experienced the
parochiality of nationalism / statism from all over -- I think it kind of
goes with the territory. One of the most obvious examples we have in the
U.S. is the license plate holder or bumper sticker that reads "Don't mess
with Texas". Of course my bias is determined by my first-hand experiences
yet understand the impressions others have. I almost got into an argument
with a French soldier in Spier, Germany (one of the French's last vestiges
of occupation), over which language we were going to speak: he insisted on
American - I on French; he had the food, I was hungry, he won.
When living in Turkey, Americans were appalled at the discovery that Turks
didn't speak the American language; similar expressions of 'our'
nationalism have been observed in almost every location the U.S. stationed
forces -- Americans have well demonstrated their own brand of chauvinism
since saving the world from the 3rd Reich and Tojo.
As far a their (and other countries') capitulation during WW2, I think the
emphasis was on preserving their physical culture (buildings, monuments,
and other components of their cities) and waiting for the opportune time
for them to oust the invaders. When you go to France, almost nothing seems
to have changed in eons. When looking at the condition of Frankfurt and
other German cities after WW2, I would have to concede the French played
their hand fairly well -- as did the Belgians, the Dutch, and others who
served to soften up the Wehrmacht -- some of the architecture is
unbelievable. Frankfurt was almost completely rebuilt in the years
following the war.
When living outside of Frankfurt in the early '90s, one real significant
omission was the influence of the French culture, namely restaurants (a
French word), although there was an abundance of Chinese, Italian, and
other eastern/southern European fare -- even a Korean one or two.
Likewise, in France, little German influence. After the two of them fought
so often over adjacent territories, I suppose there're still some tensions.
I can't wait to see how the Euro fares and who wins out given the ages old
feuding, warring and nationalist posturing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A<>E<>R
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
----------
: From: Robert Tatman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
: Subject: Re: [CTRL] [[CTRL] Vive La France!]
: Date: Monday, January 11, 1999 1:45 PM
:
: The problem with the French, IMHO, is that they always proceed on the
: assumption that their way of doing things is not simply the *right* way,
it is
: the *only* way. They suffer, not from a lack of national self-esteem, but
from
: too much self-esteem. "Chauvinism," after all, took its name from an
officer
: in Napoleon's army.
:
: Bob
:
: =================================
: Robert F. Tatman
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