Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Here's the article that I love so much about the French giving themselves a low rating:

Takes one to know one


Think Americans are the only ones with a low view of the French? According to new poll figures, even the French public has surrendered to self-loathing. A survey conducted by the International Herald Tribune found a whopping 44 percent of French people took a negative view of their fellow countrymen, outstripping even the United States' negative view of France. Among Britons, 33 percent held a negative view of the French whereas only 29 percent of Spaniards and 14 percent of Germans did.


Oh...and if we didn't already think the French were lazy enough? Check out the latest quote:

"Why not a nap at work? It can't be a taboo subject."

French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand on plans to promote on-the-job napping in France. The country already has a 35-hour work week and liberal vacation policies, but the ministry says one in three French people isn't sleeping enough.



Perhaps that's why they have such a low esteem of themselves...Guess we'll never know. I would like to note, though, that we probably shouldn't diss the French too much. Pride comes before a fall, doncha know.

12 comments:

Mark Watson said...

A law that allowed sleeping on the job would be totally awesome. Period. I want to move to France now.

*goes off to brush up my French*

Allegra said...

LOL! Yeah, sleeping on the job would be pretty sweet. My dad would LOVE that job...

(Do you really know French?)

Mark Watson said...

No, I don't know French. It's sad.

Anonymous said...

It's hard not to dis people who ask for it so loudly every day...... :-P

Viva le Frogs!

Allegra said...

LOL, you're right as usual, N8 the Gr8...but maybe we Americanos need a little more humility? It seems rather unfair that we dis the French so much...even if they DO beg for it. :P

Keith M. said...

Do you get WORLD magazine?

Allegra said...

Yes, we do. Why? Did you recognize where the quote came from?

Josh said...

lol.

Keith M. said...

No, just the beginning statistics, I barely read world, and when I do, I skim it. So I don't remember everything. But hey, that would be kind of cool. Sitting on a lawn chair, with some lemonade, a donut, a laptop, a pizza...*abandons computer and heads for the phone, refrigerator and garage*

Allegra said...

LOL, Keith! I understand just skimming World when you do look at it. I tend to do that, too. But it is fascinating to read some of their stuff.

And Mark, perhaps Arabic is better.

Josh, I agree with you. :P

Anonymous said...

What happened to our view of the French? Was it for no reason that General Pershing's words, upon landing the American troops in France in WWII, were "Lafayette, we are here"? It was the French fleet and French troops that trapped Cornwallis and ended our War for Independence. In Yorktown, 1781, the defeated British army marched between a column of American and a column of French soldiers. The most important land acquisition in United States history, the Louisiana purchase, came from France. In both WWI and WWII the French stood with the English and other west Europeans against a tide that could have overwhelmed the US Yes, they didn't win, but they fought on their own soil, which is more than we did).

And if this post is right, we can't even accuse the French of being snobs.

But of course, this is a perfect opportunity to quote from Mark Twain's "Essay on Paul Bourget," and I can't resist:

One day something offered the opening, and he said:

"Well, General, I suppose life can never get entirely dull to an American, because whenever he can't strike up any other way to put in his time he can always get away with a few years trying to find out who his grandfather was!"

I fairly shouted, for I had never heard it sound better; and then I was back at him as quick as a flash--"Right, your Excellency! But I reckon a Frenchman's got his little stand-by for a dull time, too; because when all other interests fail he can turn in and see if he can't find out who his father was!"

Allegra said...

Matthew,

I agree with you. Whatever did happen to our view of the French? They were there with us in the Revolutionary War (although later, in their own revolution, they did try to go over our president and appeal directly to the people...but that was one character, Citizen Genet, so I guess he doesn't represent the entire population).

The main problem I have with the French right now is the government that they've chosen to represent them to the world. Then again, ours is not the greatest...maybe the best system of electing governing officials and of ruling ourselves (although we've seemed to give up on that, too), but some of the people who are in our government ought to learn a few things.

Okay, that probably made little or no sense. :S

That's a wonderful quote from Mark Twain! I like...