The United States of America and Americans - Don't you just love 'em Europe?

In my country, the UK, we like the US.
Personally I like American culture and don't feel it's taking anything away from mine here in London.

What are your thoughts on the US?

 

Bad gov, good people. Like most places on Earth.

 

They have a culture extremly different from mine (France), we have some difficulties to understand them and they must have difficulties to understand us.
Still a little bit strange that after hundred years of conflict with UK, their culture won and we lost.

Their governement can be extremly dangerous however (Iraq war BTW).

 

Thumbs up to the USA, top ten country. Maybe Top 5.

Top people. Top ethics.
Great government. Great benevolence, entirely complimentary culture to my own.

Being extremely dangerous is a good thing. I recommend it.

Being on Iraq's side in the Iraq war, kind of shows a loony hatred of America.
Irrational thinking.

Iraqi's? Not safe, nice, peaceful people. Got nothing in common with ISIS or Kurdish or Sunni or Shia. Gas, bomb and behead each other and I just don't care.

 

You're from ?

 

England mate. Bonjour.

 

Okay, I won't said that from my point of view you're the same than the american, but you belong to the same anglo saxon culture. In a way, a part of the european culture can define themselves as the non anglo saxon western culture.

 

Plenty of parts of European culture can indeed make that claim.
But not my part.

I'm not Anglo Saxon however. I self identify as Norman.
Brown hair, blue eyes.

Angles and Saxons were Germans. Blondes knowing them.


An interesting thing about America historically is that it's all the religious whacko's from Europe, plus all the pioneers from Europe.

It's got a massive cross culture with western Europe. France is basically modelled on America politically and economically and since WW2 American influence is just everywhere. Music, film, coca cola. Internet and so on. Burgers, Pizza's, trainers, cars.
Johnny Halliday sings rock n roll. The Sex Pistols cover Frank Sinatra.

I know who the America president is. I know his name and what he looks like and even what political party he is in.
I bet you do too.
I know how to spell in American.

 

You forgot the have the best reality TV show - Trump and Friends.

 

I saw him on Celebrity Apprentice.

He was really cool in that show. Really smooth guy. People person.
In the UK we have "Sir Alan Sugar" in the same role. And he just gets his rocks off being offensive to people and belittling them.
******** boss vs human boss.

I've liked Trump ever since.

 

I'm myself from Normandy, the biggest part of my family is from south normandy, and the rest from Franche-comté.

Politically, we have a very different model, USA have a rate of tax/GDP around 32 % when France is around 50 %. We were heavily influenced by marxist thought, some guys promissing a new revolution could only please us (they were 4 revolutions in France in less than one century, without considering the one who failed).

I'm a big fan of neo classical culture, especially the 18th century and 19th century. Even if I'm pretty happy that the society evolved on many point, I feel more linked to the culture of those centuries on some points.

Somehow, classical french culture disappeared by being americanized, even if we keep a lot of our specific features.

I rather appreciate american culture, but I can't help myself to consider that my culture died by being eclipsed then assimilated by american culture.

 

Politcally you have the same model.
The Republic.

You copied it from them.
They inspired your revolution.

Using a different language really helps if you are trying to stay culturally isolated.
We are the victims of our own success in this regards in the UK.

My culture is alive because I am alive.
I don't feel other cultures have killed my culture. I am a bit more like the Borg. I think they have added to it.
I don't see it as a static thing.

Burger is British culture just as curry is and baguette is. It didn't originate here, but it is here. We live this way. But toad in the hole is traditional English And that is still part of my culture too. It has not been lost because burgers have been found.

 

It's hard to say. French and American took their water to the same well : the athenian democracy and the roman republic. French were rather attached to monarchy, but the escape of the king to Varennes provoked a reject of monarchy. Nowodays republic was born only in 1870.
By the way, USA revolution had an influence on french revolution, but french revolution created to the root of communism (yes I know it's not very positive). French revolution was on many point extremly radical : slavery was abolished (Napoleon will bring it back), freedom of religion declared (like in the USA), and the human rights proclamed.

In France, we have two assemblies, the deputy assembly and the senate, for instance this is an inheritance of all the constitutionnal monarchy we had between 1815 (fall of Napoleon) and 1870 (fall of Napoleon III).

By the way french culture is not totally dead, but our golden age ended a long time ago, we will for now life in the shadow of the US, who are much bigger anyway.

 

Is the deputy assembly not elected then?

Our second chamber is the house of lords. It is very much created from the aristocracy.


French culture is alive and well. Hollywood loves Luc Besson.
Like France my countries golden age ended before I was born.
But I don't feel I am living in anyone's shadow. Far from it.

I don't seek to rival America.
I don't want what they've got.

I'm just doing my own thing. Little old me, whistling "My Way" to himself on the way to work each day.

We never had much socialism here until WW2. Before then, we had Liberalism.
Which is traditional British culture so I prefer it out of tribal loyalty.
Basic problem with socialism is that all our enemies started it. So it's a social bugbear and a half.

Like getting the general public to embrace Satanism. The name alone is enough to prevent it ever taking off.

Being the biggest.
France didn't get to where its got by being the biggest.
Nor did Britain. We were never the biggest.

We apply small forces at critical points so as to tip large balances in our favour.


Noodle = might.
A small force is as powerful as a large force if applied smartly.

 

The deputy are elected directly, the senate is elected indirectly by "great electors", mainly mayors and regional assemblees representants.

Deputy assemblee is the most important and roughly the house of commons.
Senate is the least important and roughly the house of lord. Many french people consider it unusefull and costfull and want it deleted.

That structure is an inheritance of that period of constitutionnal monarchy France knew in the 19th century.

I don't know if french culture is still well alive. I have the feeling that we're very dependant of american culture, and when I say that, I don't feel any animosity for american, but without deep specificities, I don't have the feeling that a culture is well alive. I'm probably too much pessimistic, it's a personnal flaw, and rather a trend of french people for a long time.

 

As long as Paris has sophistication, romance and cool stuff like the catacombs, women, coffee, cigarettes, baguettes, berets and wine... I wouldn't worry about loss of French culture... There's also the French language which should always remain. Vive le France.

That said, IDK, I've not been to Paris (yet) so IDK. All these things I've mentioned about Paris and Parisian culture might just be tired old clichés and tourist traps from a bygone era.

 

I think Israel has no second chamber.
But it's a tiny country. If your politician upsets you can go round his house and smash his face in.

I like the idea of reforming chambers that slow things down. I like the idea of governments that don't have any power.
That the purpose of democracy is to nerf power and not to embolden it.

I think American democracy is better than UK democracy in this regard. My country is totalitarian in some way. A zillion laws designed to trap you.
A fine lurking behind every corner.

France is a revolution culture as is America.
You guys stand up.

We don't. We comply.

 

Baguette is really well alive thing. I was many times in Paris, it's the most diverse city, I like it for all the possible concert or artistic exposition, but their is too much people for me.
Only a few old people still wear berets.

I would encourage people who visit France to not visit only Paris, it's a very big city, with it's own atomosphere, I prefer smaller cities personnaly. I would recommend Caen, Rouen, Troy, Annecy, Aix-en-Provence, Toulouse, Lille. I don't like Marseille either.

The best democratic model for me stay Switzerland.

 

<----- I wear a beret, but not a French one.

Paris is cool. I don't have any friends in Paris so all I've ever done is the tourist trap stuff, which I loved and will love each time I do it.
The Palace of Versaille. ****ing awesome. Shock and awe.
Go Napoleon you dirty dog.

That's probably up there on my wonders of the world/places to must see list.
I haven't done the south. Never seen it. Sounds warm and outdoorsy.

Caen is good for bullet holes. I love the Belgium Germany run. Every village name I know from my video games.
Normandy beaches are a boys paradise.

German French border is a subject of much comedy here.
Alsace. He says he's French...

What I like about France most, is how civilised it is.
Different food and different drinks served at different times of day.
Meal takes seven years to eat and you have to order four beers at a time or spend hours on end without one.

Civilisation. Tradition built on tradition built on tradition.
Inherited knowledge. An ever increasing knowledge pool that survives death. Gets passed on through tradition.
Racial knowledge.

I love it.

Give us a shout any time you want to bomb people in Timbuktu. We'll join in.

 

IDK, that seems okay (to me), reminds me of home.

 

My French bucket list includes; Paris, Saint Tropez, maybe Cannes (if I have a valid reason to be in Cannes like at that film festival for some party or business perhaps).