h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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Why do we hate the French?

I think it's just habit now.

I agree with the language bit, though. You spend ages asking the way to somewhere and get completely blank looks. Then you have the bright idea of showing them a map with the name written down and they say 'Oohh! !' and they pronounce it EXACTLY the same way as you've been doing.

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And it's the Dutch who spoil my holidays. Simply because all camp sites everywhere in Europe are overrun with them. And my children who have been brought up speaking two languages (German and English) can't play with any of the other children there because they all speak Dutch.

My Dad would say that it's because we saved their butt in WWII and they've resented it ever since.

Interesting that you say 'English'. The Scots have this thing that the 'Auld Alliance' allies the Scots with French against the English, problem is, most fFrench haven't even heard of the AA. So what do the Welsh/Scandanavians/other Europeans/American etc think of les frogs?

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We probably do hate the French, but are still quite happy to spend our holidays in their country. I do believe that the French hate the English and the mutual dislike probably built up over hundreds of years. They certainly do seem to make us the butt of all their protests (see other posting).

However, I have discovered that if you are in France and pretend to be Scottish rather than English they welcome you with open arms.

We've been at war with them for *ever* which is why we have a tendency to keep up the tradition of hatred. Not surprising really - they are the closest nation to us, and hence the obvious target for an invasion. And they've done their fair share of invading as well. They still haven't given Calais back...

Because they are there.

Calais was just the *last* town we lost to them, back in the 16th century. Before then, as a result of the invasion by William of Normandy, plus various royal marriages, England actually claimed sovereignty over a large chunk of France. In fact, we even claimed the whole of France, hence the 100 Years War. (It went on for more than 100 years, but when a war has gone on that long, you might as well round to the nearest century!)

As for the 'not washing' thing, a survey some time ago found that the French buy more perfume and less soap than any other European country. Also, Euro-Disney took on people from all over Europe, not just for the different languages, but because they felt that the French could not be guaranteed to be clean, polite and punctual.

I'm English and I don't *hate* the French. I refuse to judge a whole country on the actions of a few of its inhabitants. I *dislike* certain things about them, having met some poor examples, but I've also met some nice ones, so it evens out.

While I agree I don't "hate" them (the whole of this thread has to be takern with a lot of salt) I have yet to meet one I like
I don't think we DO have any French researchers. Not their type of humour. Do the French in fact have a sense of humour?

The film "Delicatessen" is probably one of the 10 funniest films I've ever seen. Much much much much much funnier than, say, "Strange Creatures" or "East meets West" or any other British comedy film of the last decade...except, I suppose, "A chicken run".

So - we'll call it a draw then?

I wish I could remember who it was said:
"Only the English could think that the French are the most hated nation on Earth"

Those English who do hate the French (which, I concede, is most of us) probably do so because we feel inferior. They are more stylish and better-looking, their country has better weather, their economy is healthier (despite all the strikes), their food is better - and don't even mention the wine. It's no contest.

And we suspect they're cleverer than us, because we don't understand how they think.

I agree with most of the above [not the wine bit, very good wine from many places these days]. As I said earlier ..it's because they are there - France that is , instaed of us. Thats part of it anyway. Another part is that they seem to hate us - or at least not to care.

How can people who don't wash be stylish? and I am certainly better looking than any French woman I've met. ()

eh bon, c'est ca?

I was about to post this in the 'British English' thread, but I guess here is a better place.

Like with any other country, there's a massive difference between the French people as individuals, the French people acting politically en masse, and the French government.

Virtually all the time I've spent in France has been in various mountain regions, (usually outside the mad holiday rush of the Grand Vacances) and have always found the people really friendly and welcoming, though from experiance in other countries, I suspect that living in the mountains rather than large cities probably plays some part in that.

I wouldn't say the English *hate* the French, however much xenophobia a few cheap tabloids might try to stir up. Some of the actions of some French people (due to a large part to the inaction of their Government) can be frustrating or expensive for anyone caught up in them, but a lot of that is down to an accident of geography - England isn't really on the way to anywhere else in the sense that France is, so a blockade of UK ports wouldn't annoy the French anything like as much as their blockade of their own ports annoys some of us.
However, over the centuries, I'd say being part of an island close to, but not attached to, the rest of Europe has probably worked in England's favour, compared to that of France, but relative isolation does have the occasional cost.

Certainly, (like in most other countries, including the UK), there is an element of hypocrisy in the statments of some French politicians. When they talk about the inaction of the police in certain demonstrations, I strongly doubt it's so much a matter of 'people's right to protest' as to whether the establishment thinks the political fallout from stepping in will be worse than that from doing nothing. I suspect that if a load of Algerian-French people started barricading streets in Paris, there's a fair chance that there would be a somewhat more rapid, robust, and possibly even lethal response.


Now, when you get on the topic of *a relatively small but noisy fraction of* Scots hating the English, I suspect that many of the ones that do (like racists the world over) have simply been miseducated by backward-looking bigots, and haven't developed the experience or sense to see differently yet.

Short of the odd bit of national stereotyping, I can't honestly say I've come across many English people who were anti-Scot, except possibly in reaction to being personally blamed for (sometimes entrirely understandable) historical events from centuries ago.

So, with all you comedians out there, why hasn't anyone posted the full text of "that's why I hate the French" by Rowan Atkinson (I can't remember anything more than the title.

So here's my twopennorth: They think they're superior. They think they're better looking / stylish. etc. etc. But they're not. I love wine, but for a bottle costing 6 to 10 of your British quids I'll go for Australian any time. More than 40 quids: French every time. They mangle our language (but I have to admit I love talking to French men on the phone... swoon!) Their manners, driving & service are excrable. But most of all it's their damned superiority complex. Aarrgghhhhh. And when I eat their cheese (which is about every day) I have awful conflicts within. Should I support their economy / Should I deny myself cheese heaven (although the best cheese by far is Wensleydale)

Thought I'd let you all know.

Stylish? My arse!
Most of the French tourists I have come across (having never been to France in any of my worldly travels) wear faded jeans, green/blue plimsolls and rucksacks (of a non-mountaineering variety) slung over both shoulders - all definite style faux-pas' in my book (of supreme style )!

An American point of view on the French... I have never been there (and don't really have any inclination to either) but they come to visit the states and are by far the rude most ignorant torist I have ever come across. They have such thick accents it is sometimes very had to understand them and when you ask them to repeat it they act like its your fault.

They wear too much perfum which for someone allergic to it (me) it makes it very hard to be in the same town as them. Theres my two cents.