The pessimism don't come from that. WW1 affected deeply the french people because one third of young french men were killed during ww1. 1 300 000 people for a population of 300 000 peple. Without considering the civilian, the one who died of the spanish flu, all the men traumatized. Ww2 affected more us on our pride. Furthermore, in 1900, french were the first or the second most powerfull country of the world. The international language for the elites, for the diplomats were french. We lost our empire and from a world power, we became a more anecdotic country. That doesn't make people really optimistic.
You are right, and the pessimism turned to angry bitterness and the desire for revenge after World War I. The Germans had agreed to an armistice without ever imagining that Germany would have to pay reparations to France because of war damage. When the Germans were so broke that they could not pay, the French Army moved into the Rhineland of Germany and occupied it until 1925, committing many acts of brutality against Germans, and extracting or stealing as much as they could lay their hands on. Needless to say, the Germans remembered ALL of this a few years later when they marched into Paris.... French military harassing German civilians on German soil in the 1920's.
Yes, we acted stupiditly after WW1. We let only anger led us, and it's madness to do so. Even if old people tend to still have some anger against german, I heard many times some speaking about german acting nicely. I even heard some old people saying that the german were more polite than the american, without regretting that the first were gone. In my region, Normandy, where most of my family come from, they were more anger toward american and british because of the bombing and some rape. American leadership tended to punish those but justice were not only brought. My grand father I didn't knew directly had a female cousin who suicided herself after the american troopers came in their villlage. Such acts were the deed of a minority, but it created some bitterness.
Perhaps the French 'vision' and attitude has been best encapsulated by one of their foremost authors, Anatole France. I will quote him now, and leave it to your imagination where this kind of thinking leads almost inevitably....
Clearly, we like the good life. Anyway, the situation will not be simple, we have a lot of challenge in the dozen of years incoming : _ Deal with the muslims population. They represent 10 % of the total population, and we're now at the third or even fourth generation of muslims born on our territory. We don't have the choice, we have to assimilate them, that's not the easy road, but it's possible. _Deal with the debt. _Deal with the unemployement _Gain more indenpendance from EU, however, we can't quit Shengen or the EU like that because at the opposite of the british, we accepted the euro and a lot of our companies depend of the EU. All of that are big challenges, but not impossible to overcome. "A coeur vaillant rien n'est impossible"// To a brave heart, nothing is impossible. Their is no easy solutions to all the problems we have, perseverance, unity, strictness is the way.
There is wisdom and a clear understanding of reality in your post. "No man is an island", and in Europe, no country is an island, either. Perhaps the best path for the French is one that builds on the best parts of its past, plus its most promising accomplishments after World War II. You have a better relationship with most kinds of "mainstream" Muslims than other Europeans, due primarily to French activity in Africa and the Middle East, and you can use your special relationship to assimilate these people (if possible). You can't just throw them out now, any more than we in the United States could take the 13.8% of our population that is Negro and throw them back to Africa. Both France and the U. S. have assimilation problems that just won't go away, but your situation is far worse because it is rooted in an insane, cruel religion -- ISLAM -- that commands its followers to convert the "infidels", or, if they won't convert to Islam, to abuse, torture, and murder them! Next come the economic problems, and they are many. Unfortunately for both yourselves, Germany, and several of the Northern European countries, you have moribund, "slacker" countries in the EU, like Greece. It would really be better for you if you could get rid of them. A poster here in this forum pointed out that in the U. S. we have under-performing, "slacker" states, like Mississippi, and he is right! Even worse, we have parasite appendages that are even more like Greece -- Puerto Rico which is one of our "territories"! You should get rid of Greece, and perhaps some of the other slackers, and we definitely should get rid of Puerto Rico! One chief difference between France and the United States is that you have both the rich heritage and the burden of a long historic past! Having traveled in Europe I understand fully that, compared with countries like yours, England, Germany, and Italy, et al, we Americans have almost no real past to speak of at all. Use your past and your French heritage and culture as a strength, as something to be genuinely proud of. At the same time, create new, strong alliances with other countries that are truly mutually beneficial to all of you. There's no doubt in my mind that if I were either French or German (especially German), I would advocate forging stronger economic and cultural ties with Russia! These three countries, France, Germany, and Russia, were very friendly with each other for several hundred years prior to World War I. Now, who offers France the greater possibility of really good relationships with both Germans and Russians? Le Pen, or Macron? There is nothing wrong with "the good life". And, if I were French, I would want to take every opportunity to make my own life better, more prosperous, and happier. France doesn't have to be a "little sister" to Great Britain or the United States. It doesn't have to be inferior to Germany or kept away from closer partnerships with any country, including Russia, that wants to have improved, more enriching relationships. I do not envy you a choice between Le Pen, who some consider a "Nazi", or Macron, who some (including me) consider to be little more than a house-pet and stooge for the European Central Bank and the IMF. We Americans had to make a choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and although that particular choice was an easy one for me, it was agonizing all the same. One thing is for sure, in France or the U. S. -- if we don't take good care of ourselves, it is certain that no one else will.... Bon chance!
Thanks. I totally agree on that. I honnestly think that the best would be one day or another to quit the EU but our economy is way to weak to do it now. Russian are complicated, but I don't think we should seek for conflict with them. What sadden me about the Ukrainian conflict is the failure of diplomacy and that neither the russian or the ukrainian ever cared about what really want the dombass people. For me, the real victims of the war in Ukraine is neither russian or ukrainian who are both pricks, but dombass. However, most Russian are good willing people and I think we can share deep connections with the people if we can't with the governement.
Aside point that not one of the terrorists which did the attacks was coming from Syria, eh? So yes, Syrians are so deeply guilty for these evil attacks when not a single one of them was Syrian... same like this BS ban of this dumbass in White House against first 7 and now only 6 Islamic countries to make USA safer against Islamic terror when only 1 of all Islamic terror attacks in the USA was coming from these countries (Somalia). Yes, this dumbass in White House is so smart like an empty bottle of water to make a ban to prevent danger when not a single attack was coming from here, but making no ban against these countries from where they were coming like Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon ... because there friendly governments (often regimes) are ruling the countries. And then some brainless people cheer Trump for this useless BS as always! I must really ask where these people have left their brains!
I realise it's impolite to call someone a facist in these politically corrected times but that's what she is. And she's an heiress despite the dumb 'working class woman' act she barfs up, she's never worked a day in her entitled neo nazi life. A fake and truly unpleasant with it.
Well I see her as more a patriot than an authoritarian - or 'fascist', as you so emotively term it. Or you could be just a plain old dyed-in-the-wool liberal. Also there's a bit of 'class hatred' in your post too, so which is it? (rhetorical question, no answer expected - I'll draw my own conclusion: I'll go with 'just a plain old dyed-in-the-wool liberal')
It's people like you that ISIS love so much. ISIS publically says they are sending in ISIS operatives with the Syrian refugees and the idiots in Europe say "Welcome!". LOL
No ... it is people like you they love so much, because blabbering their BS as reason against them and so backing their propaganda ... very smart done! And how many Syrian refugees make until now any terror attack again? Ehm ... 0 = Zero? Facts my little soldier ... pure facts are only counting and no blabbering!
So funny how you refuse to acknowledge that ISIS openly said they are using Syrian refugees as cover. But Europeans never were the rational kind.
So funny how you refuse to get facts in your head ... but some Americans like you are never in rational kind with facts if uncomfortable, eh?
Again something to proof my words about that you blabber only the same nonsense as your Trainee and CinC in White House? Yeah .. it is! So let me enlighten you again with facts: It is not their NATO dues which are unpaid ... It is about the fact that every member of NATO is contractually obliged to put 2% of the gross domestic product in the OWN (!!!) defense! This is not the case for many NATO members, and I agree that this must be done. But it is not about unfulfilled NATO dues as your trainee in the White House already gave, which shows that he has no idea of the things.
Lol NATO is a lost cause. It's only in place because Europeans are so scared (as usual) that Russia is going to invade them.
Yeah ... I know, you still wrote this nonsense multiple times and no desire to answer on mentally nonsense like this anymore. Even you so beloved Trainee in white House declares NATO and European members not to be obsolete anymore in meantime, but to be important, eh?
