The Great Christmas Debate

@izzythepush,

That's what you SAW through your stereotyped lenses, but that's not what actually happened...

@Olivier5,

I can't believe you're still going. That's exactly what happened, you can't accept it, it's all ego, and self-centredness. If you're so offended by stereotypes why do you act in such a stereotypical way? Why not surprise us for once?

There is a German stereotype, which is very much the product of our WW2 mindset. Both America and Britain have a proud wartime record, which is why it still colours our thinking. Much more in Britain than America.

Now Walter has singularly confounded that stereotype with every one of his posts. He is learned, humanitarian, warm, friendly and extremely good humoured. People don't gang up on him.

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@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

If you're so offended by stereotypes why do you act in such a stereotypical way? Why not surprise us for once?

There is a German stereotype, which is very much the product of our WW2 mindset. Both America and Britain have a proud wartime record, which is why it still colours our thinking. Much more in Britain than America. Now Walter has singularly confounded that stereotype with every one of his posts. He is learned, humanitarian, warm, friendly and extremely good humoured. People don't gang up on him.

Are you saying the stereotypED have a duty to educate the stereotypERS, otherwise it's their fault if they are ganged up on?

Okay, for the sake of the argument... But in practice, people who hold such stereotypes aren't known to be fast learners... I'm not banking on them understanding that French people can, for instance, speak decent English... If a French poster would dare write a few sentences in half-decent English, the stereotypers may possibly start to wonder if said poster is really French, rather than revise their stereotype.

Walter is a gentleman. He doesn't reply to provocations or aggression, and that's admirable. Not sure he does that as a conscious attempt to contradict the "aggressive German" stereotype.... Non-violence has its own strategic advantages which makes it a great option, whether one is German or not.

In any case, I am evidently not a gentleman, or only of fortune. I'll play nice if you play nice, but if not, I welcome and enjoy a brawl. My moto is: Qui me cherche me trouve. ("If you're looking for a fight, look no further" or something like that)

I enjoy this. That's why I'm still going...

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

You've not played nice, you've played nasty from the off, and you've been treated remarkably gently all things considered.

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@izzythepush,

It'll be a waste of time waiting for his answer, as he's asleep in his log cabin right now.
In about 3 hours, he'll stir his stumps, eat his bacon with maple syrup and start his weird ranting again.
Best to let him vent, as he seems a very unhappy chappy.

Pound to a penny the British Embassy has turned down his application again.

Merry Xmas everyone, as I (unlike Hamish) will actually be in France by the end of the day, enjoying the company of the French/Sicilian/Dutch arms of my extended family.

Moule Frites on Christmas eve, and Goose on the big day. Plenty of Ricard, Cotes du Rhone and various Belgian lagers.

Burp!

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@Lordyaswas,

I do like Belgian beer, I really do. And Calvados, and Eau de vie in general. (Sorry I'm getting a bit excited.)

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@Lordyaswas,

"Joyeux Noël", "beaucoup de cadeaux", and "bon appétit" with the "dinde de Noël"!

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@izzythepush,

Well, if you look up the ACTUAL thread and not wthe one in your head, you'll see that I was simply proposing a thesis, which on your side was met with insults, sneer, "cannon balls" and much rudeness... You behaved like a bunch of hooligans.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

I did, you're the one with a selective memory as Parados has already pointed out. It's a lot easier to think you're hard done by than face up to the facts which are that you've behaved in a very rude boorish way, and have been treated remarkably gently as a result. We go out of our way to accommodate you, even translating flying theory into French.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

I just looked up the thread. No idea what you are talking about. I was insulted from the get go for my ideas. If you want to quote a post where I was rude, I'd be glad to look at it.

Now for another funny factoid: what percentage of British comedy is mocking the French? Judging by your posts it must be more than 50% for sure. But I would be at a loss to find ONE French vid or movie poking fun at the Brits...

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@Olivier5,

You'd be at a loss to find one funny French vid. Most of our comedy is self deprecating, from a wealth of comedy it's quite hard to find a tiny bit that mocks the French. Maybe if you didn't strut around like peacocks all the time there wouldn't be any.

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@Olivier5,

This is where you start talking about how we're all French, and claiming we're all anti-French at the same time by saying we're supposedly ashamed of our "French heritage." Both assertions are wrong and it's all about you derailing a thread so you can be the centre of attention.

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@izzythepush,

Here's some more "French" comedy.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

Again, look it up. Maybe you over-reacted the first time around.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

That's just lost in translation... I can understand why that is considered funny cross Chanel, and as far as I am concerned, it seriously undermines your nations' reputation in the comedy department. It's like the other one you posted with guys farting around for the entire vid... Is that considered funny, really, where you come from?

In France, we can laugh of anything, including stuff you guys would disapprove of, probably, except of other nations. A show poking fun at the Brits or the Spaniards or Belgians in any systematic way would not be aired on TV. It would be considered... rude.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Btw, Glitterbag may be grateful for France's actions in America, but we've got nothing to be grateful for over here. The Norman Conquest brought nothing but servitude, misery and death.

Quote:

The Harrying (or Harrowing) of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate northern England, and is part of the Norman conquest of England. It effectively ended the quasi-independence of the region through large-scale destruction that resulted in the relative "pacification" of the local population and the replacement of local Anglo-Danish lords with Normans. A contemporary Anglo-Norman chronicler wrote that the death toll due to the Harrowing was over 100,000. Because of the scorched earth policy, much of the land was laid waste and depopulated, a fact to which the Domesday Book, written almost two decades later, readily attests.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrying_of_the_North

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@Olivier5,

The one with Vic and Bob farting was a satire of French comedy.

Ask the Americans if they can name one French comedy programme, then ask them if they can name a British one.

Mr. Bean has sold around the world.

Quote:

Mr Bean is one of the most successful British cultural exports ever: since the first Bean TV show was broadcast in 1990, its 14 half-hour programmes have been sold to more than 200 TV territories worldwide and shown on more than 50 airlines. The latest Bean film, Mr Bean's Holiday, is a global smash hit, No 1 in 21 countries and top of the international box office.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/apr/11/britishidentity.uk

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

... but we've got nothing to be grateful for over here. The Norman Conquest brought nothing but servitude, misery and death.

The last "real" English king's tomb in Waltham: "Hic iacet Haroldus infelix"

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w641/Walter_Hinteler/a_zpsb773fded.jpg

You bring flowers there regularly, izzy? Wink

1 Reply

@Walter Hinteler,

All the time, when I'm not visiting Arthur's tomb.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Former_Gravesite_King_Arthur_(GlastonburyAbbey).jpg

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@izzythepush,

Those farting guys said much more about what makes a Englishman laugh than anything about French comedy...

How in hell would Americans know about any French comedy/comedian? They don't speak the language. By force, the only French comic they know of is the mime Marceau... Nor could I post any vid here that anyone apart Walter would be able to appreciate.

And I never could laugh with or at Mr Bean either... But the point is that, what is considered rude changes from one country or community to the next.

0 Replies

The Great Christmas Debate

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