SweetiePie said:
Remember when we actually changed the name of our French fries to Freedom fries.
I remember that I thought that was just plain dumb. Anyway they're called
Pom Frits and they orginated in Belgium. The Brits call 'em "chips". That whole thing came across as a redneck backlash.
I've been to Europe several time and each time we were embarassed by the large number of "ugly Americans" who seemed to pervade the usual tourist areas. These are the same PITAs we get, but in a louder, couldn't be more rude, incarnation. I got so tired of hearing,"Don't these people know that we're Americans!" like Americans were supposed to get special privileges. Get a clue people! Different country, different culture, different language!
To judge another group of people by our values and culture shows a lack of tolerance and understanding. Historically, we Americans have a tendancy to condemn people for their differences rather than try to understand them. That being said, unless we have a complete understanding of the French language, culture, history and mindset, we(in general) shouldn't be so quick to judge.