[Kevin]

French don't hate Americans... They hate the "Ugly American" tourists (I've travelled with them so I know what they're like -- talking loud and slow in english so non english speakers can understand, etc...) no wonder they think we're all belligerant...

I'm sure if you were French and bumped into enough of those people you'd get a sour taste in your mouth for Americans. This holds especially true in Paris...

In restaurants you get the tourists that freak out when they see something that doesn't resemble a Big Mac... Tourists that just EXPECT French people to all know english...

I speak a little French -- enough to get by... The people I met in France (not in Paris though) would bend over backwards to help you.

For example, a woman in Orleans went way out of her way to help us find our hotel and even went so far as to help us find a good place to park our car.

Their government takes a very pro-arab stance because many of their citizens are Arab or have Arab background. If you go back a in history you'll notice France once controlled a good part of north africa and had many interests in the middle east. Remember those Foriegn Legion movies? To stay in office politicians must pander to the masses and special interest groups that they serve. Why do you think the old Shah of Iran took refuge in Paris in his final years?

Bottom line is -- in America we have our crazies.. Tim McVeigh, Charles Manson, take your pick.. they write books... people buy them. Why should the French be held to a different standard?

LHT
Kevin
MT #5
University of Central Oklahoma