Topic: The French

[Gerald Fjord]

[Buelligan]

but... in this scenario isn't that poor woman analogous to the people who were made to feel stupid for mildly mispronouncing "rouge", who you've then been quite snippy with?

Yes.  But no.  I thought the supermarket tale and the other one were about people repeating a word once once they'd finally realised what it was the foreigner was trying to say (and the joke being how bizarrely these people pronounce their own language).  And, in the case of the supermarket dad, the idea that the dad could speak a language well or reasonably anyway and it was in fact the native speaker who couldn't.  Other than that, yes.

[gilbertharding]

Just remembered one more fact:

71% of The French can't say "clothes" properly, and always say "clothes-eese". It's weird, the rest of the time their English can be impressive but they often struggle with that word.

Not just that. I spent a week in Boulogne in the 80s on an exchange visit with a family of Rolling Stones obsessives. I'd only a passing knowledge of the band, so they showed me a picture and told me who was who. In spite of their pronunciation I got the idea of Mick, Charlie and Bill... but the way they pronounced 'Keith Richards' left me utterly baffled. It sounded like they were trying to hawk up some stubborn phlegm, more than anyone's name.

[gilbertharding]

Not France, but in Italy, on a field trip as part of my architecture degree course, I managed to persuade a fellow student that word for 'I would like...' was 'Due' and then laugh at him being puzzled about getting two of everything.

[Alberon]

Just remembered one more fact:

71% of The French can't say "clothes" properly, and always say "clothes-eese". It's weird, the rest of the time their English can be impressive but they often struggle with that word.

The French, earlier.

[The Boston Crab]

No you didn't.

Yeah I did. I actually cut out a lot of stuff like brushed my teeth and stuff.

[solidified gruel merchant]

I think you must have been in Homps, not far at all from the batcave.

Who told you this absolute balderdash?  I work in a restaurant btw and see, with my own dear eyes, the horrendous amounts of snap these people neck.

It absolutely isn’t balderdash. There is tremendous pressure on women to be thin in France, as there is in Italy. My own step daughter has suffered from this, and my French wife has had eating disorders. I think it may be worse in the south, but I’ve heard many times that it is country wide.
Also, trying to do banking or any utility services in France is a nightmare. They’re about 20 years behind.

[Buelligan]

I don't understand the relationship between thinness and banking or utility services but as a woman who has lived for long periods in both the UK and France I can tell you that the pressure to be thin is not noticeably different between the two.  Eating disorders exist in both locations.  And you can pay your phone bill by telephone.

[Captain Z]

And how are you supposed to pay if you don't have a phone?

[chveik]

Also, trying to do banking or any utility services in France is a nightmare. They’re about 20 years behind.

bollocks

[solidified gruel merchant]

bollocks

Pardon? No it isn’t. I’m sure there’s an element of subjectivity here but even so, no it isn’t.

[solidified gruel merchant]

I don't understand the relationship between thinness and banking or utility services but as a woman who has lived for long periods in both the UK and France I can tell you that the pressure to be thin is not noticeably different between the two.  Eating disorders exist in both locations.  And you can pay your phone bill by telephone.

My wife has also lived for long periods in both countries and she says it’s so much worse in France than here. General attitudes in France are a lot more chauvinistic than here.
How long has it been since you lived in the uk?

[Howj Begg]

Don't know if it's "behind" but it is very misleading, pedantic and twatty. I was turned down for a French passport this year, and I was frankly (arf) relieved as I was already sick of the process. The information on the consulate website was actually incorrect, and I had to spend a shitload of money to even find that out to even get an appointment. I sometimes think French bureaucracy is a big practical joke that someone is enjoying, somewhere. I agree on the chauvinism, too.

[Buelligan]

What do we mean by chauvinism?  I can only tell you what I've experienced and being denigrated, ignored or undermined by a French man is a pretty similar experience to being treated that way by an Englishman.  Is there an internationally recognised chauvinism hardness scale or somesuch that I'm not au fait with?

And how are you supposed to pay if you don't have a phone?

That's how they catch us all in the end.  Then they send in the huissiers to take our worldly goods in payment of the debt, as is only correct.

[Endicott]

I think the suggestion is that more french men are chauvinist. It's all going to be a bit subjective in my view. There was a story earlier in the year about some French men being chauvinist twats, I'm not saying this is the best version of the report available but it is the first one to come up in my google search.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/world/europe/la-ligue-du-lol-sexual-harassment.html

Now I also heard these women interviewed on UK radio and they were asked to compare UK vs FR. To the best of my memory they said:
- Sexual harassment FR worse
- General workplace bullying for other reasons UK worse
and some other things but I can't remember them now.

[Buelligan]

Yes, I've heard of these people, of course.  I don't see that as evidence of a national trend any more than Trump's pussy remarks mean that all Americans are bastards.  And, you know piggery knows no borders.  I know there are little groups of men all over the world acting like cunts to women.  Each person must speak for themselves, of course, but IME, there are some unpleasant/very unpleasant men in the world, I believe they're in a minority and I'm glad of that.

[Howj Begg]

I mean nationalist or cultural chauvanism. Again, I am genetically 50% French, so don't think I am not invested in this personally, but I have sometimes found a sort of aspersion cast on you if you don't adhere to certain cultural norms, and then there's the language politics issue too. If you don't speak English in London or Birmingham, it's mostly fine. If you speak another language in France, it can sometimes be treated with arrogant condescension, or worse. I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but I do think the French are well known for their cultural and linguistic chauvanism, and I've experienced it, even from Frenchies in London.

Bear in mind, I hate this from anybody, Brits included.

[The Boston Crab]

How can people turn this great thread into this absolute bullshit.

[Howj Begg]

How can people turn this great thread into this absolute bullshit.

welp, my posts were directly related to the op, but you can take over and talk about spunking on your bike while playing the Nintendo Switch for the whole of your adult existence, or summat. 

[dr_christian_troy]

A fond memory of Paris was of many years ago when they had a Virgin Megastore, with a wine bar in the middle.

Bye

[thenoise]

Is it true that Franch smell of sniall poo?

[seepage]

Is Warhammer more popular in France than elsewhere? A few times I've seen a Games Workshop in an incongruous place e.g. on Calvi seafront, inbetween the overpriced boating gear shops. Perhaps the millionaires on their megayachts want something different to do other than quaff DRC all day?

[The Boston Crab]

welp, my posts were directly related to the op, but you can take over and talk about spunking on your bike while playing the Nintendo Switch for the whole of your adult existence, or summat. 

Did you put welp deliberately to annoy me?


Also if you read my post I didn't once mention spunking on my bike, that's somewhere, one of the few places in fact I've never spunked cheers. I'm currently playing Mushihimesama Futari on the 360 if you want to update your spreadsheet bitch.


Gotta be honest it's very 50% french of you to take offence something as innocuous as my comment.

[Howj Begg]

Did you put welp deliberately to annoy me?

Also if you read my post I didn't once mention spunking on my bike, that's somewhere, one of the few places in fact I've never spunked cheers. I'm currently playing Mushihimesama Futari on the 360 if you want to update your spreadsheet bitch.

Gotta be honest it's very 50% french of you to take offence something as innocuous as my comment.

C'est vrai. I'm a disgrace. Gonna go back to lurking on this thread now. The floor is yours.

xls updated

[The Boston Crab]

Je finishe ami, tout yours.

[Ronalado]

what its wrong with FROCK RIBREY head?

[The Boston Crab]

Shed an actual tear at that. All timer of the modern era.