French Media Watchers: Is It True Sarkozy's Jogging Is Being A Deal Of Within France?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I read this today in a NYC tabloid, and it appears the “story” originated in the UK. (By The Times Online or The Telegraph)

[quote]
[ul][li]President Sarkozy has fallen foul of intellectuals and critics who see his passion for jogging as un-French, right-wing and even a ploy to brainwash his citizens…[]The grumbling has now moved to television and the press…[]“Is jogging right wing?” wondered Libération, the left-wing newspaper…[]Alain Finkelkraut, a celebrated philosopher, begged Mr Sarkozy on France 2…to abandon his “undignified” pursuit. He should take up walking, like Socrates, Arthur Rimbaud…and other great men…[]Mr Sarkozy’s habit infuriates his critics – and some supporters – because he flaunts it so hard. Le running du Président, often clad in his favourite NYPD T-shirt…[]Sarkozy has rekindled a French suspicion that the habit is for self-centred individualists such as the Americans who popularised it. “Jogging is of course about performance and individualism, values that are traditionally ascribed to the Right,” Odile Baudrier, editor of V02 magazine, a sports publication, told Libération…[]Patrick Mignon, a sports sociologist, noted that French intellectuals had always held sport in contempt, while totalitarian regimes cultivated physical fitness…[*]Experts have questioned Mr Sarkozy’s running style and say that he is not helped by being overweight…”[/ul][/li][/quote]
IMHO Poll Portion of the Thread (To People Who Keep an Eye on the French Media): Is this true - or typical British tabloid hype(rbole)?

If the answer is yes, I’ve reached the point in my life I can safely state that I’ve seen it all. Don’t these frogs know anything? It’s the job of fat, stupid Americans to demean fitness regiments as individualistic and totalitarian while making fun of their “leaders” most mundane habits.

2

Neither the Times nor the Telegraph is a typical British tabloid (although the Times is now tabloid sized) being respectable newspapers, albeit ones with virulently anti-European agendas, if that makes any difference.

I suspect the Times story is factual, being in the news section, and it doesn’t seem that outlandish. It just looks like a typical political stramash with a certain Gallic je ne sais quoi:

Riiighhht.

The Telegraph item is an opinion piece written by an utterly buffoonish, but generally entertaining, MP called Boris Johnston and perhaps should be taken slightly tongue-in-cheek, but this is a great line:

3

There was a report on this last night on the TV - I think BBC’s Newsnight - they had fun with it

There was also a piece on the radio this morning about Christine Boutin, a member of Sarkozy’s cabinet being claimed as a “Troofer” (saying that Bush was behind 9/11) though the claims come from the troofers themselves and thus are open to :dubious:

4

I suspect we in Britain our equally guilty of selecting outlandish and possibly not entirely serious French commentary and presenting it as fact. I doubt that the French equivalent of Jeremy Paxman, if there is one, wastes too much time on Nicolas Sarkozy’s exercise regime.