France fearful of America's cold shoulder as threat of retaliatory trade boycott increases

Times Online ^ | February 22, 2003 | by Adam Sage

[sheik yerbouty]

M*rde happens!

[way-right-of-center]

great stuff man..heh

[TheLurkerX]

My question is what do you do about Franco-American pasta products? Do you wait for a 2 fer sale so you can eat one can and chuck the other, or do you do your patriotic duty and eat half the can, then pitch the other half in the garbage?

[sofaman]

"...with more than 80 per cent of the French electorate supporting him on this issue."

Well, if that doesn't say it all. The arrogance of these people amazes me. That they are as snobbish and arrogant as they are, is astounding. The French after all have always taken the high road. (Sarcasm mine)

Why after all, during WWII they took the high road and handed the Jews over to the Nazis. In the '60s they had a hissy fit and pulled out of NATO.

And now...we have their "Appeasing for Oil" policy orchestrated by Jacques "Saddam is my Good Friend" Chirac. We all know and love him. He after all helped us understand that, notwithstanding evidence to the contrary (400 anti-Semitic attacks in France in 3 months), that France was, in fact, not an anti_semitic country. Ah yes, and, lest we forget, they are wonderful friends and allies of the United States too.

[way-right-of-center]

Lurker has thrown out the $64000 question...

[PA Engineer]

“The Americans have to separate the diplomatic from the commercial.”

and

Failure to do so could exclude French firms, and notably Total, from the Iraqi oil fields that they have traditionally seen as their preserve.

Do I sense a major disconnect here?

[Objective Reality]

I looked all over for a suffix to mean "to despise."

I think you might want "phage." Literally, "to eat." Not so much "to despise" as "to destroy / obliterate / annihilate." I've applied the suffix to other terms in various essays, but not seen it picked up by other writers, at least not as of yet. I personally like it. If you do, please spread it about. In this context, it would be: Francophagic.

[way-right-of-center]

** Claps wildly for objective reality **

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

I don't know, LOL. Maybe eat half, and then mail the other half to France! (C.O.D. of course)

[republicandiva]

"Francofleas" more accurately describes les French, than our feeling toward them, for certainly they are blood-sucking parasites!

[xp38]

No one has mentioned Spain or Italy. Two huge producers of a wide range of wines. I remember reading an article a number of years ago by the great wine writer Jancis Robinson who was analyzing the French wine industry and she said they were heading for trouble one day because they were almost completely ignorant of what was happening outside the borders of France wine wise. IIRC she said it was from a combination of arrogance and fear. She dubbed France because of its somewhat six sided shape the hexagon.

This seems to match my limited experience while visiting France. It was almost impossible to find wine there from anywhere else but France.

[hemogoblin]

Based on misogyny (hatred of women) or misanthropy (hatred of mankind) I would say misfrogia.

[Objective Reality]

why thanks. I like it, and would love to be able to claim to have "coined" a term, but the way English works, I wouldn't be surprised if better writers than myself had used it before.

I have to admit, rather dope-ily, that I picked it up from the medical term for the "flesh-eating bacteria," but that actual term escapes me at the moment. I think it might be, "corpophagic streptococci," (body-eating, I believe), or "necrophagic stroptococci" (dead-flesh-eating, I think, but the word "sarcophagus" makes me doubt this).

In any case, I do like the term "Francophagic."

[Travis McGee]

VVV

Veto Vichy Vacations!

[Malcolm]

The first time I had "french" wine, I asked the waiter why it wasn't chilled. He said ALL French wines are served at room temperature. Yuck! At least in that regard, I'm already boycotting the only thing they have of value. What does that nasty nation have that any American would want anyway? Anyone ever had a Renault and liked it? Don't buy Michellin tires. Other than that, I can't really point to any imports they are known for. And like Jeff Bridges in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, give me some AMERICAN fries.....

[Drango]

how about: BITE ME

[Aria]

LOL! I love this one most but there are a lot of othergood ones.
I'm home alone, except for my AMERICAN Standard Poodle, thoroughly enjoying this thread. So many intelligent and amusing people come here. Personally, I don't care about French wine or cheese, can't afford their clothes, but their makeup and perfume, oh la la! What is a girl to do?

[merak]

Boycotting these little goose and cheese farmers is idiotic and counterproductive. The French simply don't sell much of sufficient consequence over here to make any sort of a boycott meaningful. The ONLY possible exception I can think of might be the aerobus and other Franco/German aircraft. I don't know what the status of that market is, but if US airlines are buying any aircraft from the French and the government were to put a stop to it, that would seriously impact the French government, which is what you want to do. Chirac and his toadies are the target, and not the little farmer.

[Fifth Business]

In any case, I do like the term "Francophagic."

My understanding of prefixes and suffixes is more limited than yours, but wouldn't "Super-Cali-Francophagic" be even more expressive?

[Fifth Business]

I would say misfrogia.

How about Franc-enslime?