Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Perhaps this belongs on the "French-bashing" thread, or not?!

Newguy... more folks than you would think go in the Peace Corps not long after military service (there were two recent Vets in my group), looking for travel, adventure, and not being ready to settle into a "9 to 5" yet. If I had it to do over, I might go into the military first too.

Thank you for your service.
Birdwatcher

Birdwatcher I can not go into the Peace Corp because of the job I had in the military... we are specifically prohibited. Thanks for the the thanks...

Leadslinger I believe I agree with you. tom

I�ve been hanging back on this thread but thought I�d toss in my two cents.

The French government is a foreign and domestic disaster and has been at least since WWI. That being said, my wife and I honeymooned in the mountains of France. We skied, we visited wineries and drove around the mountains and valleys. We speak enough French to be polite, order food and ask for directions. We were treated graciously and pleasantly the entire time, just as a French visitor would be in our countryside. We were not in Paris and our only interaction in a bigger city was flying into Lyon and the Hertz lady was nice. I do not expect to get treated pleasantly in any big city be it NYC, Berlin, or Tokyo. Not that I�ve been treated poorly in those places but you get treated as you are in any city. I�ve also traveled extensively in a dozen other countries and spent time in the countryside and the theory still holds up. I am a country person at heart and we are all the same regardless of the language we speak.

The French military I have spent time with in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo is frankly embarrassed by their government. They are a tough capable lot guided by the aforementioned government. This is backed up by fellow officers who have worked with them, one as the CO of an assault ship and one who did two years at the French War College and as an instructor at the NATO EW school.

Allen

Bill,

Your allegiance to France explains a lot about your feelings toward Mexico. Since France has been overrun by, well, just about everybody your conditioned reflex about Mexico doing the same thing here is understandable.

Don't worry though - France doesn't have any Texans and we do.

LMAO
tom

Pugs:

My comments are primarily directed to the French citizenry and common populance. Their attributes, craftsmanship, art, literature, construction, cuisine, wine making, castle building, cleanliness, attention to health and environment, architecture, perfumes, clothing, Haute desigh, fashion, cinema, music, unparalleled awesome history, and on and on, are outstanding and a joy to behold. A nationality that has achieved excellence in living which eclipses 99% of the rest of the world. One absolutely spectacular example of human evolution over thousands of years.

I know very little and next to nothing about French politics. I never, ever discuss it with anyone. *( There was a time long ago when I did and I renounced it years back as a serious impediment and distraction ). Therefore, I draw a very sharp demarcation between the politics and Francaise, Gouvernement, and the common people.

I made the mistake of entering into a political discussion with a Frenchman about the last French election's candidates and I got my head handed to me on a platter.

From that I drew the conclusion that supporters of Bill Clinton and supporters of George Bush are not a good analogy for judging Americans and by the same token cannot be reliably and honestly applied to French politics for understanding the French people.

Bill Tibbe

Mr Wetibbe

I live at 100km of the french border
I'v been thousand times in France
I'v got a lot of french friends
during what I will call my "time in the army", we shared some barracks with french soldiers (the "Legion")
and I watch french TV every day.
I speak French......as good (and even better) than a Frenchmen

I hope everyone will admit that I know a little bit about this subject .....

well, I think your analysis is absolutly right..

.... anyway there are some French just worth to be hated......I'll tell you about that later on.... about a little city named "Chooz"...you'll understand!

but now, it's high time for me to go to bed, tomorrow will be a hard-working day.......

" see" you tomorrow : J-P

No problem Bill. With my limited French vocabulary I tried to engage a gentleman who had brought a Geranium to the bar. My wife still recalls it as one of the funner moments of the trip. My lesson, politics and shrubberies do not translate <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Jean-Pierre, why did you change your username? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

B'sW

B'sW,

I thought it could be useful to have an username that shows where I come from.... So that everyone directly knows that I'm not English-speaking

But I'm registered on others forums (Dutch & French ones) where my username is just "J-P" ( pronounce "g-p�") it's better to have the same name everywhere; maybe just in order to remember who I am

Gee-Pee, maybe you can help me with a question that has bothered me for a long time.

People from France are called French.

People from Holland are called Dutch.

How come people from Belgium are not called Belch?

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


BCR

BCR, would that same formula make the folks from the Faro Islands.................................................................................


.........Farts?

GTC

There must be something funny somewhere.......but I don't get it......

you may call people from the north "Vlamingen" et people from the south "Wallons" do not forget inhabitants form the middle who should be called "Bruxellois" or "brusselaars"

Honestly, I don't know how are named german-talking belgians at the east....

If you want, I can tell you more but maybe should you get some headache-pills first <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

bog,
the short name is belge. Not sure if I spelled it correctly. Which is taken from the french name for Belgium which is la Belgique
.
J-P Are you near Bastogne? tom

I'm near Li�ge now, not so far from Bastogne (where they still remember a certain Mc Auliffe and his buddy Patton)

Make that Gee-Pay (not pee), with the G pronounced as a soft G, not a hard one (sort of like the G in "gym," but not exactly).

B'sW

Spoken like a true 'teacher' <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

J-P

You are quite welcome here from my log, lite, set and enjoy. Your english is more the fine Sir.

Now looky here B's W I speak Texican and some cow pen Mexican and a tint bit of Cajun French. Don't go expecting me to know how them Belches pronounce the alphabet.

You P your way and I'll P my way. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

BCR