# The fucking stupid fuck French

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [November 5, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577 "2005-11-05T00:13:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/1 "2005-11-05T00:13:36Z")

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WTF is going on over there? How the fuck can RIOTS go on for weeks? How can a nation function when it can’t do shiite to stop a bunch of punk kids from torching cars FOR WEEKS? FOR WEEKS I SAY! What has become of France? :mad:

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**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/2 "2005-11-05T00:21:13Z")

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They haven’t surrendered yet, so they’re clearly getting better at dealing with violence…

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**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/3 "2005-11-05T00:23:12Z")

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What’re they supposed to do?

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/4 "2005-11-05T00:42:36Z")

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Linkety-link?

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**Author:** ![mazirian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@mazirian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazirian)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/5 "2005-11-05T00:53:07Z")

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So the conservatives are fucking things up in yet another country? Big whoop.

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**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/6 "2005-11-05T00:53:47Z")

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> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Linkety-link?

Are you serious? Just hit your favorite news site.

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**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/7 "2005-11-05T01:04:54Z")

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> [@mazirian](#):
>
> So the conservatives are fucking things up in yet another country? Big whoop.

Since when is Chirac conservative?

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**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/8 "2005-11-05T01:15:00Z")

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> [@asterion](#):
>
> Since when is Chirac conservative?

I think he’s referring more to Sarkozy.

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/9 "2005-11-05T01:16:50Z")

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> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Linkety-link?

[Paris is burning.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4405620.stm)

> [@](#):
>
> The violence that has wracked Paris suburbs over the past week has spread to new areas and outside the French capital for the first time.
> 
> Youths burned buildings and more than 500 vehicles in the eighth consecutive night of rioting. Nearly 80 arrests were made in Paris.

It ain’t pretty.

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/10 "2005-11-05T01:19:36Z")

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[Obligatory link.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4392126.stm)

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/11 "2005-11-05T01:21:15Z")

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Or even [another link.](http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/10/31/france.riots.reut/)

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**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/12 "2005-11-05T01:28:37Z")

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It’s interesting how the fact that these are young Muslims rioting in France is being somewhat glossed over in the press. It’s also interesting that only a few months ago this article appeared:

_PARIS, Sept 27 (AFP) - An Algerian Islamist organisation, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), has issued a call for action against France which it describes as “enemy number one”, intelligence officials said Tuesday._

[http://www.expatica.com/source/site\_article.asp?subchannel\_id=25&story\_id=24044&name=Algerian+group+calls+France+‘enemy+number+one’](http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=24044&name=Algerian+group+calls+France+'enemy+number+one')

From the same article: _Interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that the risk of terrorist attack in France is “at a very high level… There are cells operating on our territory.”_

I wonder if something big is actually going on over there.

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**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/13 "2005-11-05T01:29:21Z")

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> [@asterion](#):
>
> Since when is Chirac conservative?

While he’s famous for flip-flopping when the situation calls for it, I believe Chirac is primarily a conservative, as these things go in France. Maybe you could call him “middle right”, as there are more extreme politicians further to the right than he is, such as the National Front. [This](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_for_a_Popular_Movement) is the party that is allied to Chirac.

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**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/14 "2005-11-05T01:33:19Z")

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Of course you know the French government have long been the darlings of the liberals here in America, so I’m not really sure there is any basis to the comment earlier in this thread.

Furthermore the term “conservative” and “liberal” don’t really transfer that well across the Atlantic. Chirac wouldn’t under any circumstances be a member of the GOP if he was an American.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/15 "2005-11-05T01:36:35Z")

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> [@PeterWiggen](#):
>
> Are you serious? Just hit your favorite news site.

Maybe it’s being overshadowed by the anti-Bush riots in Argentina, but I’ve only seen the vaguest mention on TV news or in the paper.

Oops… NBC news is reporting on this as I speak (er, post). Yikes!! It looks like the intifada.

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**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/16 "2005-11-05T01:40:55Z")

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> [@John Mace](#):
>
> Maybe it’s being overshadowed by the anti-Bush riots in Argentina, but I’ve only seen the vaguest mention on TV news or in the paper.
> 
> Oops… NBC news is reporting on this as I speak (er, post). Yikes!! It looks like the intifada.

Hey, this is a wonderful chance for international bonding through an international exchange program. France sends some of their rioters to Argentina and Argentina sends some of their rioters to France.

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**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/17 "2005-11-05T01:44:04Z")

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> [@Martin Hyde](#):
>
> Of course you know the French government have long been the darlings of the liberals here in America …

Yeah, ever since that whole helping-us-during-the-Revolution thing … the devious FUCKERS!

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/18 "2005-11-05T01:46:20Z")

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> [@John Mace](#):
>
> Maybe it’s being overshadowed by the anti-Bush riots in Argentina, but I’ve only seen the vaguest mention on TV news or in the paper.

Yeah, I couldn’t find much either. I can see there’s rioting. What I can’t find is why. All I got was that two African (Algerian?) teenagers were killed. Anyone got the Rdr’s Dgst version of the 411 on this?

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**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/19 "2005-11-05T01:59:46Z")

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> [@Pochacco](#):
>
> Yeah, ever since that whole helping-us-during-the-Revolution thing … the devious FUCKERS!

So D-Day wasn’t us paying them back?

Anyways, it’s ludicrous to claim that the liberals appreciate France’s help in the American Revolution and conservatives don’t. How about I say this though: It was TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO. It has NO RELEVANCE TO TODAY.

We don’t “owe” France anymore than France “owes” us for D-Day or the support we gave them in World War I. States act in their own self-interest, we were acting in our own self-interest when we helped France in WWI and WWII. France was acting in their self-interest when they helped us against the British.

I don’t know where this idea comes form that nation-states have “moral debts” they owe others, that’s not how the international community has ever worked, nor will it ever work that way.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577/20 "2005-11-05T02:00:09Z")

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In brief: Three kids thought the cops were chasing them (they weren’t). The kids hid in an electrical transformer building. Zap! Two dead, one seriously injured. Area is full of unemployed, down-trodden, etc., etc., Muslims. Pleasant night for a riot, isn’t it? Rinse and repeat for a week.

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fucking-stupid-fuck-french/329577.md?page=2)
