# pitting the French and their conduct during the heat wave **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 11, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056 "2003-09-11T22:00:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/41 "2003-09-13T19:10:02Z")
Yes, 1400 people died in the heatstroke here. But we didn’t left them rotting and they didn’t get a pauper’s grave. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/42 "2003-09-13T21:51:47Z")
Considering the black hole in the French state’s financing of pension(which are so good that many french folk do not make their own provision). maybe the French Chancellor is a little relieved. We in the UK use winter’s cold to cull the elderly, we used to have smog, great pension stopper that was, sometimes we get atmospheric temperature layer inversions that trap smog in lower lying city areas, though that does seem to be more of a US speciality. The US also has retirement home abandonment, and hospital outpatient abandonment to deal with their troublesome old folk, if the US newspapers are to be believed, and they must be true 'cause they all agree with that nice Mr Bush chappie. Other countries do it by ensuring that folk are very fortunate indeed to make it to retirement. We really cannot have all these old people wandering around, driving slowly without indicating turns, getting in the way and consuming resources. Once they can’t work anyore then they should be forced to spend all their savings, then cash in all their assets. Let’s get that retirement age up to something sensible, like 80 or so, they could still do useful things like keep seats in restaurants warm, or maybe lick postage stamps for us, there is a great business opportunity here, just needs a visionary, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/43 "2003-09-14T00:56:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\*It’s fuckin’ hysterical. Here’s a quarter - go buy a sense of humor. \*\* ~go buy yourself a personality you fucking idiot. C\_M’s post was typicalxenophobia masking itself as martyrdom. Were all of the people who died in the heatwave elderly relatives who were left to die in paupers graves? I think not. I wonder how many Australians abandon their parents in homes to die. you are australian, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/44 "2003-09-14T01:34:33Z")
Fair enough, **Beagle**. I’m guessing that after this tragic summer, France and other European countries will take added measures/precautions such as the ones suggested here. I just got a little peeved at the notion that French (or Europeans for that matter) care less about their elderly than do Americans. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/45 "2003-09-14T01:53:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*~go buy yourself a personality you fucking idiot. C\_M’s post was typicalxenophobia masking itself as martyrdom. Were all of the people who died in the heatwave elderly relatives who were left to die in paupers graves? I think not. > > I wonder how many Australians abandon their parents in homes to die. you are australian, aren’t you? \*\* Are you drunk? As usual, your inane ramblings make no sense whatsoever. I thought the post was funny - what? I’m not entitled to think that, you dopey little fuck? Now kindly go piss up a tree. Thank yew. ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/46 "2003-09-14T01:56:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\*It’s fuckin’ hysterical. \*\* I agree, pretty damn funny. Maybe not the funniest post ever, but hysterical nonetheless. Methinks the Doper(s) protest too much… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/47 "2003-09-14T10:51:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > And finally, “the Seine is such a beautiful river, and the water is so clean you can dip your cup in it and make tea”. :eek: I’ve seen the Seine, up close and in person :eek: In certain lights it’s sort of _tea-colored_, if you like your tea with oil slicks and unidentified debris. Unless there has been some major change since I was last there (over 20 years ago, now), all I can say is :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/48 "2003-09-14T16:15:33Z")
[_Car Salesman Voice_ Come live in FL without AC, the mean temp in August was only 81 degrees.](http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/cag3/FL.html) DAMN GLOBAL COOLING! ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/49 "2003-09-14T16:41:59Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by atticus_ > I’m simply astounded noone has pitted the French for collectively taking off for Spain or wherever else they go on vacation, and leaving thousands of elderly relatives to drop dead back home in the heat wave Give us a break huh! :mad: Haven’t you ever heard of the baby crunch or pensioner boom? Read a newspaper already! We have way too many of these stupid old geezers in Europe, we have to cull the excess some way. Dying in a heat wave is not a bad way to slice the top of the iceberg. WTF is the problem? What’s all the fuzz about?! It’s not like anybody really give a shit about these senile old bastards anyway. If you think this small incident is something worth twisting your red hot Victoria’s Secrets for, why the fuck don’t you come over and take care of the old geezers yourselves?! Fuck off and go read a bible or whatever it is you stupid yanks do instead of thinking. Yah! You just go and leave the thinking to us Europeans; we’re so much more refined! - Rune ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/50 "2003-09-14T17:22:13Z")
Either an SR-71 just flew over my house at 100ft at Mach 2.71, or I’ve been whooshed. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/51 "2003-09-14T17:34:31Z")
I think it was an [Aurora](http://www.abovetopsecret.com/pages/aurora.html). Maybe a satellite skimmed the upper atmosphere. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/52 "2003-09-26T18:42:19Z")
The final [numbers](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3139694.stm) are in, only 15,000 in France - hardly enough to make a noticeable dent in the looming geezer burden. Fortunately euthanasia laws are being eased throughout the continent, the problem may solve itself yet. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056/53 "2003-09-26T20:25:42Z")
His harsh realism frightens me. :eek: Look out for Julia. It’ll seem great at first, sure… I have been reading about the aging population in Europe. I’m not saying that I know what’s going on, but dealing with heat is not like an impending asteriod collision. To the extent there is AC in France, couldn’t they have moved some of the dying people into those buildings? Is this demographic, eh, fiddling? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-french-and-their-conduct-during-the-heat-wave/201056.md?page=2)