I almost missed this one. Thanks to D for pointing me in the right direction.
McDONALD: Comment by French official out of line, by Tim McDonald (Tribune local columnist).
Instead of my usual device of running a representative portion in this space, permit me to briefly summarize the columnist's position:
A French official makes an ill-advised comment about America's handling of relief to Haiti, is quickly disavowed by his own government, thus providing the columnist with a pretext to devote 900 words to repeating just about every "let's bash the Frogs" cliche ever uttered.
That's basically it. How he refrains from the "mint condition, unused rifle only dropped twice" joke is inexplicable to me. Perhaps the equally xenophobic Healthblogger already used that line in an anti-Obama rant.
Was the comment by the French official out of line? Probably, seeing as France's president rushed to clarify it. Is it then logical to repeat the very same error in in attacking the comment? Certainly not. However, not unlike masturbation, it apparently comes naturally to Americans, even the educated ones, to boost our ever-shaky patriotic self-esteems by periodically lashing the French ethos.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch PBS's "American Masters" bio on Julia Child for a second time, but not before I celebrate nativist buffoonery in the guise of learned commentary with a bottle or two of imported Burgundy.
Mint condition gun... That's a great joke. One mistake certainly doesn't justify judging a whole nation, but what's really more enjoyable than making fun of the French? At the end of the day, as much as other countries poke at Americans every chance they get, look how much residents here gave to Haiti of their own free will.
ReplyDelete"Nativist buffoonery" - perfect choice of words.
ReplyDeleteCrepes are just really thin pancakes!
ReplyDeletePerhaps someone should explain this elusive "logistics" concept to Médecins Sans Frontières.
ReplyDelete