Brief on French politics

[Duskygrin]

Our national presidential elections are due in May next year. Here are the party candidates most likely to win:

Ségolène Royal, from the Socialist Party (PS)

Nicolas Sarkozy, from the UMP (right-wing)

Nicolas's fave word is "rupture". Rupture with the past, with a shirking government that does little to lower the percentage of unemployed (little apart from fiddling with the stats)

Ségolène is a woman, she's lovely, she's calm & poised, & she's the most non-committal candidate in the history of France. I have no clue as to where she stands on every notable issue (namely: Europe, immigration, unemployment, education, economy, foreign exchange)

So my vote is going to tilt towards Sarkozy.

You may assert your viewpoints, assuming you care enough about the question. I'm told foreign papers do.

[T-6005]

I strongly dislike Segolene Royal. She strikes me as extremely evasive on political issues, basically making her a political media-whore.

For the record, though, I'm not voting in the next election.

[Killer Dwarf]

Hey Duskygrin,

Your English is better than mine and it's my first and only language, but I have a question for you.

Why do the French hate the Americans?

[0r4ng3]

Because of generalizations like that.

[Killer Dwarf]

Because of generalizations like that.

LOL, thanks but I want a more detailed answer, not a general answer. And from a French not an American.
Unless ur French? Are you French?
Thanks

[RickyCrack]

80% of the world hates America. Why descriminate and just care about the French opinion?

[Sunny]

Hey Duskygrin,

Your English is better than mine and it's my first and only language, but I have a question for you.

Why do the French hate the Americans?

Europeans hate Americans for the most retarded reasons. I'm European, living in the US, and the more time I spend here the more clear it is to me that my fellow Europeans really don't know jack shit about America, and their "hatred" is based on really ridiculous - and outdated - assumptions.

[0r4ng3]

So, uh...why do they hate us? Like, what are these ridiculous and outdated assumptions?

[T-6005]

Who says we/they hate America?

Most of the people I know back home don't care one way or the other. Europeans in touch with the American culture seem to develop a natural aversion to it, perhaps to cling to some kind of identity or to seem more interesting or some other such stupid reason.

[Duskygrin]

Dear Sunny, I would appreciate if you didn't speak for the French. Speak for the Poles, for the English, for the Danes, but not for the French, unless, & I very much doubt it, you have intimate knowledge of the question.

We don't hate the Americans, I'd say it's the other way around, really. We've got no real reason to hate them, there's no century-old enmity between us. Sometimes there happens to have some frictions concerning foreign politics, since France doesn't want to appear as some second-rate power.
We resent (cultural exception oblige) the omnipresent American junk food, junk movies, junk culture. And we've grated the nerves of the Yankees ever since De Gaulle made France able to stand up to its Atlantic neighbour. We know most Americans really feel some kind of mingled jealousy & wonder for our class, chic, & lost grandeur. But we hardly care.

You're not going to vote, Thibault? You know you could vote by proxy though? Anyway, yes Ségolène is most evasive, BUT she has sth which Sarko sorely lacks: she looks FRENCH. Sarko looks Jewish, talks like a Yankee & has the features of some Ashkenazy refugee. I mean it. Most French ppl feel it too, & if you look at Ségolène, cold, pretty, distant, evasive, machiavellian, you get a feeling that she could make a FRENCH president. She resembles Mitterrand, even. But you can't liken Sarko to any president, really. I'm not saying that just because Austin Powers looks English he should get elected as Premier, I'm just saying that De Gaulle had a commanding stature, Mitterrand & Giscard d'Estaing were equally imposing, Jacques Chirac is French to his very fingertips, but frankly, the more I look at Sarko, the more I shake my head in disbelief. On the other hand, take a peep at de Villepin. Tall, handsome, a poet & aristocrat (just look at that mane of white hair), & deeply, profoundly French. The glitch is that I don't like his politics a bit.

And I'm still wavering as to who will eventually get my vote.

[RickyCrack]

Since you're French, maria, (I refuse to give you the satisfaction of capitalizing your name) I really don't respect your opinion.

[Mark_Bryan_420]

Europeans hate Americans for the most retarded reasons. I'm European, living in the US, and the more time I spend here the more clear it is to me that my fellow Europeans really don't know jack shit about America, and their "hatred" is based on really ridiculous - and outdated - assumptions.NOW YER TALKIN'!:D

[Tigger Army]

Europeans hate Americans for the most retarded reasons. (...) and their "hatred" is based on really ridiculous - and outdated - assumptions.

And ofcourse numerous american IDIOTS on forums such as this one ;)

[T-6005]

I like de Villepin.

And the reason I'm not voting is because I know less about French politics than your average Japanese tourist.

[Killer Dwarf]

And ofcourse numerous american IDIOTS on forums such as this one ;)

And stupid clown avatars

[Tigger Army]

I see you felt like you were personally spoken too. I suppose you have your reasons

[Killer Dwarf]

And stupid clown avatarsI see you felt like you were personally spoken too. I suppose you have your reasons



Hmmm, I can see you're upset. Tell me why you think your avatar is stupid...
;)

[Tigger Army]

Hmmm, I can see you're upset. Tell me why you think your avatar is stupid...
;)

oh come on! It's a fucking clown OFCOURSE it is stupid! :)

[Killer Dwarf]

oh come on! It's a fucking clown OFCOURSE it is stupid! :)

No way! I like it.

[Tizzalicious]

This is so strange...

[Sexy Panda]

Wow what a stereotypical frenchperson Dusky makes. I didn't think you lot were really like that (there go those damn generalisations again). Sargolene looks french, now that's an ideological argument that I can get along with.

Yeah that was really naughty of you Sunny, don't speak for the Australians either you bitch.

[Duskygrin]

I like de Villepin.

And the reason I'm not voting is because I know less about French politics than your average Japanese tourist.


Yes, BUT you're giving your vote to somebody else, that may know even less... or that may have a tangentially different opinion from yours. Is this the right choice? Too many ppl act like that nowadays.

[Whiplash]

Europeans hate Americans for the most retarded reasons. I'm European, living in the US, and the more time I spend here the more clear it is to me that my fellow Europeans really don't know jack shit about America, and their "hatred" is based on really ridiculous - and outdated - assumptions.


Thats BS and you know it, Most europeans still respect the US for what they did in the first and second world war, Atleast i still do.


And by the way, Where in europe are from?

[T-6005]

Yes, BUT you're giving your vote to somebody else, that may know even less... or that may have a tangentially different opinion from yours. Is this the right choice? Too many ppl act like that nowadays.
I'm not giving my vote to anyone. If I vote blank, which is what I would do anyway, it wouldn't change the final outcome.

To be honest, I feel that although I refuse to vote due to my ignorance of the situation, there are 50 million others who do vote despite theirs.

[Sexy Panda]

Thats BS and you know it, Most europeans still respect the US for what they did in the first and second world war, Atleast i still do.


And by the way, Where in europe are from?

Really you can't call BS until she elaborates. What you can say is that you doubt her claims and ask her to back them up.

Ending your sentence with 'at least I still do', severely weakens your argument. It reduces the entire breadth of your knowledge down to personal belief.

[Whiplash]

All i'm saying is that i don't know any people who hate the US. And i know my fare share of people;) .

And i don't see any reason to hate the americans, Hate there leaders...ok thats fine.....Hate the population.....thats just bullcrap.....

[Tigger Army]

well yes, Whiplash actually has a point when he says most people hate the US gouvernment and not the people. Ofcourse the Americans are joked about (then again what nation isn't the point of mockery by at least one other nation) but hated? I don't think it's THAT bad.

Oh and Sunny is from Poland by the way