French stereotypes

[NuclearInfected]

You ever notice how stereotypes about the French contradict each other? On one hand they're all a bunch of fancy high-society types, and on the other they're rude, unclean perverts.

[CresIsis]

Also

[CiviLies]

We need our resident French expert, @mysteriouslila

[CresIsis]

At 5/19/14 11:50 PM, CresIsis wrote: Also

I failed to add my picture.

I'm anti-stoned I swear.

[Xenomit]

The only stereotype that I ever hear is that they're all cowardly, which is kinda odd considering they've been the ones to start so many wars, and successfully fought off the Germans in WWI and II.

[KillerSkull]

If you've ever been to France you'd know....

[Viper]

French stereotypes you say....

[NGPulp]

At 5/20/14 12:26 AM, Viper wrote: French stereotypes you say....

It brings back so many memories. Man, I wish they'd re-release this on cinema so I get to see how modern audiences as a whole react to it.

[Urban-Champion]

ever notice how most stereotypes could really be applied to anyone

[Stereocrisis]

At 5/19/14 11:47 PM, NuclearInfected wrote: You ever notice how stereotypes about the French contradict each other?

Go on...

On one hand they're all a bunch of fancy high-society types and on the other they're rude, unclean perverts.

High-society types can be unclean perverts, but I see your point in that French people, like all people, are labeled as something or another. I can see the intergalactic headlines for humans; Highly Ignorant Species Thinks They Have All The Answers About Each Others Personal Lives. Exclusive Alien TV. A higher form of ourselves, with their own flaws and imperfections. They still would make us look like the amoeba though. Beings of pure energy.

[TucoM]

At 5/19/14 11:58 PM, Xenomit wrote: The only stereotype that I ever hear is that they're all cowardly, which is kinda odd considering they've been the ones to start so many wars, and successfully fought off the Germans in WWI and II.

They only lasted 6 weeks in WWII.

[DarkMatter]

my favorite french stereotype, is the stripe shirt smoker with the weird hat I forget what they're called.

[VJF]

I've always heard they look like frogs.

Also, they all must really have bad taste because they love snails and Jerry Lewis.

[koopahermit]

At 5/20/14 01:27 AM, DarkMatter wrote: my favorite french stereotype, is the stripe shirt smoker with the weird hat I forget what they're called.

C'est vrais monsieur. Tout le monde a les berets et baguettes.

[X-Gary-Gigax-X]

Let's see, they smell because of economic mismanagement making bathing only affordable few times per week. They have very bad moral fiber, the origins of which are unknown to me since this has been known since the 18th century. Also their women are very loose for the same reason as before.

That's actually why people think French girls are more attractive than other nationalities. True, there are some remnants of aristocracy still in the gene pool, but the majority are the commoners, the peasants who didn't do a lot of selective breeding.

That's about it. You can tell I don't like the French,

[Voltage]

At 5/19/14 11:47 PM, NuclearInfected wrote: You ever notice how stereotypes about the French contradict each other? On one hand they're all a bunch of fancy high-society types, and on the other they're rude, unclean perverts.

i come from french heritage and all i can say is the French invented/help invent:
the aqualung
the barometer
storage batteries
the bicycle
braile
the electric iron
the guillotine (METAL!!)
gyroscope
interchangeable 'parts'
mayonnaise
the metric system
parachutes
pasteurization
pencil
sewing machine

so if you fit into one of the following groups (arranged by invention most commonly used by group):
sea navigators/explorers
air pilots
used a gameboy or some other electric device that required the use of portable batteries
used a bicycle and/or you are a liberal
blind and use braile
actually need to wear and iron a suit and you're important in the slightest
deserve to die
use guns and/or you are a conservative
you eat anything with mayo + you are completely disgusting
use the metric system or ever need to measure anything basically
jump out of planes, jump great heights and not die
drink milk
have taken an SAT or equivalent test in countries requiring a pencil
wear clothes

you can thank the french and shut the fuck up about why we all are rude assholes that descend from people that you don't even think about in modern times; and the fact we're gross fucking perverts is because we're more imaginative than a carton of cigarette butts

[Loki]

You ever notice how only retards use stereotypes in their everyday life?

[Voltage]

At 5/20/14 03:40 AM, Loki wrote: You ever notice how only retards use stereotypes in their everyday life?

i think it's more "retards joke using stereotypes," but yeah. i mean what are we trying to do on earth? keep up segregation?

christ guys spread international relations, sleep with other races

[NeonSpider]

At 5/20/14 03:40 AM, Loki wrote: You ever notice how only retards use stereotypes in their everyday life?

Is ... is this a stereotype?

[MrPercie]

At 5/20/14 05:01 AM, NeonSpider wrote: Is ... is this a stereotype?

I never really understood what a stereotype is.

like its an amalgamation of all the things we think about a group of people into one.

[NeonSpider]

At 5/20/14 05:28 AM, MrPercie wrote:

At 5/20/14 05:01 AM, NeonSpider wrote: Is ... is this a stereotype?

I never really understood what a stereotype is.

like its an amalgamation of all the things we think about a group of people into one.

Actually that's exactly what a stereotype is. Sounds like to me you understand perfectly.

[mysteriouslila]

At 5/19/14 11:56 PM, CiviLies wrote: We need our resident French expert, @mysteriouslila

I like being summoned. Makes me feel like a wandering spirit. :)

Well to be perfectly honest I have close to no idea what all these things are about. France is a really contradictory country, anyway. The attitudes, accents, food you'll find in the north are absolutely different from those you'll come accross in the Mediterranean region.
I'll try, however, to make out several attitudes that seem widespread all over the country:

- Our personnal hygiene, well there's nothing wrong with it. We live in a society where wearing a sports outfit is only okay if you're doing sports, suits are almost a religion, so is makeup and epilation. French women do not have hairy armpits. On the other hand, almost nobody whitens their teeth, many people (like me) will not wear braces if they can avoid it (hence we do have a percentage of people with not-so-straight teeth). White smiles with straight teeth are called "american smiles" over here. We are clean. Except our public lavatories. They're horrid. Avoid them.

- Cigarettes. The trend is going away, little by little, but many French people smoke.

- We argue. Really. Here, arguing is okay. It's what we do. Discussing politics, disagreeing, expressing views and trying to make a point is what happens when you're at a cafe talking to a bunch of friends, around the diner table, and so on. If a French person asks you "what d'you think?", it's not a rhetorical question. You are not required to agree with us to be polite. Likewise, if you had a disagreement over something with a French, don't think the person will sulk or whatever. As long as there was no personnal insult, it'll be fine. Hell, one of my dearest friends and I once physically fought over a strong disagreement over.... Algeria. We still are the best friends in the world and we'd take a bullet for each other. France is a country where having a strong political opinion is okay, belonging to a political party is okay, demonstrating is okay. You don't have to hide it. You don't have to apologize for it. If you're always agreeing with everyone to avoid being rude and if it seems you don't have any views on any political matter whatsoever, people will think you're a bit stupid. Or not honest. Or both. That's why we have a heck of a hard time dealing with Japanese people, for example. And I think that's why people think we are rude.

- "The French surrender". Do they, really? I think anyone with some common sense and a reasonable knowledge of history sees it is far from accurate. But just, as a people, do we fucking surrender? We are a bunch of stubborn motherfuckers. There's not a year I can recall when I didn't pick up a banner to go to some protest of some sort. We can be pretty laid back. We can be pretty depressed. We can be pretty much acting like "oh what's the point of all this, why even fight...". But brace yourselves when we're not. Good luck when you see the pissed off, strong-minded, determined side of the French. During the French revolution, republicans didn't only successfully fought the king, but also all of the european armies that had come to his rescue. Sure we had many people staying silent during WWII. But there was a minority of French that never gave up. They were a pain in the ass, for pretty much everyone. And in the end, these people, like my granny's dad who died in Buchenwald, mattered more than those who waited for the war to be over. We know how to make a mess. We know how to start riots. We had more revolutions than any other country I can think of at the moment. Why do you think we have a welfare state? Because we're a bunch of lazy bums? Nah. Because we fucking fought for it. Because we burned shit down, made the entire country stop working to get that. And because the state needs to buy peace. France never had a single leader - not even Napoleon- , whether a king, an emperor or a president that was popular for more than a few months. We hate our leaders. With a passion. We are famous for being impossible to rule. We all know "the french surrender" was British propaganda and I have no idea why it reached the USA...

- Baguette. Well that one is not so much a stereotype as a true thing. We daily buy our bread at the local bakery. And a day without bread is a catastrophe that makes us wish we were dead.

- Coffee. In general, avoid contact with anyone from a romance country before they had coffee. If you have a French housemate, make sure you're never the one who finishes the coffee reserve unless you want to be murdered in your sleep.

That's all I can think of for now. Oh no wait.

In France, owning a french flag or having it on your house is not common. And generally it's not even okay. We'd be considered fascists, or hardcore nationalists if we did so. We are generally very critical of our own system, state, and tendencies. Many French like being French but don't really like the idea of France. France has always had a true dualism. We had the monarchists and the republicans, the anti-dreyfus and the pro-dreyfus, the communists and those who liked the General de Gaulle, the pro-european and the anti, and so on. Funny thing, even the most liberal (yes, to us, liberals are rightists.) or capitalist of the French will suddenly stand up for the welfare state he regularly claims to be shit if you begin calling us lazy or whatever. We're not united. We never were. We'll never be. We like it that way, goes well with the whole arguing thing. But the whole French-bashing attitude does make us stick together. I mean, you're a politician that wants to get popular? Find a japanese, an american, a whatever-an dude that said something negative about the French and make a public answer to that guy. Boom, you're now popular.

[mysteriouslila]

At 5/20/14 03:42 AM, Voltage wrote:

christ guys spread international relations, sleep with other races

Is that an offer?

[ManDeep]

At 5/19/14 11:47 PM, NuclearInfected wrote: You ever notice how stereotypes about the French contradict each other? On one hand they're all a bunch of fancy high-society types, and on the other they're rude, unclean perverts.

I've never heard about them being unclean perverts, but all the other french stereotypes are all true. Especially in Paris.

[Ejit]

Well there's hi-fi but they pronounce it 'ee-fee' over there

[SubparTony]

At 5/20/14 05:28 AM, MrPercie wrote:

At 5/20/14 05:01 AM, NeonSpider wrote: Is ... is this a stereotype?

I never really understood what a stereotype is.

After being mentioned more than twice, the word stereotype means when someones believes in something.
That's a rule and a stereotype, obviously.

Also, for the 'white flag" stereotype, as a guy states on the internet:
Germany and USSR invade Poland. Poland fights until it is entirely over run.
Germany invades Belgium. Belgium fights until it is entirely over run.
Germany invades Netherlands. Netherlands fight until they are entirely over run.
Germany invades France. France bellies up while most of it is still free of Germans.

And as my historical knowledge forces me to mention:
Behold the glorious, may I add, Maginot Line. It looks cool doesn't it( image google search Maginot Line, where they will also suggest you images for "failure")? Now the French decided they don't really need much of an army if they have such a beast guarding/protecting them, so they decided to mostly fund this awesome idea instead of the army.

Germans were would get fucked upside down, if they tried break through this line of brutal force and defense. So what they was... well, go around it. Yeah, they went like " Oh fuck Belgium" went through and bypassed the magnificent fortress of the guaranteed victory. Just like that. It took them about half a month to take over Belgium(poor Belgians) and about a month later they took over the powerful France. Dayum!

We fuckin' pushed back the Italians and after that, it took Germans about 3 weeks to take us over.

[LiquidFire]

At 5/20/14 01:32 AM, koopahermit wrote:

At 5/20/14 01:27 AM, DarkMatter wrote: my favorite french stereotype, is the stripe shirt smoker with the weird hat I forget what they're called.

C'est vrais monsieur. Tout le monde a les berets et baguettes.

That made me hot.

[Richard]

At 5/19/14 11:58 PM, Xenomit wrote: The only stereotype that I ever hear is that they're all cowardly, which is kinda odd considering they've been the ones to start so many wars, and successfully fought off the Germans in WWI and II.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjwaqZfjIY

[Viper]

At 5/20/14 12:45 AM, NGPulp wrote:

At 5/20/14 12:26 AM, Viper wrote: French stereotypes you say....

It brings back so many memories. Man, I wish they'd re-release this on cinema so I get to see how modern audiences as a whole react to it.

Not gonna lie, that'd be pretty interesting.

[ManDeep]

At 5/20/14 03:40 AM, Loki wrote: You ever notice how only retards use stereotypes in their everyday life?

Don't be so hard on yourself Loki, you're not THAT retarded.