An associate and I went to France recently for business, and when we walked into a cafe we went over to the counter and asked, "Do you speak English?" in our very American accents, just to see if they were so contemptuous of Americans as everyone says they are. The people behind the counter looked at each other and smiled, then started jabbering away at us in French. People in the cafe also started talking and some people even got up and came over to us to shake our hands, smile at us, and jabber. I guess they were doing that because they ARE contemptuous of Americans, and they thought we couldn't speak French. Then after we'd taken it for a while, my associate looked around at them all and smiled back, and started to jabber back at THEM in French, and they all looked really shocked, and everyone stopped talking except for him.
Why do the French act that way toward us?
2006-12-01 17:15:36 · 11 answers · asked by Kaylie 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
And at least some of them could speak English as we found out later.
2006-12-01 17:16:18 · update #1
they did that b/c they thought you didnt speak french so they started to make fun of you that you didnt know french and when your associet said something in french they said oh they do speak french we better shut up b/c americans are tough
2006-12-01 17:25:58 · answer #1 · answered by Noel N 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The French hate everything English (Though the socialist Brits forget this.)
It appears to be a long standing argument, somewhat similar, but less violent, that Shia vs Sunni or Protestant vs Catholic.
They hate me because I'm an American, and I prefer California wines when available, or Australian and Italian wines.
Through two world wars my parents and grandparents fought and suffered to free the French. In return, they took money from Saddam and sold to him their UN vote on the Security Council.
I do not care at all if Iran wishes to annex France. I will participate in anti-war demonstrations to protest any act of American troops to free the French.
And yes, I too, hate mimes.
(www.f___france.com is a great source of entertainment regarding the subject of France. You'll need to decode the ___ yourself. )
2006-12-01 17:36:42 · answer #2 · answered by Boomer Wisdom 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
let me say this....i am French by herritage...
now let me say this...(long story short)
when i lived in ....Brittan...Germany...Turkey....and visited Mexico.Lebanon...and a few others ...
i was treated like dirt! ! because i was American !
If you haven't gone over there ...visited another country ...
you will never know some of the things i do! Most Americans are treated like dirt in a different country .
WHY ?
because we are progressed in most areas and that brings on a fear in those areas. here is something to think about , which a lot of others cant enjoy...
most of us have to drive to work....not a horse , or walk or .....
most of us actually have a job....over there , a lot don't...
we have clean water and a lot over there don't.
That doesnt mean that the countrys that are (and willing or able) to be advanced like we are ...don't have some of the same things we do! but we are the last "SUPER POWER " on this plannet.
all you have to do is look what the Americans have done in the last 200 years! and a lot of other countrys have done nothing ! (mostly due to greed from their govts.)
When we send money to help out poor countrys , where do you think it really goes? to the poor people..not hardly! ! only a very small portion goes to the hungry etc..the rest is either pocketed or used for weapons of destruction. "GUNS"...
here is a bad thing though...we have been shooting at ourselves for a long time! you have the internet , look for your self! where do you think the Taliban cane from ???? yeah it was something we started and paid for now they are shooting at us with our own money! Kewl no?
2006-12-01 18:16:31 · answer #3 · answered by thunderson 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They are acting worse with french canadians.
It's pretty simple, if you live in France you think that you are the best and that you know everything; and this my friend is almost a fact. Americans don't think that they know everything, but they don't know how much they don't know.
Look at how many americans have a passport. 15-20%!
2006-12-01 17:50:48 · answer #4 · answered by heicktopiertz 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
American people in general are wonderful; French folks are marvelous too.
Life gives you back the currency in which you do business.
Not every person is honorable weather French, American, Iraqi, Canadian, etc. See the best in others & it generally comes back.
God bless............
2006-12-01 17:21:38 · answer #5 · answered by ThomasR 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ahhhh....In France...both the women and men there are all cork soakers!!
That is why.
Let a french girl soak your cork just once and you'll know what I mean.
2006-12-01 22:03:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe also look at even a bigger picture,...They have a "different culture"... Any foreign person have similar yet, different behaviors than an American person is use to...
2006-12-01 17:33:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
From what I understand, the French treat everyone with contempt
2006-12-01 17:19:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
The answer is jealousy remind them what we did for them in World War 1 ansd 2.
2006-12-01 17:20:36 · answer #9 · answered by devora k 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
maybe they think that they are different in many ways and thought that you were making in fun of them 4 the way they talk
2006-12-01 17:19:09 · answer #10 · answered by steph 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋