not in a mood for Francophobia

[winterbadger]

I got yet another mass-addressed email from a co-worker spouting the usual anti-French bullshit. I was refelcting just the other day that I was getting so tired of this. So I hit "reply all" and wrote:

You know, Ian, I'm just not one for France-bashing. I figure the country that pretty much taught the rest of the world what culture, civility, and diplomacy were, that sent us arms and troops during our Revolution when our army was ready to give up and throw in the towel, that lost 11% of its population (nearly 1.3 million soldiers and civilians) stopping the German bid for domination of Europe in World War One when the US lost a gallant 0.37% of ours, which suffered division and occupation by the Nazis in World War Two (taking over half a million casualties in that war, more than half of them civilians), that sent troops to support us in the First Gulf War when we were defending an ally instead of making an unprovoked invasion... I figure that country deserves our respect and thanks, not our contempt, when they decide to disagree with an American foreign policy based on lies and deceit, a unilateralism and aggression we would oppose as a threat to world peace if anyone else were proposing it. But I guess I'm in a minority there.

The only reply so far has been from one of the other addressees and was filled with both vulgarities and poor spelling and grammar.

I think I need to acquire portraits of Bonaparte, Ney, Du Guesclin, Pasteur, Renoir, Baudelaire, Hugo, de Tocquville, Lafayette, Rousseau, Dumas, Verne, and Voltaire and fill my office with them. Maybe include one of de Gaulle, just to piss people off...

Comments

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

bravo, badgie!

(I'm not sure about the deGaulle or the Bonaparte, or a few others about whom I admit I know too little to judge. I'm all for the artists, scientists and philosophers, though!)

[winterbadger]

Well, in the defense contracting world in which I work there is an almost constant stream of stupid, offensive "humour" concerning France's lack of military prowess and how we had to "rescue" them in both world wars because they "wouldn't fight". This is so bloody pig-ignorant (it's even more infuriating when I get the crap from wargamers, half of whom *own* miniature Napoleonic armies--I mean, hello, brain, keyboard, do you meet much at all?) that it drives me mad. Whatever one's impressions of the Capetians, the Valois, the Bourbons, the Bonapartes (NI and NIII), and the various Republics, France has always been one of the world's leading military powers and the motherland of countless warriors, generals, and heroes of note. To pretend that the homeland of Vercingetorix, D'Artagnan (the real one), the Sun King, of Ney le Rougeaud and Murat the Swaggerer (who captured a fortified city by by waving his cane at it, so great was his reputation as a general) of Jean Lannes and Cambronne and "La vielle Garde muert, mais elle ne se rend pas", of Verdun and "ils ne passeront pas", the land of Roland and the Paladins, of Jeanne d'Arc, of La Théophile Malo Corret de Tour d'Auvergne (the "first grenadier of France" who reenlisted during the Revolution at the age of 53 in place of his son whom he wanted to carry on the family line, and whose heart, after he died, was carried on parade by his regiment until 1814, with the senior captain replying "Morts sur le champ de l'honneur!" when his name was called in the roll).. for snivelling little jackanapes who have never seen a shot fired in anger in their lives to pretend that the French lack for bravery and valour is to me both infuriating and inexplicable.

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

Merci, monsieur!

Last year, when I was still employed, one of my co-workers (who thinks along your lines) threw a great "Bastille Day" party at his house, with tricolor cake, various French cheeses and wines, and culminating in a highly off-key and mispronounced group-sing of "La Marseillaise." :-)

[liatha.livejournal.com]

I think I love you

[selki.livejournal.com]

Do people at your place of work spam other co-workers with political stuff much?

Great reply, though I would have de-escalated by just addressing it to him.

[winterbadger]

Do people at your place of work spam other co-workers with political stuff much?

Not frequently, at least not by email. My old department, one entire wall of the cube that held our printers was covered withantiFrench political cartoons.

What does happen frequently is someone in authority, or their admin asst., sending out a message to the entire division or operation, and some poor stupid sods hitting "reply all" instead of "reply". Albert, I'm glad you'll be coming to the division lunch, but I don't think you meant (or needed) to tell us all that.

Great reply, though I would have de-escalated by just addressing it to him.

That would probably have been the wiser course (actually iser probably would have been just to ignore it), but my dander was up.

[winterbadger]

:-) Lucky me! :-)