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On January 22 2012 02:06 Djzapz wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:04 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 01:59 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:56 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. what a crap post. You assume alot about me, since I know plenty. Being knowledgeable doens't mean I'll envy something. Being envious has a negative connotation. He made it sound like american sit around hating on french, which is bs. And your post is even more, bs. obvious hate in your post. nice try though. Ok let me help you figure something out. Envy has a negative connotation but that's when you're envious of someone. Saying "they have nothing to get envious about", however, means that they're doing so badly, there's absolutely no reason why anybody should give in to envy for that country. You're trying to spin this in your favor x_x... Once again you assumed I meant it in a bad way I didn't. I said we don't give a damn about them as in we don't sit around talking about the French all damn day or whatever the OP thinks. So if we're not talking about them we don't envy them because there is just no conversation about them. Americans are too occupied with other stressful crap to sit around talking about the French. Well I can't read your intention. Your words suggested that the French have nothing one could ever desire. Stop mocking my post because you can't convey clear ideas, this was obviously a misunderstanding.
If you can't read my intention, maybe next time you shouldn't insult someone?
I don't see anything in my original post that outright insulted the French.
Just for the record, when I do hear French jokes, I just roll my eyes because frankly it's played out.
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I'm pretty sure everyone makes fun of the French, not just us Americans. I've had European friends come online and tell me French jokes before. I had wondered if it was just an American thing before that, but they assured me it was not.
That said, nobody here really hates the French, and nobody really takes the jokes seriously. Its similar to how I always tell my Canadian friends that they are from America's hat, they all know I'm just kidding around and they usually just make some America joke back at me.
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On January 22 2012 02:08 jj33 wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Thank you JIbba. This guy insulted me right away when he assumed way more from my post.
You didn't present yourself from your nicest side either though.
On January 22 2012 02:11 Thingdo wrote: I'm pretty sure everyone makes fun of the French, not just us Americans. I've had European friends come online and tell me French jokes before. I had wondered if it was just an American thing before that, but they assured me it was not.
That said, nobody here really hates the French, and nobody really takes the jokes seriously. Its similar to how I always tell my Canadian friends that they are from America's hat, they all know I'm just kidding around and they usually just make some America joke back at me.
THIS It's not an english thing, it's a european thing. Do you guys really think that England was the only country France always had trouble with?
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On January 22 2012 02:08 jj33 wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Thank you JIbba. This guy insulted me right away when he assumed way more from my post. Well I'm sorry, but write better. Your post seemed like you were saying the French don't have anything good.
On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Do I envy the French? Really? I'm a Quebecer, I'm stuck in a country filled with idiots who hate me because I speak the wrong language. I wish we had our own country.
I envy the French to a certain extent, and I figure that US citizen should - perhaps without being envious - look at France and realize that there are some things from their culture and their politics that should be considered. I mean, don't fool yourselves, the US's culture is... well... yeah.
On January 22 2012 02:10 jj33 wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:06 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 02:04 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 01:59 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:56 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. what a crap post. You assume alot about me, since I know plenty. Being knowledgeable doens't mean I'll envy something. Being envious has a negative connotation. He made it sound like american sit around hating on french, which is bs. And your post is even more, bs. obvious hate in your post. nice try though. Ok let me help you figure something out. Envy has a negative connotation but that's when you're envious of someone. Saying "they have nothing to get envious about", however, means that they're doing so badly, there's absolutely no reason why anybody should give in to envy for that country. You're trying to spin this in your favor x_x... Once again you assumed I meant it in a bad way I didn't. I said we don't give a damn about them as in we don't sit around talking about the French all damn day or whatever the OP thinks. So if we're not talking about them we don't envy them because there is just no conversation about them. Americans are too occupied with other stressful crap to sit around talking about the French. Well I can't read your intention. Your words suggested that the French have nothing one could ever desire. Stop mocking my post because you can't convey clear ideas, this was obviously a misunderstanding. If you can't read my intention, maybe next time you shouldn't insult someone? I don't see anything in my original post that outright insulted the French. Just for the record, when I do hear French jokes, I just roll my eyes because frankly it's played out. I insulted you based on the intention that I read from your post. It was written in such a way that the intention I wrongfully gave you was fully justified of me.
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On January 22 2012 02:11 Thingdo wrote: I'm pretty sure everyone makes fun of the French, not just us Americans. I've had European friends come online and tell me French jokes before. I had wondered if it was just an American thing before that, but they assured me it was not.
That said, nobody here really hates the French, and nobody really takes the jokes seriously. Its similar to how I always tell my Canadian friends that they are from America's hat, they all know I'm just kidding around and they usually just make some America joke back at me. Yes, Canada is probably the country America jokes most about, outside of itself. And generally Canadian jokes are hilarious.
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United States22883 Posts
On January 22 2012 02:13 Djzapz wrote: Do I envy the French? Really? I'm a Quebecer, I'm stuck in a country filled with idiots who hate me because I speak the wrong language. I wish we had our own country. There it is.
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On January 22 2012 02:13 Djzapz wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:08 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Thank you JIbba. This guy insulted me right away when he assumed way more from my post. Well I'm sorry, but write better. Your post seemed like you were saying the French don't have anything good. Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Do I envy the French? Really? I'm a Quebecer, I'm stuck in a country filled with idiots who hate me because I speak the wrong language. I wish we had our own country. I envy the French to a certain extent, and I figure that US citizen should - perhaps without being envious - look at France and realize that there are some things from their culture and their politics that should be considered. I mean, don't fool yourselves, the US's culture is... well... yeah. Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:10 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 02:06 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 02:04 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 01:59 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:56 jj33 wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. what a crap post. You assume alot about me, since I know plenty. Being knowledgeable doens't mean I'll envy something. Being envious has a negative connotation. He made it sound like american sit around hating on french, which is bs. And your post is even more, bs. obvious hate in your post. nice try though. Ok let me help you figure something out. Envy has a negative connotation but that's when you're envious of someone. Saying "they have nothing to get envious about", however, means that they're doing so badly, there's absolutely no reason why anybody should give in to envy for that country. You're trying to spin this in your favor x_x... Once again you assumed I meant it in a bad way I didn't. I said we don't give a damn about them as in we don't sit around talking about the French all damn day or whatever the OP thinks. So if we're not talking about them we don't envy them because there is just no conversation about them. Americans are too occupied with other stressful crap to sit around talking about the French. Well I can't read your intention. Your words suggested that the French have nothing one could ever desire. Stop mocking my post because you can't convey clear ideas, this was obviously a misunderstanding. If you can't read my intention, maybe next time you shouldn't insult someone? I don't see anything in my original post that outright insulted the French. Just for the record, when I do hear French jokes, I just roll my eyes because frankly it's played out. I insulted you based on the intention that I read from your post. It was written in such a way that the intention I wrongfully gave you was fully justified of me.
I will say, in no way do I think modern day US culture is good. A basic snapshot of US culture is horrible.
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On January 22 2012 02:15 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:13 Djzapz wrote: Do I envy the French? Really? I'm a Quebecer, I'm stuck in a country filled with idiots who hate me because I speak the wrong language. I wish we had our own country. There it is. I'm confused, are you implying that that's my only reason and therefore it's invalid because you don't have that problem?
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I think the thing is, the french are like that brother in the family that people like to pick on and make fun of just because he has alot of strong ideas and is slightly different. But we still love him. I honestly don't joke about countries I hate. So I don't think its really a serious thing.
EDIT: Aaaaaaand reading some of the other posts in this thread... I'm just gonna leave... ><
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On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Are you serious?
French culture, literature, music, extraordinary amount of world class philosophers, thinkers, revolutionary spirit, fabulous buildings and architecture, highly educated population, rich traditions, world-famous art de vivre, fantastic transports, unique social system etc etc etc...
I don't say anybody should envy anybody. I admire a lot of countries, and I still think France is in many aspects an extraordinary place.
An American friend of mine told me a couple of month ago that he thought the only reason American despised Europe and France in particular was that they didn't know anything about it. I won't start myself to bash Americans, but when you know that 50% can't say where England is on a world map, you stop taking their prejudices very seriously.
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On January 21 2012 23:47 SilentchiLL wrote:Show nested quote +On January 21 2012 23:19 Stratos_speAr wrote:On January 21 2012 23:10 Kukaracha wrote: Okay, so here's my "manly history" moment.
French are not cowards, in fact France has one of the most violent histories in the world, waging war after war against every neighbour, and even against most of Europe during Napoleonic times. It is utterly false to say that the french have a history of losing or retreating. In medieval times the english court spoke french as the ruling dynasty was Norman; the Frank kingdom was one of the most powerful at the time; and so was the French kingdom during the Renaissance, and during the Lumières, too. French patriots ousted all foreign troops when a coalition tried to restore the French royalty, while severely outnumbered. Historians have given France the nickname of the "European China", because of its huge population during medieval times. Even the 100-year war wasn't a conflict between France and England, but mostly between two dynasties, and the side of the Valois (France) was vastly outnumbered by the attacks of Burgandy, Brittany, Flanders and Portugal.
But the French army was humiliated during WW2, and even before that in 1870, and the peaceful statu quo carved this in stone. This is very bad for national pride, you know? I always find it incredibly frustrating when people push forward the BS stereotype that the French are cowards and always lose. The French have probably had just as much conflict as any other European region, and I can only remember two wars that the French actually lost (Franco-Prussian and Napoleon's reign ended in defeat, but hell that doesn't even count as a loss). Not only that, France came up with the greatest military general in earth's history and the largest mainland European empire in the world's history (Napoleon the Great). Actually having a bloody history is something negative in terms of manliness. Yeah I know that sounds like it doesn't make sense, but see it this way. Throughout history there have been badasses who nobody dared to fuck with, like the spartans in their hardcore period, although technically they've been constantly in war since they declared war every year on their slaves(yep). Or the Prussians, after the Soldier king modernized their army. That people wage wars on you actually just means that their leaders are idiots (French-Prussian-War) or that they think that they could win against you. PS: Napoleon as the greatest military genius of the world?lol Oh and he was Italian(Corsica) and only rose so high because he was discriminated for being small and speaking with a weird accent as a child.
Napoleon wasn't only a military leader. He built an empire and a constitution out of nowhere, remember that.
Now, I find it pretty odd to be considered manly because you live in the middle of the ocean and no one can be bothered to attack you. Take Switzerland, for example. Are they badasses? No, they juste have a very difficult terrain, and there was very little to gain in conquering their lands. Thus no attacks.
Spartans were not peaceful, they attacked people and were attacked all the time, how do you think they got the army they had during the war of Peloponesia? Prussians were also involved in countless wars, I don't see what's manly about them neither. Being a smaller country, they did play a minor role in European politics, true.
The reason France, England, Spain, Portugual and the Italian cities were always at war was because they were the ones who decided the fate of the continent. And don't forget that there were small encounters every year or so, with many small actors siding with one side or the other (the German princes, small kingdoms, or city-states).
But the bottom line is that there is no manliness in such wars, since most of them did not concern the people (except when they were being murdered, raped and robbed regularly like Lorraine in 1600), not even "nations" but mostly cousins trying to kill each other over a valuable piece of land.
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Truly no one in America hates France. Most of it starts from comedy shows or just in history class when we learn about WW2 + Show Spoiler +The usual "Oh the french gave up blah blah blah)" I don't think any Americans hate French people like my friends will say "oh hes French so he sucks." But they wont say that to a person if they were introduced. Its like how every other country makes fun of American's some of them mean it but i don't think most people mean ill will. Like i wouldn't go to France saying "France you pussies!" And i wouldn't expect a French person to go to america and say "America you fuck ups!"
And well honestly i think America gets bashed wayyyyy more than France. Like i've given up hope on threads that just bash American's no one likes us i get it.
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Errr people from America calling the french "too nationalist" are...misinformed ? You don't have to say the pledge and sing the national anthem every morning in french schools.... (don't tell me this doesn't happen, it happens in the big majority of schools in the US). Also try burning an american flag anywhere in the US. Try burning a french flag in France. Most people wouldn't give a fuck, annoyance at most, and in some places (herp shitty suburbs) you'd be applauded.
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United States22883 Posts
On January 22 2012 02:17 Biff The Understudy wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Are you serious? French culture, literature, music, extraordinary amount of world class philosophers, thinkers, revolutionary spirit, fabulous buildings and architecture, highly educated population, rich traditions, world-famous art de vivre, fantastic transports, unique social system etc etc etc... I don't say anybody should envy anybody. I admire a lot of countries, and I still think France is in many aspects an extraordinary place. There's a difference between extraordinary things and enviable things. Everyone across the world has access to French musicians, artists, philosophers, etc. therefore they are not enviable.
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On January 22 2012 02:20 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:17 Biff The Understudy wrote:On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Are you serious? French culture, literature, music, extraordinary amount of world class philosophers, thinkers, revolutionary spirit, fabulous buildings and architecture, highly educated population, rich traditions, world-famous art de vivre, fantastic transports, unique social system etc etc etc... I don't say anybody should envy anybody. I admire a lot of countries, and I still think France is in many aspects an extraordinary place. There's a difference between extraordinary things and enviable things. Everyone across the world has access to French musicians, artists, philosophers, etc. therefore they are not enviable. Fine. Nobody should envy anybody. We agree. I don't really see anyway, according to what you say, what could ever be enviable in a country.
Anyway, it doesn't make people's prejudices and ignorance better.
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On January 22 2012 02:20 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:17 Biff The Understudy wrote:On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Are you serious? French culture, literature, music, extraordinary amount of world class philosophers, thinkers, revolutionary spirit, fabulous buildings and architecture, highly educated population, rich traditions, world-famous art de vivre, fantastic transports, unique social system etc etc etc... I don't say anybody should envy anybody. I admire a lot of countries, and I still think France is in many aspects an extraordinary place. There's a difference between extraordinary things and enviable things. Everyone across the world has access to French musicians, artists, philosophers, etc. therefore they are not enviable.
I think what he meant was that the prestige of being the place where all the artists, philosophers, etc were is what is enviable.
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Dude I'm here to bash the French of League of Legends, they are not on par with other players. They prove it time and time again that this stereotyping is correct o.o
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France bashing comes out of American insecurity and is really stupid, but I must admit that I've always had a fondness for the insult "cheese eating surrender monkey". It's just so wordy.
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On January 22 2012 02:17 Kukaracha wrote:Show nested quote +On January 21 2012 23:47 SilentchiLL wrote:On January 21 2012 23:19 Stratos_speAr wrote:On January 21 2012 23:10 Kukaracha wrote: Okay, so here's my "manly history" moment.
French are not cowards, in fact France has one of the most violent histories in the world, waging war after war against every neighbour, and even against most of Europe during Napoleonic times. It is utterly false to say that the french have a history of losing or retreating. In medieval times the english court spoke french as the ruling dynasty was Norman; the Frank kingdom was one of the most powerful at the time; and so was the French kingdom during the Renaissance, and during the Lumières, too. French patriots ousted all foreign troops when a coalition tried to restore the French royalty, while severely outnumbered. Historians have given France the nickname of the "European China", because of its huge population during medieval times. Even the 100-year war wasn't a conflict between France and England, but mostly between two dynasties, and the side of the Valois (France) was vastly outnumbered by the attacks of Burgandy, Brittany, Flanders and Portugal.
But the French army was humiliated during WW2, and even before that in 1870, and the peaceful statu quo carved this in stone. This is very bad for national pride, you know? I always find it incredibly frustrating when people push forward the BS stereotype that the French are cowards and always lose. The French have probably had just as much conflict as any other European region, and I can only remember two wars that the French actually lost (Franco-Prussian and Napoleon's reign ended in defeat, but hell that doesn't even count as a loss). Not only that, France came up with the greatest military general in earth's history and the largest mainland European empire in the world's history (Napoleon the Great). Actually having a bloody history is something negative in terms of manliness. Yeah I know that sounds like it doesn't make sense, but see it this way. Throughout history there have been badasses who nobody dared to fuck with, like the spartans in their hardcore period, although technically they've been constantly in war since they declared war every year on their slaves(yep). Or the Prussians, after the Soldier king modernized their army. That people wage wars on you actually just means that their leaders are idiots (French-Prussian-War) or that they think that they could win against you. PS: Napoleon as the greatest military genius of the world?lol Oh and he was Italian(Corsica) and only rose so high because he was discriminated for being small and speaking with a weird accent as a child. Napoleon wasn't only a military leader. He built an empire and a constitution out of nowhere, remember that. Now, I find it pretty odd to be considered manly because you live in the middle of the ocean and no one can be bothered to attack you. Take Switzerland, for example. Are they badasses? No, they juste have a very difficult terrain, and there was very little to gain in conquering their lands. Thus no attacks. Spartans were not peaceful, they attacked people and were attacked all the time, how do you think they got the army they had during the war of Peloponesia? Prussians were also involved in countless wars, I don't see what's manly about them neither. Being a smaller country, they did play a minor role in European politics, true. The reason France, England, Spain, Portugual and the Italian cities were always at war was because they were the ones who decided the fate of the continent. And don't forget that there were small encounters every year or so, with many small actors siding with one side or the other (the German princes, small kingdoms, or city-states). But the bottom line is that there is no manliness in such wars, since most of them did not concern the people (except when they were being murdered, raped and robbed regularly like Lorraine in 1600), not even "nations" but mostly cousins trying to kill each other over a valuable piece of land.
I said that wars were usually considered manly, not that they are  And I said that if you're hard enough that nobody fucks with you, that's manly not that if nobody wages wars on you you're manly. And prussia had way less wars than England and France for example... And I never said that Spartans were peacefull, I even mentioned that they were constantly in a war, I just said that people didn't fuck with them AND I talked about prussia after the Soldier King who modernized the Prussian Army and made it the best of the continent, which was btw the same army and the same militarism which made Prussia the mightiest power in europe and made it possible to unify Germany.
So... yeah learn to read -.-
EDIT: Oh and I know about the Code Napoleon and his other accomplishments and still think he's overrated
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On January 22 2012 02:20 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 22 2012 02:17 Biff The Understudy wrote:On January 22 2012 02:06 Jibba wrote:On January 22 2012 01:53 Djzapz wrote:On January 22 2012 01:52 jj33 wrote:On January 21 2012 21:35 Euronyme wrote: Americans envy the French in every way possible, the English have them as rivals. There are also some irritation left as the French practically didn't fight in WW2, even though they practically caused it. I'm American, what do we envy about the French? Genuine question here, I don't know anybody here in the states who gives a damn about the French much less envy them. Presumably, a lot of people are like you and they don't know anything, then they post about it. Why don't you envy anyone else? Because you haven't bothered to educate yourself about countries which aren't your own. Edit: And you probably don't know all that much about the US either, in all likelihood. I think your attack is a bit premature. It's a pretty genuine question, and I've never heard anyone say they envy the French, except for cuisine and art museums. o.o As a Canadian, do you envy the French? Are you serious? French culture, literature, music, extraordinary amount of world class philosophers, thinkers, revolutionary spirit, fabulous buildings and architecture, highly educated population, rich traditions, world-famous art de vivre, fantastic transports, unique social system etc etc etc... I don't say anybody should envy anybody. I admire a lot of countries, and I still think France is in many aspects an extraordinary place. There's a difference between extraordinary things and enviable things. Everyone across the world has access to French musicians, artists, philosophers, etc. therefore they are not enviable. I don't know, I went to the Louvre and I didn't have access to that here in Canada. I had access to wine, food and cute ladies with their adorable accent (or lack thereof, they would say) - who btw do shave their armpits. I had access to the Eiffel tower which I climbed on foot because I'm insane. I went to the Champs-Élysées, saw the Arc de Triomphe...
Pictures of art and monuments has nothing to do with being there and interacting with the people and the environment.
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