The great part is, that one works whether it’s the old meaning of freedom or the new one!
Daniel
Isn’t this also how we came to call Frankfurters “hot dogs?”
Sigh History repeats itself…
It’s REALLY hard to be patriotic when the leaders of your country consistantly act like a bunch of immature children.
Officer, I wish to report a near-whooshing. I actually clicked on the “Your Reply” window to help Ukulele Ike out with his translation “problem”.
Man, you get involved in two threads in GQ and all of a sudden you can’t play pit anymore.
No, “choix” means choice. Cabbage is “chou” (pl. “choux”).
Maybe you mean Guinea (Africa), which is on the UN Security Council? Certainly not New Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, or any of those other G- places?
Look what happens when I de-french-ify the classic kids punchline, to the new American one.
Incorrect: *Look at the S Car Go. *
Correct: * Look at the snail go. *
Things are gonna get real ugly folks.
The weird thing is, for better or for worse (though, current politics aside, I happen to disagree with one particular French way of doing things I’m about to describe) - calling them “Freedom Fries” is a very, very French way of doing things.
With their “academy”, or whatever it is, the French have a long history of attempting to control their language. A Frenchman wants to use the term “Le weekend?”
“Non!”
Not allowed. Not on your life.
So the US is actually adopting a French method here!
Of course that’s what I meant.
<cough>
Dr. J
Ya. Patriotism hinges on your perception of your leader.
If this whole thing was purely a joke now and then, it could be funny. But these jokers seem to really take this whole Francophobia thing quite seriously, and it’s really getting on my nerves. It seems the French and rednecks are the two groups that it’s still open season to hate, stereotype and make fun of.
And these rightwing jerks are probably the very same ones who go apeshit at any suspected inkling of “political correctness” in the media, academia, etc. Hypocrites! :dubious:
Yes Muffin all Americans are completely in lock step with their government and all the stories you read on the internet and in newspapers about Americans are not just about one or two Americans but all 280 million of them.
This all reminds me of when I announced to the family that I didn’t want an Iranian rug in our house because of the American hostages being held in Iran (this was in 1980). My mom sat me down and explained how what governments do and say, what individual people do and say, and what things made by those people represent are all different, and to lump them all together as the same thing is childish and rude.
I don’t know whether I should feel proud or depressed that I had gained a better understanding of international relations at age 8 than our elected officials have today.
A point made in the Slate article, which is a good one, is that when we called sauerkraut “liberty cabbage” we were at war with Germany.
Now, I’ll bash the French with the best of them, but they are still technically our ally. This is moronic. This is so stupid that President Bush ought to reverse it, and apologize to all of the French, and the Americans too. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done.
Interesting how a fairly big “policy” decision has been made by congressmen you hardly ever heard of, at the level of menu items in the House cafeteria.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I really hope this comes back and bites these guys next time they’re up for reelection.
So, Sublight did your boycott work?
Er, uh, NO.
The term “hot dog” was coined in the 1890’s by college students at Yale.
Except the Dutch is what people from Holland, aka The Netherlands, are called. The inhabitants of Belgium are called Belgians.
Better hope Coldfire doesn’t see this! 
Belgium, the Netherlands…same thing.
Belgium, the Netherlands…same thing. They both wear wooden shoes and eat mussels and go tilting at windmills.
And for good reason. I’m against the war, but I sure wouldn’t mind seeing us stick it to the French, Franc-ly 
Well, it isn’t like they had to legislate it. Some guy just happened to have the power to do it, so he did it. Having a press conference about it is a little silly, but unlike most of what they do up on Capitol Hill, this particular bit of silliness didn’t end up costing anybody millions of dollars. Although if anybody could find a way to budget a million dollars to reprint a few dozen menus, it’s the US government.
I’m horrified to find images likethese: , on the web. It shows how the French have been devious in their means since our colonial days, and only want to make a mockery of Democracy by sending an easily manipulated symbol as a gift. Tears , my ass. We should send that that crappy old Trojan horse statue back, pronto; she’s much more trouble than it’s worth.