France and the US share more in common than one might expect

In many ways the French have been good friends of the US. They intervened in the USian War of Independence on the US's side and thus tipped the balance for George Washington's bunch of traitors. They donated the Statue of Liberty which the USians are so proud of. They have never been in a war against the United States and are members of NATO.

And France and the US share more in common than one might expect:

Both states claim to be the inheritors of the 18th Century enlightenment
Both claim to be upholders of liberty but with French also being interested in equality and fraternity
Both have firm republican traditions
Both are large, sparsely populated countries in comparison to most other western European countries
Both are unilateralist in diplomatic terms
Both got their arses kicked by the Vietnamese
Both are extremely arrogant nations
So why be down on the French all the time? As far as I can see the USian charge sheet against the the French consists of this:
Surrendered to the Germans during the second world war
Rude waiters in Paris who won't speak English
Doesn't arselick the US in the same way as their near neighbour and tries to follow an independent line in foreign policy
I will endeavour to answer these serious charges:
Everyone in Europe surrendered to and/or collaborated with the Germans during second world war bar the Brits and Russians. So that's a charge you can lay against Italians, Belgians, Swedes etc. So why single the French out.
USian tourists deserve to be insulted and not spoken to in English.
France more or less does what the US wants in most important matters.


www.kuro5hin.org...

Just think it's funny to realise how do relations between countries can be that much stupid.



[Edited on 16-9-2003 by Salem]