# "Cheese-eating surrender monkeys" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 27, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340 "2003-01-27T21:49:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/21 "2003-01-27T22:28:13Z")
That’s because it should be une fois revenu, apportez le fromage ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/22 "2003-01-27T22:29:30Z")
_At least according to Babel fish. I wouldn’t know, I don’t speak Surrender Monkey._ ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/23 "2003-01-27T22:31:43Z")
**Francesca** is quite correct. “Cheese-eating, surrender monkeys” is an outdated stereotype. How about, “Cheese-eating, Jerry Lewis fans?” No, that’s way too harsh. Let’s be kind and stick with “surrender monkeys.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/24 "2003-01-27T22:35:27Z")
I couldn’t tell, **Homebrew**. Really. Okay, I’m lying. You said: “One time come back, bring the cheese.” Okay, I guess “When come back bring pie” is no better. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/25 "2003-01-27T22:36:19Z")
**World Eater** - it was **Rex** who used the eponymous phrase, intended as an insult. It was small fry in that thread and as I said I’m not really talking about individual examples. It’s just the ongoing casual use of the phrase as comedy that irritates me. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/26 "2003-01-27T23:18:34Z")
It’s true, being surrender monkeys is no laughing matter, and throwing perfectly good cheese into the mix is downright sacreligious. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/27 "2003-01-27T23:19:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\ ***World Eater** - it was **Rex** who used the eponymous phrase, intended as an insult. It was small fry in that thread and as I said I’m not really talking about individual examples. It’s just the ongoing casual use of the phrase as comedy that irritates me. \*\* My mistake. Sometimes it helps to read the linked thread 😛 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/28 "2003-01-27T23:55:55Z")
i can call all the mericans “burger eating surrender monkeys” because of vietnam? made my day. (sorry, i’m in a funny mood, the above is sarcasm.) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/29 "2003-01-28T00:14:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishgirl \* > \*\*i can call all the mericans “burger eating surrender monkeys” because of vietnam? > > made my day. > > (sorry, i’m in a funny mood, the above is sarcasm.) \*\* [Ahem.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158881) Nothing personal, you understand. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/30 "2003-01-28T00:23:17Z")
Isn’t this taking a Simpsons joke a bit too seriously? Not that I don’t think Groundskeeper Willie isn’t a big dog in terms of public opinion and political correctness. It’s just that he is a cartoon character. Or am I missing somebody else saying it in a serious manner? ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/31 "2003-01-28T00:43:31Z")
sorry, micheal ellis, I apologise. take it as a symptom of horrible self esteem. I just don’t think I deserve capitals! ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/32 "2003-01-28T00:55:39Z")
Why are the streets of Paris lined with trees? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/33 "2003-01-28T01:10:10Z")
If you want to insult Americans, I always thought that the Russians nailed it with the phrase “Yankee imperialist dogs.” ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/34 "2003-01-28T01:33:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\ ***World Eater** - it was **Rex** who used the eponymous phrase, intended as an insult. It was small fry in that thread and as I said I’m not really talking about individual examples. It’s just the ongoing casual use of the phrase as comedy that irritates me. \*\* You’re right I did use that phrase. It’s something of an ongoing joke around here, and you’ll notice that I put it in quotations when I used it, and more than implied that it was not my phrase. And you’re right, we’re still mocking the French for what they did 50 years ago. They’ve done a whole lot of stupid things since then, maybe we should start making fun of them for all that. Really, they’re alot worse and even more annoying now. Instead of resenting their image as “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” maybe they should just take out their ire on attributes of other countries, like Spanish “literature”. Everybody’s got their weakness, so attack it and mock it 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SweetLucy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@SweetLucy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetLucy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/35 "2003-01-28T01:43:52Z")
Well i’m a Southerner by heritage, and of partial French ancestry, so kiss my grits! and my escargots! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/36 "2003-01-28T01:45:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishgirl \* > \*\*i can call all the mericans “burger eating surrender monkeys” because of vietnam? > \*\* We didn’t lose Vietnam! It was a tie! ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/37 "2003-01-28T01:50:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Colibri \* > \*\* > PS. “Groovy German” just doesn’t sound right. \*\* Sounds fine to me and my whole German family. And anyone who doesn’t find 99 Lufballoons groovy has some serious issues to work through 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/38 "2003-01-28T02:07:48Z")
The only possibly untrue part of that “slur” is the “monkeys”, and even that’s debateable. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/39 "2003-01-28T02:11:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > \*\*And here I was wondering why someone was calling Wisconsin residents “surrender monkeys”. :eek: 😃 \*\* I think the answer would be obvious if you bothered to watch the Packers fold against Atlanta. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340/40 "2003-01-28T02:57:15Z")
This was mentioned just in passing, and might need more overt explanation as not everyone on the planet can be expected to have every episode and in-joke of an American television show committed to heart, but if it helps to explain this phenomenon a bit for you, Francesca, this line comes from a Simpsons episode, which is why is it overused and beat to death with little thought of its effect. [FARK.com](http://FARK.com) and it’s “France Surrenders” running gag is guilty of this as well. No, I am not humorless, but after the 300th time. . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys/151340.md?page=3)