America vs. France: The Politics of Stupid

By Ian Parker

Americans know what it feels like to be hated by people. Most of us have heard Osama Bin Laden’s recorded threats or the rumors by disaffected people of other nations blaming us for everything, from the world economy to our arrogance and seeming inability to take responsibility for our actions. So a question must be posed: why do we inspire such hatred, even with those whom we have had a close friendship with from the very start of our history? We have blamed many of our troubles on a nation that has sought to help us from the very start of our existence. I am speaking of France. We must ask ourselves if France deserves our respect instead of being the butt of our recent jokes.

A large number of the jokes we hear relate to France, French people, or French customs. For example, we all know by now that the French plant trees along their roads so the Germans can march in the shade. So isn’t it about time to get past our silly contempt and repetitive jokes?

One of the most common reasons people are resentful toward France was their decision in early 2003 to oppose us when we tried to take our case for war in Iraq to the U.N. Many people think little of France. Sophomore Mark Gault said, “We should nuke those stupid French people.” But when was it ever a nation’s duty to bow down before the will of a stronger nation? Here in America, the land of the free, we take it for granted that all people in the world are equal and that anything they say deserves to be fairly considered. Why does that seem to not apply to nations? Do they not have the right to have a say in one of the world’s momentous decisions? It seems a bit hypocritical coming from the freest nation in the world.

It may be something simpler, however. Perhaps we don’t get along because we’re too much alike. We both can be expected to act in the interest of our own nation with regard to world politics and we both consistently pursue our own agendas with complete disregard for the wishes of others. It even extends down to basic cultural differences. We call them rude and arrogant and they call us the same. So is it that we just cannot coexist with a nation so similar to us that our policies clash at every turn?

Confronted by others’ hostility towards us, we immediately turn around and start insulting another nation’s attitudes, beliefs, and even their history. We all learned from our parents and our teachers that the bully who was tormenting us was only doing it because someone treated him the same way. Well, guess what. Bullies are here and we are they. Who’s going to stop us from treating the whole world the same way?