Why do so many Americans hate French people? (fit in, transfer)

[115db]

I dont hate the French. Whether it might be because theres a portion of French Canadian in me or maybe because of all the French people I know, they are the most compassionate, caring, fun people. And I love the French accent.
I have heard though, that the French Canadians arent too friendly with American visitors unless you can speak the language fluently. Ive always wanted to go to Quebec City or Montreal since I was a kid.

[Cornerguy1]

I have heard though, that the French Canadians arent too friendly with American visitors unless you can speak the language fluently. Ive always wanted to go to Quebec City or Montreal since I was a kid.

I've heard the same thing, but I have yet to experience it.

I think when ever you go to a country and don't speak the language, there will always be a certain small group of natives who will mutter the local eqivalent of "damn foreigners" under their breath. On the other hand, I've always had good luck when travelling, whether it be France, Germany, Mexico, etc.

I've found most people respond positively if you make an attempt to butcher their native tongue.

[dazui]

I'm sorry to hear that.I still remember the French people sent the statue as a gift to the American people.It is the symbol of the two countries' friendship.So I believe that their friendship will be continue forever.

[floridadreamer]

The only thing I have heard is the the French are rude and that there's no point even trying to speak french unless you are fluent because they will just ignore you.

Never been to france though. I plan to go, I want to see Paris and Cannes and I have a fascination with french cuisine.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

I have been puzzling over this for years now and can't really understand it. I myself am French ( no rotten tomatoes please ) and have lived in the UK for 18 years and 3 years before that travelling around the US. I sound quite British and always found Americans delightful and friendly but on many occasions I noticed that if they found out I was French, all of a sudden I was virtually ostracized which I find utterly bizarre and upsetting.
I also heard all the jokes about the French being dirty, and arrogant and I can't quite reconcile this with the France I know.
A lot of Parisians are rude and unhelpful that is true ( and as such are very much mocked and disliked by the rest of France) but then again so are a lot of New Yorkers or Bostonians and I have never for one assumed that meant all Americans were thus.
I find people in the rest of France kind and helpful, generous and they generally have a good sense of humour.
There are bad apples like everywhere else but in general it is a friendly place.
France is by no means perfect and yes it does have high unemployment and a lot of social issues which need addressing but I can't see how this justifies the animosity towards an entire Nation. They are a proud people that is true and can be a bit too "self- centered" but I would say this equally applies to America and most countries in general.I have also been dismayed at this blatant dislike of my compatriots as most Americans I spoke to had never been to France and if so had only visited Paris. How can you judge a country if you haven't lived there and don't speak the language ?
Despite all its problems France still has the best (free) health care in the world, accessible to all ( according to the World Health organisation, not exactly known for its pro French bias) , free education and university, good social benefits ( such as paid leave, maternity leave etc...)and still manages to be more productive per hour than a US worker ( only outdone by the Norwegians).
It might not be perfect but it is hardly the stinky pit of Satan's hell which a lot of people in the US believe.
Americans also seem to think the French hate them, IT'S NOT TRUE . Most French people actually really like Americans and love talking to them. If you speak a bit of French to them they open up and making an effort is almost always rewarded ( ask my not very good French speaking British partner of 18 years by a smile and a chat. They don't like American foreign policies but I'm afraid the hard truth is neither does most of the rest of the world. Sorry.
I have actually found myself defending Americans to the Brits who really DO have a very arrogant attitude to the US and do not like them very much at all. I have heard so many snide comments about Americans and some really snobby attitude to a country I am extremely fond of.
As for cleanliness , the Brits are far dirtier than the French any day. Believe me I have seen some true horrors in my time... I have been a member of a home exchange organisation for 18 years and British people are the worse.
I'm sure I have now opened up a can of worms but I would really like some input.

I spent a couple of weeks in France back in the winter of 1998. I flew into Paris, met some people and we hurried off to Lyon on the TGV. Beautiful countryside! In Lyon, Bruno, Xavier, Fabian, and Natalie took me to the French Alps (La Sauz, La Super Sauz-I'm not even going to try to spell it right) where I went skiing for four days. We were on this pummel lift that went up at an 85% grade and I thought, "It would be a bummer to fall over here", so guess what I did? I fell, but I didn't let go! I hung on and regained my balance! Xavier said, "Supier!") Then it was back to Lyon to feast on cheese, chocolate, and every kind of crepes, the best coffee, etc. Then we buzzed on over to Geneva where I got a Swiss Military watch. Then I spent the last week in Paris.

It was fun and expensive, but definitely worth it. When I saw people I didn't know and tried to speak French or politely ask "Parle vue Englay" or how ever you say that, all I got was the dirtiest looks. They hated me. No doubt about it. I'm sure it's strictly political. I don't know anything about hating the French. I do know what it's like to be hated by them though.

I found the country rather nice. The French seem like really good people to me as a whole. I love the tradition and culture. They pay so much attention to detail and seem to try really hard to live right and perhaps struggle to make ends meet like the rest of us. If I was richer or could speak the language, I might have had an even better time. I'd hope that I'd be more accomodating to any foreigners that visited my home town. I don't hold it against France as I know that if I went to Ireland, I'd have a hard time as an American, even though my dad came from there himself.

[621nat]

Hello guys - what a heated debate !!

Hello-world fogive me for being a tad naive at times but as explained before, like Chrysilla, I am only going from my own experiences and as a Franglaise I have always found that if I make an effort to smile at people & engage conversation whether in the States or Europe 9/10 times I am met with a similar attitude & I have met some fab people worlwide.

If anything my "I am Frrrench" has usually been met with "Oh I love France !" or "oh I went to France last year " "oh my mum's in France at the moment" etc etc - yes we all have culture differences but I think that generally people will get on if they start on the right foot - a lot of these "the french are rude" clichés are just soooooo old now, like the french with the old beret and baguette in hand ..a lot of it fuelled by the media and general ignorance.
Yes some french people are rude and ignorant but don't you get this type of people in every country these days really ??? you want to come to england ..the old "gentleman" image is not quite what it used to be with some of the new generations I can assure you !

anyway enough rambling more love I say - I am going on a 2 weeks trip to states in october so will report back after that & let you know how I was welcomed ! good w/e everyone

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by 621nat

Hello guys - what a heated debate !!

Hello-world fogive me for being a tad naive at times but as explained before, like Chrysilla, I am only going from my own experiences and as a Franglaise I have always found that if I make an effort to smile at people & engage conversation whether in the States or Europe 9/10 times I am met with a similar attitude & I have met some fab people worlwide.

If anything my "I am Frrrench" has usually been met with "Oh I love France !" or "oh I went to France last year " "oh my mum's in France at the moment" etc etc - yes we all have culture differences but I think that generally people will get on if they start on the right foot - a lot of these "the french are rude" clichés are just soooooo old now, like the french with the old beret and baguette in hand ..a lot of it fuelled by the media and general ignorance.
Yes some french people are rude and ignorant but don't you get this type of people in every country these days really ??? you want to come to england ..the old "gentleman" image is not quite what it used to be with some of the new generations I can assure you !

anyway enough rambling more love I say - I am going on a 2 weeks trip to states in october so will report back after that & let you know how I was welcomed ! good w/e everyone

i would agree that things can seem real nice on vacation here or there. and a smile and some conversation can seem real nice and often evoke the same. at the same time, i think when you really get to know people in some places, you then really get to know some of their more inner feelings on some things, and their habits, etc.. i do know that many americans have a bit of an "us or them" (there's a funny Onion article from a couple weeks ago at theonion.com about this) mentality that tends to be a bit sound byte and "ain't lettin' go of all the stuff i have, and anyone says i might ought to, well, 'f' 'em and they deserve what they git, then" derived. many americans might think france sounds real nice in some ways, and might think "how neat-o! yer from france?!! what's it like living next to russia?!?" while many of those same people might never, ever, actually enjoy spending much more time in france than a little vacation: many of those people would probably feel those differences in more than that time and might feel pretty laughed at (which, to some extent, they very likely would be, wouldn't they?). once they felt someone - forbid - critiqueing some american ways ("gawd bless america!! USA! USA! USA!"), they might then begin to hate the french.

[cooldude11]

There's really no way to put this without coming across angry sounding but it seems like half of all people are ignorant.

I was born and raised in Kentucky and I use the words "aint" "furget" "sumpin" "dat" and "tators". But no matter what anybody thinks about the way I speak, I still have an official IQ of 162 and my one and only ancestor that started this family was an immigrant from France in the late 1700s. So in that way you could say I am french. A funny note though, I didn't find this out until I was in my 20s but my whole childhood I had a strong desire to learn French and use to check out the listening courses from the library. How strange is that?!

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by cooldude11

There's really no way to put this without coming across angry sounding but it seems like half of all people are ignorant.

I was born and raised in Kentucky and I use the words "aint" "furget" "sumpin" "dat" and "tators". But no matter what anybody thinks about the way I speak, I still have an official IQ of 162 and my one and only ancestor that started this family was an immigrant from France in the late 1700s. So in that way you could say I am french. A funny note though, I didn't find this out until I was in my 20s but my whole childhood I had a strong desire to learn French and use to check out the listening courses from the library. How strange is that?!

Do it ! French is a beautiful language, hard to learn but worth it !

[jason1117]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

Do it ! French is a beautiful language, hard to learn but worth it !

I like France.

But French is by no means a beautiful language for a foreigner.And it doesn't seem to be very useful unless you are going to relocate to Montreal.