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The bit at the end about Australia reminds me of some old extremely acrimonious discussions on SHWI about Australia's carrying capacity.
I am not sure it's possible to discuss anything (on the internet), from space travel to adorable kittens or jello recipes without ending up in a discussion on health care systems or self aggrandizing nationalism... or both (and from there... to Hitler!).
Starting with France just makes that inevitable journey a bit more direct.
Starting with France just makes that inevitable journey a bit more direct.
Edited 2010-07-21 16:06 (UTC)
Yeah, but France really sucks because when I flew home from Paris on Air France last week the Coffee Maker and the Espresso Machine weren't working on the plane. It was horrible. Had to make due with wine.
I wouldn't expect it to be in any broadly public forum, no.
Lots of people seem to be terribly threatened by the fact that the French are having the kind of lives they want (to the same degree that Americans are having they kind we want) and they're different from ours.
Which is a shame, because the comparisons, if I could get information I believed, would probably be interesting.
Lots of people seem to be terribly threatened by the fact that the French are having the kind of lives they want (to the same degree that Americans are having they kind we want) and they're different from ours.
Which is a shame, because the comparisons, if I could get information I believed, would probably be interesting.
Charlie let Stevar back? tsk. The only thing people like Stevar understand is the fist. And the slap. and the kick to the crotch. and the ritual humiliation. Except I think he craves it. But I digress.
Well, I lived in Canada for about six years, and noted that a discussion of things like, say, level of social services a government does/should provide quickly devolved into nationalism about the absolute moral superiority of Canada. (Although I suspect that if I'd known any Tories the flavor of said conversations might have been different).
There are many Americans whom I feel are morally superior to our current Tories if that helps. Unfortunately I think our Tories are modeling themselves after the Americans to whom I feel superior.
if I'd known any Tories the flavor of said conversations might have been different
I dare not mention the title as the story is not yet published but I think everyone here will be thrilled to know that I got a story featured 1: a community of grasping, lazy welfare bums taking advantage of their betters thanks to a soft-headed reformer and 2: an oppressed ethnic minority who turn out to be reflexively violent back-stabbers if not kept aggressively oppressed by their betters.
Interestingly, it was a fantasy novel and not SF.
I don't know how you survived. I bet the wine was that crappy drinkable stuff that had a complicated flavour, compared to, say, alcoholic grape juice?
I could barely choke down more than four or five glasses of the stuff.
Chic. No one, no one, has chic like the French. This holds as true for the overseas departments such as Martinque and Guadeloupe, as well as for former colonies such as Vietnam and Senegal. A Frenchwoman knows how to present so little with an elán that nobody else can rival.
Not any accident the Fre3nch invented ballet and the swashbuckling historical adventure, via Dumas.
There is wine, also.
Love, C.
Not any accident the Fre3nch invented ballet and the swashbuckling historical adventure, via Dumas.
There is wine, also.
Love, C.
Spanish does not prevent such devolution.
I was thinking about it, but I am an ignorant american, so all I really know about is California And any time I came up with a list of good things, the other side kept filling my head.
I seem to recall that was Dan Moran's response to why the French rule the world in his Continuing Time stories -- they just seemed cool to him when he was a kid.
The meme was to come up with 5 nice things about a country you did not currently, and had never lived in. While I am certian there are people who read that blog who do not live in the US.... there are a lot of other places also worthy of mentioning.
Everyone mentions the wine, but I find I enjoy Italian wines much more than French wines. I am a fan of traditional French "home cooking" meals, though.
I'm struck by how no one there put up a list of five great things about living in the good old U.S. of A...
Does this count as evidence that one can't even have a discussion about the possibility of finding nice things to say about France without the ensuing discussion rapidly devolving, etc?
Does this count as evidence that one can't even have a discussion about the possibility of finding nice things to say about France without the ensuing discussion rapidly devolving, etc?
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