Cite?
Gee Professor, if I really kiss your ass does that mean I pass the class?
I’ll give you an alternate test of logic.
GomiBoy has a shit trip to France. Feeling frustrated, as well as a bit bored at work, he logs onto the Straight Dope, and puts together a nice little rant. Then, with a bit of tongue in cheek and strapping on his asbestos underwear, he posts it in the Pit as is appropriate.
As the conversation meanders through various stereotypes and subjects and anecdotes both supporting and arguing against his original rant, he both gives and takes abuse of various stripes, all the while accomplishing his goal of venting his frustrations, killing a little time, and having some fun at the expense of those who have lately made his life hell, all the while with a bit of a wink and a nudge which I thought was somewhat obvious.
Then along comes the fun police, demanding that I not do things so unmentionable as dare to denigrate French food, or paint with a broad brush stroke an entire country. In spite of young Mr GomiBoy telling all and sundry in a post responding to an honest question that it’s all just a bit of fun, the killjoy fun police now have taken it upon themselves to dogpile this malcontent into submission, while glibly missing the (admittedly somewhat black) humour and satire, as well as the few honest posts.
All the while, however, the fun police have forgotten -
**THIS IS THE PIT, ASSHOLES! I’M HERE TO RANT AND SAID SO IN THE OP! WHY IN THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT LOGIC OR TO CHANGE MY MIND!
IF YOU DON"T THINK IT’S FUNNY, OR DON’T LIKE IT, DON’T FUCKING READ IT!**
Now, back to your normal broadcasting. I’m sure there was something intelligent to be had here, in this most unlikely of all places.
BTW -
Angua - I am truly happy for you that you enjoy France so much, as well as a bit jealous that you do and I can’t seem to.
Labrador Deceiver - Lots of Tuna in the north Atlantic and bay of Biscay then?
sqwells - welcome to the party. Did you bring cake? I like a little cake when I am getting flogged into submission for daring to buck the status quo.
Oh, bullshit. Google it.
You did realise you’re posting on a message board?
Nah, you just made yourself look like a bit of a dick. Sorry. I guess it must have seemed amusing in your head.
I just got home (long day at class, and all that) and reread my post, and I realize I came off a bit strong. The comment wasn’t so much aimed at you in particular, but more a combination of a shitty morning and the fact that I’ve heard this statement many other places elsewhere, expressed in even stronger language, made me start foaming at the mouth, and for that I apologize. It wasn’t directed at your experiences in France, I had a violent reaction to a comment and responded to it out of context.
I do stand by the assertion that arguing that past deed of one’s forefathers entitles one to special consideration is a jingoistic fallacy that has no place in arguments over country’s standing today (or in any context, really). I will, and do, honour any war veteran who crosses my path, and in my opinion the creators of the Marshall Plan should be nominated for Sainthood for looking past Germany’s wartime record and giving the country the opportunity to create the living standards they enjoy today. But saying that succeeding generations are somehow indebted not just to those that helped, but to the following generations, is just silly.
As regards your OP, I feel more saddened than anything else that you had such a bad experience, especially since my trips to Paris and France in general (including ski resorts) have been heavenly. You are entitled to decent civility in human interactions, but condemning the whole country based on a few (or even a lot!) of experiences is, IMHO, a little childish. But this is the Pit, so rant away.
And P.S. The “he” is actually a “she” 
ETA: :smack: *Of course * Juno is the Canadian beach! I’ve been there, dammit! So of course it was the first one that popped into my head, and I posted without thinking. Bad habit, that.
The only assholes I met in both the UK and France were Americans. Arkansasians (?) and Texans. I swear I think the Texan was going to tackle everyone between his sweet lil woman and the Mona Lisa. Of course that bastard Italian who shoved me out of the way at the train in Rome causing my brand new sandel to fly off onto the train tracks, well that’s another story.
When it comes to people, like usually attracts like.
Gomiboy attracts assholes.
Yes, actually. Although I apparently am posting to the one with absolutely no sense of humour and with the fun police out in full force lately.
ThirdCultureKid - thanks for that. For the record, outside of this apparently much-missed joke, I think the same as you - no one owes meanything but basic courtesy.
That would be you, then, asshole, since you seem to have come out of the woodwork to post in this thread. Happy with the label? Didn’t think so, so perhaps a little more of a sense of humour then dickhead?
Labrador Deceiver Yes. Anything else? Did you forget to read the fucking dates on your site of photos of tuna catches and tagging? Tuna stocks are incredibly low all through the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. The only nearly-high stocks of Tuna in the world, either yellow- or blue-fin, are in the Pacific and those are rapidly declining. Just in case you’re lazy as well as meaninglessly argumentative here are some links for you
tuna stocks in decline link 2
In all honesty, I think you would be best served by picking just one version of the reason for your thread, and sticking to it. If you keep switching between It’s the truth!/No, it’s a just an emotional rant/Well, actually, no, it’s a joke, it just looks really silly.
I said it’s both an emotional rant and a bit of the truth. I’ve done this at least twice and haven’t changed my tone, firstly in response to Autolycus, and most recently in response to ascenray.
That was just after the piranha came out to feed, apparently.
No broad brush strokes there, I guess.
OK, if you say so - it simply doesn’t look that way from this end (and that’s all I have to go on) - you started out trying to defend as rational the assertions you made in your OP, then near the bottom of page 2 you seemed to switch to saying it’s just a rant, and I should be allowed to rant, even if it’s not rational, then a little way up here on page 3, you came out with the can’t you guys take a joke? thing. Looks like a tactic/justification switcheroo to me - even if it really isn’t one, it looks like one.
Really, what did you expect? This is, as you say, the pit.
True or not, it was a statement of fact, and did not extend to fucking America and the Americans. It was not a broad brushstroke.
As for your whining at not being understood, I think you need a refund on your “asbestos underwear”.
Perhaps I was too subtle but it was always my intention to be a bit jokey but a bit nasty as well, and I honestly thought my comments would show frustration and anger but still be at least slightly funny. Perhaps I didn’t do this well. I think Angua and Chowder got that it was a bit tongue in cheek, as I had hoped some others did as well, but maybe not.
You’re right of course - the uptightness of this board still sometimes shocks me, as well as the lack of humour on the part of some posters. I guess not living in the US for quite a while has de-immunized me from the PC police to a degree. :rolleyes:
So the comment ‘The only assholes I met in both the UK and France were Americans’ doesn’t extend to America and the Americans? :dubious:
Or is it just because Americans can be safely taunted as travelling assholes but the French cannot?
Care to explain this logical stutter to me?
No. The extension would have been “Fuck America, and Fuck the Americans”. For example, the only assholes I met on my first trip to China were Israeli. I do not, however, condemn the whole of Israel, nor all Israelis - just the ones that I met.
Man, your asbestos grundies are squeezing a little tight, aren’t they?
For the most part I did. There were some instances where I did wonder though… 
Though I still say your ire towards all the French is misplaced. I’ll join your ire with a couple of them though…