How great that is ! Go ahead, make our day ! Let's step back for a minute... What can cause an aversion to French that is tantamount to the obsessive speeches and writings of a German leader who was convinced, 70 years ago, that Jews were the symbol of decline ? That everything they did or think was wrong just because they were ... Jews ?! And that France had to be obliterated just because it was... France. Nothing rational here, but caricatural for sure. And good support to make your point. Your great country, which I respect, is leading the world into the 2 worst crises of the beginning of this century: the world is more dangerous than before you invaded Irak (for God and Bush only know why) and you have created the worst economic crunch since 1929 (come to think of it : wasn't that you already in 1929?). Your great nation leaves millions of people in poverty, without access to health care, education, now pushing them in the streets because they can't afford a house any longer.
I understand your frustration: a country that leaves so many of its citizens behind is frustrating, to say the least. Somebody should pay and French bashing is so easy and such a relief. Problem is: it doesn't solve the deep issues of your society.
But caricature is funny. As long as it stays what it is, a blog, a message in a bottle, a pathetic obsessive-compulsive pathology. You (and your country) need a doctor (well, if you got the money of course... but it figures you badly need some). Or maybe it's too much TV, leading you to believe all they say and being influenced like sheeps by Fox ideology. But you're right, we have our problems, health care is too costly, and we have to work longer before retiring. But, no, we don't despise Americans, we despise Busch, one of the worst presidents you ever had. Our hourly productivity is much higher than that of the US. Health care makes it easier for women to have and raise kids, putting France on top of Europe in number of kids per family and ensuring these kids will pay for our retirement pensions. True also: we can't pay this lifestyle forever... just like America can't pay the sacred and high-carbon-footprint American Way of Life forever (sign Kyoto for God's sake !). Your budget debt is skyrocketing and financed by... China. Yes, China pays your way of life... at least for the moment (hope its banking system doesn't go bankrupt by domino effect...). You just added $700 billion on top of it and the story isn't over yet. I just hope, I really hope, that your tremendous mistakes, like the one of 1929, won't create the conditions for crazy dictators to influence people who lost their jobs, their homes and their dignity. Americas behavior for the past 8 years has strictly followed a recipe for disaster. The bomb is starting to explode today... and I don't see what France, a small country (with a big mouth, I agree), does in that gloomy picture. Clean up your mess first. Then you can talk about France if you like.
Michael
A French who works 50 hours a week, and 1 to 2 week-ends per month.

Posted by: Michael at September 23, 2008 11:32 PM

Mr. Michael,

Is there any cliché you won't embrace.

Is there any history with which you are acquainted that doesn't find mistakes anywhere but France? Of course you are not anti-American, it's just that America, Bush or no Bush, is your ready excuse for anything and everything that goes wrong.

Now one trick of argument is to exhaust the other side with correcting your numerous unfactual claims and your disjointed arguments, much as you have here. It is not our job to do your homework, but we will give you some clues.

Here is clue number one, the Great Depression had its origins in Britain's decision to return to the Gold Standard at pre-World War I parities. The United States, with net in-flows of gold, inflated at the behest of Britain. This inflation (scil., more money chasing fewer goods) led to the insupportable boom in both asset prices (i.e., stocks and bonds) and capital goods. Now go do some reading.

Now here is clue number two, Germany invaded France because A) France along with Britian sold out Czechoslovakia, and B) France did not come to Poland's aid per her solemn treaty agreement (the Saar offensive was the opening joke of the drôle de guerre). Now go do learn your own history.

Here is your third clue, "sign Kyoto for God's sake !"? Dear boy, let the current signators (France among them) abide by their obligations, then go beg China to sign (better hurry).

Here is your fourth clue, speaking of who is financing who, who's your daddy?

Here is your fifth clue, we have heard this claim about French productivity vis-a-vis slacker America from several people, but no study is ever cited. Please point us to the INSEE or OCDE table to verify. We'd genuinely appreciate it (Pave does a lot of fact-checking). Or are you just led "to believe all they say and being influenced like sheeps"?

And finally this specious bit of forensic beggary: "Clean up your mess first. Then you can talk about France if you like." Now we would argue if one can only criticize from the position of an exemplar (i.e., your argument), then you must clean up messy France before you can give America instruction or offer criticisms. But here you are -- and with the usual uninformed boo-hoo list of "dark America" complaints. Where do you get your information? Le Monde? La Libé? L'Humanité? "Leading you to believe all they say and being influenced like sheeps" by gauche caviar ideology.

Mme. Lagarde will be glad to hear how hard you work. Why not write and tell her (dircom-cnt@dircom.finances.gouv.fr)? We are not sure why you are telling us, but we too are admirers of hard work. So keep that nose to the grindstone!

Once you have your facts straight, please feel free to respond.

DGB

Posted by: Damian at September 24, 2008 04:55 AM

Is that you talking about "cliche" ! That is incredible ! All the easy unsubstantiated garbage you put in your blog, isn't that "cliché" ? Using caricature just to make your point ?

Of course France made tremendous mistakes in it's history, some of which led to misery, colonialism, and wars. Everybody knows that, it's a fact. But just because that is true doesn't mean France should be the de facto culprit for everything bad happening in this world. At least this is what a rational person can naturally think (unless you're brain damaged).

The same way, I never said America was THE de facto culprit for all the world's trouble and wars. I'm trying to say that reality is not black and white, there are shades of grey that impose each citizen of the world, and each voter, to think about where, when and how his own country messed up big time. And neither America nor France is immune to that.

Your very selective reply to my post speaks for itself.

The Great Depression: what you say is true... when you read Murray Rothbard and believe the theory of the Austrian school is the only valid explanation of course. Because there are many theories for the Great Depression : economists themselves do not agree on what caused it in the first place.

So, go do your reading yourself and try not to read only what supports your subjective standpoint. Structural weaknesses of the American banking system at this time and the wrong actions taken by the Fed are also put forward as reasons why it all started in Wall Street (which, I think, is somewhere in NYC, but I'm French, so, I'm certainly wrong in that also). But, ok, let's say the US played no role in that and Europe only is to be blamed.

Now to the current crisis it "seems" you're having (and spreading to the world thanks to your skyrocketing debt): subprime, housing crisis, foreclosures, credit crunch, nationalization of AIG, etc.. Well, I get it: this is because of France again, right ?

Uh.. maybe not, it's because of the.. Democrats, yes, the Democrats ! They haven't been in the White House for 8 years, but this is their fault.

A side note: deregulation, invoked by some as the underlying cause of that crisis, was reaganomics: but it would be foolish and far-fetched to blame him. First because corrective actions could have been taken before (by Clinton, evidently, not Bush, Bush can't be blamed for any wrongdoing) and second because I think he was one of the best presidents you ever had (Reagan).

The war: Ohh dear... saying Germany invaded France just because of the reasons you mention (which are true) is tremendously restrictive and, I should say, revisionist. Read "Mein Kampf" (it's the kind of book you would love, like people who don't take any critical distance in regard to a content that's just negative and full of hatred): invasion of France was long planned by the mad man who wrote that boring book (which contains lots of historical distorsions: he does it with the Jews, you do it with the French).

But, granted, the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, which put an official end to the first world war, humiliated Germany, and that helped fuel the tremendous hatred of a mad dictator against everything that was not German. It seems you overlooked that fact of history, which would have been much more compelling against France than those you mentioned. Hey, I'm trying to help you!

Putting all the blame of what is wrong in the world on one single people, writing at length words of despise and fueling hatred against one single country: does that ring a bell for you ?

Don't teach us our history. Try to have an objective look at yours instead of spending your time spitting on France. That's pointless and useless. You could blame extra-terrestrials, it would have the same impact.

Kyoto ? You're right. Go tell China. We can do it (and we did it) because we signed Kyoto: you can't (and you don't) because your government didn't commit to anything. And it would be difficult for you to ask your banker (China) to clean up its mess. In particular these days...

Keep your "clues" for yourself: you are in a big enough mess in your country to start giving advice to others.

Now, I haven't seen any reply from you in regard to health care. I know you blame democrats for not delivering on their past promises of changes (Hil. Clinton tried, but America was, and probably still is, not ready for that change. You prefer the "Right-to-Carry", that's a more honorable cause. Gob bless Columbine students and all the others, past and future). But you don't have the courage to tell to a French that they take better care of their people than America does (even though that's expensive and that the system is changing: read more French papers, and you'll know).

Even Cuba and some African countries are ahead of your country, and YOU know that it needs to change.

"Uninformed" you say. Well in today's world, everyone is not as informed as he could be. What do I read ? The New York Times (through which I dropped on this stupid blog of yours), the Washington Post, El Pais, La Vanguardia (that's spanish, in case you don't know), and, yes, French papers and magazines. Certainly not every day, I try to read and understand as many points of views as I can. I'm a longtime Newsweek subscriber and I can hear you saying: that Frog just reads pro-Democrat trash. I also buy Time magazine once in a while.

But because I'm French, whatever I read makes me uninformed, right ?

I watch CNN and CNBC (damn I don't have Fox here in France, we just have communist TV, no free press, everybody knows that), BBC, Sky News, TVE (that's Spanish, again, in case you don't know. Spain is a country south of France, in Europe. You know Europe, the continent responsible for all the world's trouble) and German TV from time to time.

So keep your "uninformed" stuff for yourself.

I admit I could do more. But I don't have the time you have to spend it on making all these posts and working out information to distort in a way that's convenient for you.

You haven't said a word on Iraq: does it make you uncomfortable to have launched a war for no reason, killing civilians, triggering a civil war.... all that for no reason at all ? (except taking an easy target, easy to invade, and with oil reserves?)

If you're proud of that disaster that Bush ultimately decided to trigger, why not stop focusing on the French and spending valuable time on a blog, to engage in the troops and fight to "defend" your country ? Not courageous enough to do that ? Too old maybe ?... (If you have a disability, please, forget what I just said, and here I'm dead serious).

I'm too old to engage in the army and I have a disability: but I did my time and know what it feels to shoot with automatic war weapons. That didn't turn me on. War is ugly and cruel: it's a necessary thing to defend and protect your country. It is not justified when you want to attack a country that never was a threat.

I work for an american company. I work with Americans of all faiths day in and day out. I have a number of american friends (whether Republican or Democrat, I just don't care). I spent time in the US and I love going there. It's a beautiful country where I met incredible people. I have close friends there : we keep in touch, write mails, and get to see each other (not often enough unfortunately).

These people have their point of view, which I respect because they respect me. They recognize what is wrong in America just like I recognize what is wrong in France.

These people represent a majority of your people that thinks that friendship between democracies is what can protect the world from the disasters brought along by extremism, in any shape of form.

The real danger is terrorism. Collaboration between democracies, and understanding that what we have in common represents more than what separates us, is the most powerful weapon we have if we want to crush terrorism and fundamentalism.

This is why I feel so sorry when I see the type of message you convey in your blog. What's the point ? What can disseminating these messages of hatred toward France help you with ? And why France ? It's just nonsense.

I don't expect a rational answer to that. There is no way one can understand fundamentalist behavior and speeches. It can only be shared with other fundamentalists.

You fortunately represent a minority. You're probably afraid an african-american could become the next president: be reassured, it's far from sure it happens.

I wish you "all the best" in your folly. There are fortunately intelligent people that have the final word, like those, Americans and English, that fought nazi Germany to prevent communism from dominating all of Europe.

As trying to discuss with extremists and politically blind people is doomed to fail, I'll stop spending valuable time on that caricature of politics that your blog represents.

As Oscar Wilde said: "Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious". Think about that, if you're able to.

And excuse my French...

Michael

Posted by: Michael at September 24, 2008 11:37 PM

Mr. Michael leaves us loosing his lengthy Parthian shaft. And it's quite a longueur. Mr. Michael apparently thinks extensive typing is the same thing as thorough arguing.

But he leaves not without tears. No, one feels the scalding oceans of hot tears run down his cheeks as he types, plashing on the keys, burning his fingers. He is upset because he says we spread hate. God help him if he ever picks up a copy of Le Canard enchaîné or Charlie Hebdo, either of which does a more thorough job mocking France then we are capable of.

Mr. Michael assures us his silly anti-Americanisms are not hateful -- because he has American friends! By his own logic we cannot hate France (we don't), because we have French friends! The owner of this blog -- by whose invitation we post -- is French. It's all so dizzying.

Because Mr. Michael accuses us of so many things, so freely insults us, we can only attend to the highlights.

He thinks our claims are "easy unsubstantiated garbage" while his opinions are honest attempts at informed discourse. Yet all of our claims are sourced while Mr. Michael's opinions are, well, the only source Mr. Michael vouchsafes us is himself.

Mr. Michael thinks that Mein Kampf is why Germany invaded France, which is like saying your car manual is why the motor runs. Our take is hardly revisionist. It is based on the consensus literature (and this) on the subject.

Mr. Michael's understanding of how American government works is, well, primative. But he is informed -- he reads Time magazine! -- and we are not. Yet we know that a Democratic Congress participates in the legislative process here. We also know that that same Democratic Congress on party line votes has repeatedly blocked or voted down bills for greater regulation and oversight of American financial markets, e.g., S.190. Somehow all this has escaped him. But as we said, he is the one who is informed.

You're probably afraid an african-american could become the next president.

Mr. Michael need never face such a fear in France, where there is not so much as a single black député out of 577, in a country where minorities comprise ~10% of Metropolitan France. We are always amused when a French bigot drops by to suggest we are racist if we are not supporting Mr. Obama -- race being the only thing one could possibly take issue with Mr. Obama. This is so French. Deport your Jews to death camps, colonize and suck the life out of the Maghreb, deny black veterans equal pensions, warehouse your minorities in ZNDs -- and still the French have the brass to tongue-cluck us.

As trying to discuss with extremists and politically blind people is doomed to fail, I'll stop spending valuable time on that caricature of politics that your blog represents.

As Oscar Wilde said: "Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious". Think about that, if you're able to.

And excuse my French...

And -- poof! -- with final instructions for us to think on Oscar Wilde if we are able, Mr. Michael is gone. And not a minute too soon for we feared for his cardio with all the damning spaghetti-punches he threw. Now he is off wasting his valuable time elsewhere. We hope among more congenial opinions that do not threaten his muddled thinking and stupid ideas as we have here.

Another superior French being lost to Pave.

Adieu, donkey.

DGB

Posted by: Damian at September 25, 2008 08:45 AM

Damian, minorities are much more than 10% of mainland France's population. The exact proportion is impossible to work out, but it's more like between 30 and 40%, according to how you define the term "minorities". The entire country is just choke-full of Blacks, Asians and Arabs, to name just a few groups. Comparing the last names in a French telephone directory with those on a list of French MPs is quite revealing of the kind of government we French have.

Posted by: unfrench at September 25, 2008 09:49 AM

Comparing the last names in a French telephone directory with those on a list of French MPs is quite revealing of the kind of government we French have.

M. Unfrench,

This is as excellent -- and concise -- a way to make the point as I have read.

Thank you.

Regards,
DGB

Posted by: Damian at September 25, 2008 04:26 PM

Oh damn... I forgot to delete that "favorite" and dropped on it again. Hey NeoCon (you know what neo con means in French, n'est-ce pas ? Ca signifie, un "nouveau con", ce que tu sembles etre pour ecrire autant d'inepties et autres contre-verites. Et j'espere, j'espere vraiment que tu comprends ce que j'ecris).

Too long my post ? Oh, you can't concentrate long enough ? You like short posts (you're not really an example on that one), so here's an opportunity for you. Short answers expected.

In your blablabla...., just opinion. Again, no responses:

- what about health care ? Still for the richest? with all the others left behind ? (those facing foreclosures) You don't give lessons on health care to others because it is virtually non-existent in "your" country, except for those who can afford costly insurances. What is your proposal ?

- what about Iraq ? Was France (and Hans Blix) wrong in saying there were NO proof of any WMD in Iraq ? Yes or no ? Did you find WMDs in Iraq ? Yes or No ?

- why no commitment on sustainable development ? Too many energy lobbies ? Too hard to change the sacred (and unsustainable) American Way of life? Al Gore is too much of a leftist loser ? Palin more sexy ? (competence apparently not being a criteria for your community)

- Why France ? A small country you have nothing to be afraid of. Unless... unless you're French and spit on yourself. We had French doing this, les collabos, pendant la 2ie guerre mondiale, those who preferred to betray their own country (see below). You're not French ? then, considering your obsessive-compulsive focus on France, you're brain damaged. No cure.

- the Democrats are responsible for the crisis ? Oh dear... 8 years of Bush could have easily put that back on track. He went much further than that... You can only convince red states' Red Necks and some in the House of Reps. of that (they're convinced already, because certainties is what they need).

That crisis, which is now a social one, proves again the lack of leadership of Bush (a "Katrina" chaos in the economy, spreading to the world): we miss the Roosevelt and Reagan of yesterday. And I'm afraid neither Obama nor McCain has the leadership to help America restore confidence in itself (Palin and Biden are no better).
The "wimp" factor is back... I just hope I'm wrong.

- Not a single black depute ? Sure we don't have a lot! but we have black deputes, and black women on top of that. Even one in the government. And another women with Algerian origins. Not in your books, it figures. You're not well informed.

- Your read Charlie Hebdo and Le Canard Enchaine ? Excellent, they perfectly represent the press. They caricature every administration and political figure whatever their side is, just like you do. They do the same with America. Easy reading however. Do you happen to read any other French or non-American paper ? What do you recommend? Soldiers of Fortune ? Guns & Ammo?

- Those deporting jews have been brought to justice, sentenced to death and killed (well most of those we could get... we wish we could get all of these bastards),

- Not going that far back in time, in the 1960's, we didn't call for "whites only" in our universities. You did, and some paid with their lives because they fought for civil rights. Our universities were never closed to people because they were not white. Tell us, what happened in Ole Miss in 62 ? No,... not a presidential debate. James Meredith.

- France played a key role in 1994 Rwanda genocide ? Certainly right, and I hope that will be brought to court soon (thanks to the International Court of Justice, the legitimacy of which the US never recognized).

- Talking justice: when do you close Guantanamo ? How long is your government going to endorse torture, waterboarding and a jail which is a shame for a country that pretends to be spreading freedom and democracy ? Abu Ghraib nostalgy ?Democrats responsible again ? Please, explain for God's sake !

- Talking about spreading democracy and freedom: the CIA has a long history of spreading chaos and misery. Your Freedom of Information Act (excellent act, wish we had the same in France) provides undeniable proof to support that. Sept 11 was a terrible disaster, a trauma lasting for years and probably decades. Sept 11, 2001 ? Yes of course. But not only. America seems to have forgotten Sept 11, 1973. America destroying a democratically elected government and putting in place a dictator. Your country helped directly or indirectly kill more than 3000 people. Good job. Fine mess. In Chile, they didn't forget.

Reponds a ces questions. Je sais tres bien que tes reponses n'auront rien d'objectif. Lorsque l'on est aveuglement partisan d'un point de vue politique ou religieux, on reste sur sa position. On ne pense pas, on veut des certitudes, ca rassure.

Que l'amerique fasse le menage chez elle. Qu'elle arrete d'empecher les gens qui cherchent des solutions d'avancer. Vous avez des "bons", vous ne les ecoutez pas. Et fichez la paix a la France.

Michael
Neither a Donkey nor an Elephant, just a Frog in your own terms.

Posted by: Michael at September 29, 2008 11:35 PM

Et je rajoute: fiche la paix a la France surtout si tu l'as quittee. Tu me fais penser a ceux qui designent leurs favoris des qu'ils ont l'impression qu'ils gagnent. Un vrai "collabo": si la France parlait l'allemand ou le russe, tu serais le premier a deporter les juifs, faire le salut nazi, ou a sacraliser Staline et Poutine.
Miserable cretin. Aucun courage: on passe du cote de celui qui a le plus d'armes et on tire contre les siens.

A French Frog shooting himself in the foot. You're pathetic: what credibility can you have ? None, zero, zilch.

Fais de la propagande pour Obama, McCain, Ralph Nader ou ta concierge: peu importe, sur un blog, on ne peut precher que les convertis.

As you protect and serve the great American Empire against the evil and so threatening forces of France (what a honor!), answer the questions.

Even if hardly anybody reacts to your posts or reads them (other French-bashing blogs and websites are much more active and better informed than yours). Just one to start with (figures that what remains of your brain hardly handles more than 1 question at a time).

Was France wrong in saying there were no WMD in Iraq ? Answer ! you buffoon Frog.

Posted by: Michael at September 30, 2008 10:11 PM

Name:


Email Address:


URL:

Remember personal info?
YesNo
Comments:



Enter the code written above: