France-bashing

    I love France-bashing almost as much as I love France. It is one of the great American pastimes, going back to the Hamilton-Jefferson debates about whose side to pick in the French Revolution. Still, Matt Yglesias wonders where the current manifestation of French-bashing "French as cowards" came from.

    I believe the answer lies with the French unwillingness to let the US use their airspace to attack Libya in the 1980's after Libyan sponsored terrorism. It was generally perceived that the French did it almost entirely out of fear of retaliation if they were seen as helping the United States. The dreadful French performance during WWII, and their even more inexcusable collaboration with the Germans afterwords (at least Mussolini said 'no' to hand over Italy's Jews, at least initially) are really reasons adduced later to support the pattern.

Comments

[DHM]

Looking from outside the US it seems a very odd dislike. More so when one considers the considerable contribution of the French military (under Rochambeau and de Grasse) to your own war of independence.

Lately as your government enthusiastially shreds your constitution, the "Freedom Fries" francophobe rhetoric that once seemed childish and silly is beginning to resemble some uncomfortable historical precedents: Most notably Johan Gottlieb Fichte's 'Addresses to the German Nation'.

[azerty]

1/ In 1986, Spain also denied the flight of US bombers in their sky to drop bombs on a foreign country (even worse for the feasibility of the US operation) yet, strangely enough the USA seem only to remember the French stance. Any comment ?

2/ "The dreadful French performance during WWII": What's so dreadful ? did you get any informations about the the bltizkrieg of 1940 in France ? Do you know why we lost so quickly ?
Maybe the strategical side of the thing is somewhat to hard to grasp for you ?

Looks like ignorance to me.

In 6 weeks we lost 92,000 men, that's about twice what you lost in 10 _years_ in Vietnam (about 55,000 dead soldiers), you can drive your lessons deep in your (self-censored).

"and their even more inexcusable collaboration with the Germans afterwords (at least Mussolini said 'no' to hand over Italy's Jews, at least initially) "

_The French people_ collaborated ? Do you know how many French people you
actually insult ? with this mindless comment ?
Fortunately Yad Vashem is a little less harsh than you about France.
The truth is that France one of the most secure place to be Jewish during the WWII. Sounds like blind ultra-nationalistic denial ? when you can find JEWSIH stats that clearly indicate that france is one of the country with the lowest percentage of his Jewish population decimated (around 20-30 %, while almost all the other countries are ine the 50% - 90% bracket - Italy is said to be around 26 % for Landau in "The Nazi Holocaust"). That's when it pays to actually make some researches by oneself, rather than repeating like a parrot.

Plus you seem to forget the fact that more than half France was occupied by Germany. Then, 2 yrs later (1942), the "free zone" was invaded by Germany.

Recieving war lessons from a country that is an hyperpower far from any real danger, that never had to live a real major war on his soil (civil war doesn't
count, it's not the same thing to have foreigners to march in country in your
cities)).
Before the war, France was a democracy though the biggest part of Europe
were autocracies (often for the 20's) and you despise France for what
happened and the way it acted !?! Vichy existed because of the defeat.
It's easy to brag and give lessons when you never have been and probably
will never be in such a huge crisis. we will never see you in this kind
of situation, pure noble son of the USA, "in god you trust" : you can,
you are living in a hyperpower, wise-ass ! (and far from any real direct
danger)
You are / were an hyperpower and you, despite this fact, dare make
comments on the weakness of the others and their attitude !
How cheeky !

20 yrs before WWII France lost 1.4 millions of his men out of 39.6 millions of
inhabitants, compared to the actual number of your population it would be about 10.2 millions of US citizens. We were the country that suffered the most of WWI and on the western front most the war were in France and Belgium. A country ravaged, demographically, economically and in its infastructure and buildings by the armaggeddon of the WWI and you come here, beaming, to explain us how
spineless the French are ... I'm speechless.

You are all a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites. I don't enjoy French-bashing,
I don't enjoy US-bashing. I generally tend to ignore you, the most logical way to react to such a biased childish behavior.

--
"When the Frenchmen arrived at these falls, they came and kissed us...
They never mocked at our ceremonies, and they never molested the places
of our dead. Seven generations of men have passed away, and we have not forgotten it."

-Chippewa Chief.

[Jason]

I'm American. I hate French (or any nation) bashing.
In this day and age, I can't understand why anyone would pass judgment on an entire nation's people due to what their governments do in wartime.
It's unacceptable.