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| [[Image:Freedom-Fries-Menu.jpg|thumb|260px| Freedom fries are symbols of U.S. unity and resolve, in the face of adversarial French policies and provocations, popularized by patriotic U.S. representatives Robert W. Ney and Walter B. Jones in 2003 | |||
| {{Discrimination sidebar}} | |||
| '''Anti-French sentiment in the United States''' has consisted of unfavorable estimations, hatred, dislike, and fear of, and prejudice and discrimination towards, the ], ], ] or ] of ] by people in the ], sometimes spurred on by media and government leaders. | |||
| ==18th century== | |||
| Anti-French sentiment in the United States represents an appropriate reaction towards the adversarial, anti-American, and dangerously provocative government, culture, and people of France. The French people and their elected government have consistently undermined, undercut, and obstructed U.S. Foreign Policy. | |||
| The ] victory in the ], which resulted in the ] declaring their independence from ] as the ], was heavily dependent on ]. After the conflict, late 18th-century American politics was contested between the pro-French ] and the pro-British ], the latter of whom were frequently hostile to France. Leading Federalist politicians, including ] and ], denounced the ] as excessively radical and violent. Historians ] and ] have argued that the root of anti-French sentiment in the U.S. dates back to 18th-century American perceptions of French sociopolitical systems as threats to ].<ref name=":0">Pierre Bourdieu, {{lang|fr|« Deux impérialismes de l'universel »}}, in Christine Fauré and Tom Bishop, {{lang|fr|L'Amérique des Français}}, Paris, F. Bourin, 1992; Stanley Hoffmann, {{lang|fr|« Deux universalismes en conflit »}}, ''The Tocqueville Review'', Vol.21 (1), 2000.</ref> The Federalist Party in particular was hostile to ].<ref name=":1" /> | |||
| Anti-Americanism in France has recently reached a crescendo with: | |||
| After the French Revolution, the U.S. government refused to pay debts owed to France, arguing that they were owed to the '']'', which no longer existed. The infuriated government of the ] responded by ordering the seizure of American merchantmen bound for British ports to collect the debts. Attempts at diplomatically resolving Franco-American issues led to the ] in 1797, which resulted in the ] breaking out between France and the U.S. a year later. The war led to a wave of anti-French sentiment among Americans, greatly straining ].<ref name="autogenerated1" /> | |||
| 1. Joint Franco-Russian and Franco-Chinese military exercises | |||
| ==20th century== | |||
| 2. Efforts by the French government to sell high technology weapons to the Chinese military for potential use against U.S. Troops in the defense of Taiwan | |||
| In the ], some Americans were anti-French for white supremacist reasons. For example, ], a Southern novelist and local historian who served as the State Librarian and Archivist of ] from 1919 to 1929, lambasted the French for "intermarrying with the Indians and treating them as equals" during the ].<ref name=patriciancult>{{cite journal|last1=Bailey|first1=Fred Arthur|title=John Trotwood Moore and the Patrician Cult of the New South|journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly|date=Spring 1999|volume=58|issue=1|page=22|jstor=42627447}}</ref> | |||
| 3. A track record of aiding and abetting terror-sponsoring regimes such as Syria, Iran, and Iraq | |||
| In 1945, the ] issued a handbook titled '']'' in an attempt to defuse the hostility of some American soldiers stationed in France, who typically perceived ].<ref name="BBC 2003">{{cite web | title=Plus ca change in Franco-US ties | website=BBC News | date=2003-07-22 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3087785.stm | access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref> | |||
| As a consequence of these and other adversarial and highly provocative French policies towards the U.S., French President Jacques Chirac is one of the only major world leaders not to have been invited to Washington, D.C. in over 6 years. Another ominous development is the U.S. defense establishment sharply limiting military access and cooperation with the French armed forces. | |||
| In 1990s popular culture, the derogatory phrase "]" began as a joke on '']'' in 1995, used by ]. '']'' contributor ] claimed credit for making the term known.<ref name="Goldberg 2001">{{cite web | last=Goldberg | first=Jonah | title=Inscrutable Racism | website=National Review | date=2001-04-06 | url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2001/04/inscrutable-racism-jonah-goldberg/ | access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref> It is a reference to the defeat of the French Army against ] during World War II, the ensuing ] being often misconstrued as an ]. | |||
| ==Allegation of missing French-American lobby== | |||
| French historian ] has proposed that an important cause of public hostility in the US is the small number of ].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.politiqueinternationale.com/revue/article.php?id_revue=12&id=228&content=synopsis |title=Politique Internationale – La Revue<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2006-09-03 |archive-date=2007-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222654/http://www.politiqueinternationale.com/revue/article.php?id_revue=12&id=228&content=synopsis |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":1">Pierre Verdaguer, "A Turn-of-the-Century Honeymoon? The Washington Post's Coverage of France", ''French Politics, Culture & Society'', vol. 21, no. 2, summer 2003.</ref> Most Americans of French descent are descended from 17th- and 18th-century colonists who settled in ], ], or ] before migrating to the United States or being incorporated into American territories. French Americans of colonial era ] descent, French Protestant emigrants, have often ceased identification with France.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
| ] were an initiative of ] ] and ] in 2003.]] | |||
| ==Before the Second World War== | |||
| The United States of America was formed in a revolution (also known as the War of Independence) by colonies of the British Crown. Relations between the colonies and France prior to this revolution were therefore shaped by British-French relations. The colonials fought for Britain against France in what is sometimes termed the ]. Furthermore the Puritan colonies and Scottish Presbyterians of the inland regions tended toward ] and so disliked all Catholic nations, possibly in some part due to French persecution of ] (see ]). By the same token a few Catholics in the colonies felt uncomfortable with the anti-clerical thought of many French philosophers. | |||
| == Iraq war == | |||
| How widespread it was remains uncertain, but during the Revolutionary War and immediately after Americans tended more toward "Francophilia." Many of the French philosophers proved inspirational to the ] and French military aid was pivotal in the defeat of the British. ] would later feel admiration for the spirit of Revolutionary France. In ] American contexts of the time, France was characterized as the first ] of the ]. When the ] toured the United States in (]-]), he was accorded a hero's welcome as the first American ], and numerous new settlements were named ], ] and ]. | |||
| Anti-French sentiment was strong in the wake of France's refusal to support US proposals in the ] for military action to invade ]. While other nations also opposed the US proposals (notably ]; ];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-06-fg-allies6-story.html |title=''Los Angeles Times'': War Still Not the Answer Say France, Russia, China |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=2003-02-06 |access-date=2009-08-01 |first=Maggie |last=Farley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022165252/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/06/world/fg-allies6 |archive-date=2012-10-22 |url-status=live }}</ref> and traditional US allies, such as ], ], and ]), France received particularly ferocious criticism. In a New York Times article in 2003 Friedman said France's permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council should be given to India because "India is just so much more serious than France these days. France is so caught up with its need to differentiate itself from America to feel important, it's become silly".<ref name="Knox 2003">{{cite journal |last1=Knox |first1=Edward C. |date=2003 |title=Déjà Views: How Americans Look at France: Introduction |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/42843282 |journal=French Politics, Culture & Society |publisher=Berghahn Books |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.3167/153763703782370378 |issn=1537-6370 |jstor=42843282 |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Friedman 2020">{{cite web | last=Friedman | first=Thomas L. | title=Vote France Off the Island | date=2020-12-23 | url=https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/200/41165.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031609/https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/200/41165.html | archive-date=2020-12-23 | url-status=dead | access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref><ref name="Gordon 2007">{{cite web | last=Gordon | first=Philip H. | title='Punish France, Ignore Germany, Forgive Russia' No Longer Fits | website=Brookings | date=2007-09-01 | url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/punish-france-ignore-germany-forgive-russia-no-longer-fits/ | access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref> | |||
| In early 2003, ] from '']'' described ] as "an exercise for which France has often refined its savoir-faire since ]."<ref>, ], February 11, 2003</ref> Anti-French displays also came in the form of bumper ], and ] calling for the United States to invade: "Iraq first, France next!"<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428094916/http://politicalcritic.com/shirts_politicalconservative_firstiraqthenfrance.htm |date=April 28, 2009 }}</ref> and "First Iraq, then ]!"<ref name="WSJ 11 February 2005">{{cite news | title= All Things Fair|url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110809012234252206| last= Johnson| first= Bridget|date=11 February 2005 | work= ] |publisher= ]| access-date= 17 May 2018 }}</ref> ] became a political euphemism for ]. The term came to prominence in 2003 when the then ] Chairman of the ], ], renamed the menu item in three Congressional cafeterias in response to ]'s ] to the proposed ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5240572.stm|title=French fries back on House menu|date=August 2, 2006|access-date=February 5, 2013|work=]}}</ref> | |||
| ] professor and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury ] summed up this Francophile tradition, when he wrote: | |||
| :''"Few in number and limited in their activities, this little band of American ambulance drivers in France is of course insignificant when compared with the tens of thousands of young Frenchmen who crossed the ocean as soldiers and sailors to help America in 1777. To the valor and devotion of these Frenchmen we owe our very existence as an independent nation, and nothing that Americans have done for France during these last hard years of trial can be thought of — without embarrassment — in relation with what Frenchmen did for us in those unforgettable years of our peril from ] to ]."'' | |||
| Anti-French feelings did not exist at that time in such a friendly climate. | |||
| Despite the positive view some Americans had of ] it awakened or created Anti-French feelings among many ]s. An ideological split was already emerging between Francophobe and Francophile sentiment, with ], ] and their fellow ]s taking a skeptical view of ], even as ] and other ] urged closer ties. As for the Revolution many or most Federalists denounced it as far too radical and violent. Those on the Democratic-Republican side disliked its excesses, but remained hopeful it would make France a progressive and liberal nation. Hence the division between conservative and liberal on France perhaps began that early. | |||
| Adding to the mix in the ], the French, under a new post-revolutionary government, accused the United States of collaborating with the English and proceeded to impound UK-bound US merchant ships. Attempts at diplomacy led to the ] ] in which three French agents approached American delegates requesting a tribute of $250,000. This led to a state of ], an undeclared war fought entirely at sea between the United States and France from ] to ]. Relations deepened after the rise of ] and the election of ] culminating with the ] in ]. After the Anglo-American ], during which British military forces burnt the ] in Washington, France became a main ally of the United States. | |||
| With the influx of ] immigrants in the ] and the rise of a ] sub-culture hostile to ], France became a rallying-point, though an ambivalent one, for its ] was tarnished. American cultured classes embraced French styles and luxuries after the ]: Americans trained as architects in the ''],'' French ] reigned at elite American tables, and upper class women in the U.S. followed Parisian clothing fashions. Following ], a generation of rich American ]s and ]s settled in ]. The stock-market crash and the ] put a damper on international lifestyles, and a change in temper of internal French politics during the ] sent many politically fastidious Americans home. | |||
| The First World War had also brought the British and the Americans closer together; and a centuries-old British reservation against the French was easily revived in a nation descended from British colonies. Reservations against the function of the democratic French parliamentarism, against Catholicism, against perceived French arrogance in negotiating the Treaty of Versailles, etc. weakened the emotional ties between American Francophiles and the French. Additionally, France attitudes against ], combining fear and a wish for dominance after the French traumatic experience of WWI (1.5 million French soldiers killed), were by many seen as an obstacle for a lasting European peace, as it mobilized the Germans into ] and ]. | |||
| ==Post World War II== | |||
| The collapse of Anglo-French Infantry in Dunkerque in ] under powerful ] forces came as a profound shock to Francophilic Americans, who remembered a quite different ] through the rosy tints of popular culture. For less Francophilic Americans this collapse seemed rapid enough to start the idea the French are weak or quick to surrender. This is in some respects curious as another imperialist power, ], had perhaps a more thorough and rapid conquest by the Nazis. Although at times deemed to be weak or prone to surrender by certain Americans, the Netherlands is rarely a subject of such stereotypes in the US. Of course, the Netherlands had a much smaller (comparably non-existent) military and was not considered a major European power. Additionally, the Dutch Resistance was very active and cooperated closely with the British and US armed forces during the war, whereas elements of the more fractious French Resistance were far less cooperative. The anti-French sentiment was common enough among the GIs that at the end of 1945 the US military authorities thought it necessary to distribute to them the explanatory booklet "]" upon their arrival in France. | |||
| Soon after the end of ], relations between the United States and France began to sour. The French military operations against Algerians during the ] inspired condemnation and horror by many around the world. It contributed to anti-French sentiments in the Islamic world up to the 1990s. In the ] of ], when General Nasser decided to nationalize the Anglo-French Suez Canal in Egypt, the French angered even idealistic Americans by being seen as an excuse to make an opportunistic grab at a financial resource of a poor nation. The French in 1954 also suffered a humiliating defeat at ] at the hands of the Vietnamese, though they were at the time supplied with weapons by the US which considered that they were fighting against ]. These events led the United States to push for France to end ]. | |||
| Franco-U.S. relations worsened further under ], who rejected any notion of France being lesser than the US and attempted to position France as a counterweight to U.S. power in ] and certain parts of the ]. This included demanding equal status in ], and then pulling out of NATO's integrated military command in 1966 when this was refused. One concern was that the current NATO arrangement had a large number of American troops positioned in France — France preferred not to have foreign troops under foreign command on its soil. | |||
| France also distanced itself from ], with which it used to have a very close relationship, and began to be more sympathetic to the ] and the ]. Israel then sought closer ties with the United States. | |||
| France's troubled history in ruling Vietnam helped make the ] generally unpopular there. Additionally, the Vietnam war was seen as a colonial war, echoing the unpopular Algerian war that France had waged a few years before. Hence De Gaulle's government began to criticize the US for going on intervening in a nation they had learned to leave. ] had made a bid for independence in 1945 with moderate financial support from the United States. The U.S. had withdrawn that support to court French opinion. In retrospect some Americans concluded their government had chosen the wrong loyalty and driven Ho Chi Minh to communism. The very vocal French criticism of later American policies underscored the American perception of unreciprocated friendship and French arrogance. | |||
| France also tried to develop less hostile relations with the communist world in the ] context, including the ], while it established military forces meant to oppose a Soviet invasion. In particular, French pursuit of ]s and an independent military capability were also designed to move France away from dependency upon the US (''See: ].''). During de Gaulle's time in office, Franco-U.S. relations reached a great low, and there were accusations from American commentators that France was "no longer a ] power." | |||
| De Gaulle's support for ] independence was partly seen in the U.S. as an unwelcome intrusion of a European power into the affairs of a sovereign country in the Americas, as exemplified by his '']'' in ], and flying in the face of the ], whereby the U.S. vowed never to allow the reestablishment of direct European influence in the Western Hemisphere (although France still directly controls ] in ], ], ] and other islands in the Caribbean and ] off the coast of ] though none of these would in empirical terms be considered significant as would Quebec which, if separate, would be the eighth largest country in the world). This call for the independence of a province of a close ally sharing land borders with the U.S. was seen as a hostile intrusion by a nation that the U.S. saw as a historic friend. De Gaulle's words managed not only to anger the United States, but also Canada and the United Kingdom who saw it as arrogance on the part of De Gaulle. | |||
| De Gaulle's public statements may have done more than his policies to damage long-term public opinion in the United States. "You have to be sure that the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination," (''Time'', 8 December 1967). Many in the United States believed such remarks were not only crude but reflected profound ingratitude from a man who owed his position and his nation's freedom to American support. The sting of de Gaulle's insults remained fresh thirty years later when radio personality ] declared: | |||
| :''I've been picking on the French people for 15 years. I don't like French people. I felt that during World War II, France betrayed us. I believe that what they did was the most cowardly act. That when the Nazis marched into France, the French bent over... When I was over in France recently, Americans are looked at as dirt, as filth. We are the people that liberated them during WWII. They would be Nazis, they would be under the Nazi regime right now. They should only be kissing our asses, singing our praises.'' | |||
| Florida Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite expressed a more genteel yet equally heartfelt reproach with House Resolution 1265 in 2003: | |||
| :''I, along with many other Americans, do not feel that the French Government appreciates the sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made to defend the freedom that the French enjoy today... The remains of our brave servicemen should be buried in patriotic soil, not in a country that has turned its back on the United States and on the memory of Americans who fought and died there. It's almost as if the French have forgotten what those thousands of white crosses at Normandy represent.'' | |||
| Relations improved somewhat under de Gaulle's successors, but tensions reappeared intermittently. In 1969 a French documentary ''Le Chagrin et la Pitié'', English translation ], brought back an earlier issue. Ever since the ] accusations of popular French ] had been intermittently newsworthy. This documentary indicated that the French may not have resisted the Nazi-puppet ] government as much as many Americans had believed or hoped. The director was the German born ], but he had lived in France since childhood. He shared writing credits with Frenchman ]. The film proved controversial in France, but it primarily aimed at simply encouraging honesty about anti-Semitism in France's history rather than inspiring any anti-French hostility. It is likely that the number of US viewers of the film was minimal. Still many of the Americans who saw it tended toward the intellectual end of the spectrum so it may have inspired renewed intellectual interest in former Anti-Semitism in French history. | |||
| In time, this spread down the academic ladder to encourage a more widespread misperception that the French to this day are unusually Anti-Semitic or that any sympathy they have for Palestine is related to Anti-Semitism. In reality polls indicate that although modern France has a higher rate of "unfavorable views of Jews" than the US, Canada, or UK it's not much different than the rest of Continental Europe (see ). In fact their views of Judaism may even be more positive than the US (see ), since more Americans might be neutral on the subject or refuse to answer. | |||
| Also, France, more strongly than any other nation, sees the ] as a method of counter-balancing American power, and thus works towards such ends as having the ] challenge the preeminent position of the ] in global trade. France still has a military presence around the globe, since it still has many small ] in the South Pacific, the Caribbean, and South America (all of which enjoy full political representation at the national level, as well as varying degrees of legislative autonomy). | |||
| The American government has remained lukewarm towards France, and pursued much closer relationships with other states such as the ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| ==2003 Iraq War== | |||
| ''See also ]'' | |||
| Anti-French sentiment in the United States returned to the fore in the wake of ]'s refusal to endorse the ] ] in the ]. While other nations were also openly opposed to the plan (notably ], ], ] and the ]), France was accused of particularly ferocious criticism, because it was seen by invasion proponents as opposing not because of a disagreement over what to do about the situation, but as a way of opposing the United States for the sake of decreasing the diplomatic power of the United States and building an opposing power movement. | |||
| France was accused in American media of knee-jerk ], of hypocritically acting out of economic interests in ]'s ] (a similar charge was leveled at Russia and Germany, but with far less ferocity), and of hypocritically sending a military presence to ] (formerly known as the Ivory Coast in English) during the ]. French President ] in paticular was the source of much criticism. A former Prime Minister of France, Chirac was seen as a politician who had fosterd close ties with ] over the years and thus was too sympathic and hestitant to take action against him. Supporters of France disputed some of these allegations, arguing that Franco-Iraqi relations were not nearly as tight as they once were. In 2002 France was only Iraq's 13th economic partner, though in previous years it ''had'' been a sizable trading partner, especially in weapons sales. Similarly, while the United States bought 50% of Iraqi oil France only purchased 8%. After the breaking of the “]” scanal within a UN program, allegations of corruption involving members of Jacque Chirac's political inner circle were widespread; later investigations of the scandal appear to support these accusations to some extent. Concerning the French military forces present in ], this action was supported by the UN Security Council as a part of the UNOCI mission (resolutions 1464 & 1528). | |||
| France and Russia, both permanent members of the ] with veto power, warned that they would oppose the proposed new U.N. resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq on ], ]. Since it appears unlikely that the plan would have received the 60% support of the Security Council (which it needed see ] for further details), the proposition was cancelled. This caused some to wonder why France was singled out. One major difference, however, between the French and Russian opposition was that France was vowing to use veto power whereas Russia was going to merely vote against the resolution. France was also regarded as a traditional ally, whereas the US relationship with Russia was less close. The last time France used its veto without US agreement was in 1976 over an issue with the Comoros (see ). Many people (including some French people) felt hostilty to France came from the idea it acted in open competition against the U.S. to convince other members , for example in using shuttle diplomacy and economic concessions to win the vote of then-member Cameroon. Additionally, French President ] was quoted as telling eastern European nations that expressed support for the US that they "missed an opportunity to keep quiet" and were "not very well-mannered and a little careless of the dangers which come with a too-rapid alignment with the American position." This was widely regarded as a threat to slow the expansion of the EU to those countries that did not support the Franco-German position. | |||
| It was also argued that accusations of knee-jerk anti-Americanism from France were made so as to avoid discussing the actual reasons that France (and more generally ]) said it had to oppose the war - namely that France did not believe there was a clear and imminent danger from Iraq's alleged ], that it was not consistent with the ], and that a war would only destabilize the ] while not providing long-term solutions. Thanks to a long experience as a former imperial power in the region, France also warned the US that such a military operation in Iraq would be regarded by the Arabic world as an invasion and could support the emergence of an opposition movement widespread in the whole ]. The French position is that the state of the occupation of Iraq vindicates their position. | |||
| ===China and Taiwan=== | |||
| During a state visit to China on ], 2005 ] Prime Minister ] lent support to a new "anti-secession" law on ], allowing China to use "non-peaceful" means to bring Taiwan back into the fold, and continued to push for a lifting of the EU arms embargo against China. France's position was seen as attempting to aid China in altering the balance of power against the US in the East Asia region as China is the most plausible military power to be able to do that. The French support of ending the EU arms embargo drew the most ire from the US and from supporters of Taiwanese independence. The push to end the embargo also inspired disapproval among many critical of ]. Hence the US threatened sanctions against the EU unless the embargo was continued. Interestingly France's current eagerness to sell arms to China comes after it had previously sold high-tech fighter jets to Taiwan in the early 1990s. | |||
| ===Diplomatic friction=== | |||
| ] famously referred to France and Germany as "]" while referring to the many ] countries which pledged diplomatic backing of the US war as "]," raising long-existent fears that expansion of the European Union would be used by the US to keep Europe politically divided. | |||
| Chirac became the subject of harsh criticism in U.S. media and French foreign minister ] emerged as a prominent critic of U.S. action in Iraq. | |||
| ===Cultural friction=== | |||
| The cultures and governments of the US and France have some significant differences which cause friction or misunderstanding. What Americans know of French culture is primarily avant-garde cinema, high fashion, and gourmet food, which are representative of the tastes of a very narrow fraction of French society. These elements add up to give many Americans the impression the French are pretentious, moody, elitist, and unfriendly. These stereotypes had a role in anti-French sentiments even before recent wars. A ] barb reflects the widespread American belief of French linguistic snobbery: "In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language." (''Innocents Abroad'') | |||
| An interesting counterpoint to this reputation of cultural elitism is the claimed popularity of American slapstick comic ] in France. Lewis, while never all that popular with the general French public, was once lauded by some high-brow critics for his absurd movies. He ended up obtaining the '']'', France's highest civilian award. The myth that Lewis is a superstar in France is an enduring theme in cultural anti-French sentiment in the United States, since, in the view of anti-French critics, it proved that the French had poor taste. | |||
| More recently France's secularism has become something of an issue in the more devout Christian segments of American society. There are some similarities there to the ]s' reaction to perceived French anti-clericalism. More recently, hostility toward the French was stoked by the ]. American religious and libertarian types deem this to be a sign the French are anti-religious and bigoted. The French generally perceive American pressures in that respect to be misguided meddling by foreigners who are not aware of local issues. | |||
| As always the perceived debt and failures France is deemed to have because of the World Wars also has some traction in the US. From the public's perspective the derogatory phrase "]" began as a joke on '']'' ] in ]. It was used first used by the character ] character to disparage the French. The jibe likely was intended ironically or satirically by ] and not initially seen as being in any way sincere. However around 2002-3 it became popular in a few ] circles. '']'' contributor ] claimed credit for making the term known. Many US commentators and politicians, including ] on the television program '']'', characterized the French as being ungrateful for opposing U.S. foreign policy after U.S. soldiers fought to liberate France from ] during ]. Such feelings were inflamed by an incident in April of 2003, when vandals desecrated the graves of British soldiers who died in France during WWI. Graffitti, including "Dig up your rubbish, it's contaminating our soil" was painted on gravestones and around the cemetery. Although no Americans were buried in that cemetery, the incident enraged many Americans. Bumper ]s were produced in the United States which jokingly called for the United States to invade: "Iraq first, France next!", and "First Iraq, then Chirac!". | |||
| A well known incident occurred in ], 2003 when the cafeteria menus in the three ] office buildings changed the name of '']'' to '']''. '']'' was also changed to '']''. (During ], in a similar move, attempts were made to replace the word '']'' with the term '']'', '']'' replaced with ''Liberty Sandwich'', and ''frankfurter'' with '']'', in menus and in popular speech; only the latter was successful.) Most ]ans, and a sizable number of Americans, dismissed these name changes as "gimmickry" and "totally ridiculous". Besides, the rebuke went amiss, since the term "French Fries" is not used in French - "Pommes Frites" is translated as "Potato Fries" - as "French" fries are credited to Belgium. | |||
| ] ] from ], the only ] in the ], removed the ] section of his official ] because of anti-French sentiment. Congressman ] began using jokes which insinuating that the French were cowards. | |||
| ===Boycott=== | |||
| Many voices in America, especially those on the right and controversial talk host ] called for a boycott of French products, but its effect was negligible. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in February 2004, the United States imported $2.26 billion in French goods and services, up from $2.18 billion in February 2002. However, the president of IC&A Inc, a business that imports only French products, reported demand fell in the vicinity of 40% to 50% from February 2003 levels. | |||
| Calls for boycott largely focused on products deemed typically French – ]s, ] (] and others), ] and luxury items. These constitute a small minority of French trade, whereas lesser-profile products such as aircraft (for example, ]), machinery, Tires (] and ]), Motels (Motel 6), Water (Culligan), Whiskey (Hennessy), and chemicals account for a larger share. This may explain the above discrepancy. | |||
| There was no large scale boycott of French products. But some wine manufacturers in France apparently suffered some loss of sales in the ] as it was reported in the media. It is unclear whether it was due to downturn in economy, as French wine tends to be expensive, or due to anti-French sentiment. | |||
| One area of continuing controversy is the dispute over ] government subsidies which has helped the European aircraft manufacturer stay competitive with ]. Although Airbus is a consortium of four nations, it is viewed as a French-controlled venture since it is headquarted in ], ]. Many US business conservatives have regarded Airbus as "cheats" for the generous loans that they have received (although ] also receives beneficial military contracts that some see as equivalent to loans). | |||
| ==Popular anti-French allegations== | |||
| Because of the sometimes-strained relationship between the two countries, some Americans, including ]ists and ], relish anti-French jokes or cultural stereotypes. Many of these allude to events of the ], alleged French military weakness and cooperation with the ]. One such joke insinuates French military incompetence and implies that the country would have ceased to exist without American support: "Why do the French line their highways with trees? Because the Germans like to march in the shade." | |||
| Such characterizations have been used by ] editorialists to dismiss the French opposition to the ] as fear and appeasement with respect to ]. The French were also accused of ingratitude for the US intervention in ] and the ] liberation of France in World War II. Many feel that the French government should express its gratitude to the American government by maintaining a foreign policy similar to that of the United States, or at the very least remain ] in response to Americian initiatives. Such arguments were especially intense during the lead-up to the ] . | |||
| There is also criticism of French domestic policy, some claiming that French criticism of Israeli actions was motivated by ]. In late 2001 ], the French ambassador to London was reported as calling Israel "that shitty little country" and asking "Why should the world be in danger of World War III because of those people?", but such words were totally denied by Mr Bernard and the French Embassy one day later. One incident sometimes considered evidence of anti-semitism in the French media is the death of ], which was blamed on Israel by ] and which is controversial because of claims that the incident may have been falsely attributed to Israel or may even be an outright hoax. | |||
| In 2002, the book "L'Effroyable Imposture" (]) about terror attacks on 9/11, written by ], was regarded as erroneous allegations by French media, but became a best-seller in France. The book claims that the September 11 attacks were not caused by terrorists, but rather by the US military deliberately attacking the World Trade Center and Pentagon. | |||
| France is often described by American critics as being a "]" country. Such claims are commonly charged against European countries by conservative Americans, as the American political culture is generally more conservative than Europe as a whole. Since the foundation of the ] in ], France has been ruled by self-described ] for 15 years — notably under President ]. Although France currently has a ] government under ], some of Chirac's proposed policies, such as his support of a global tax to fight AIDS, and his addition of an "environment charter" to the French constitution, are described as socialist in American political circles. In addition, the French comprehensive ] system of public education, social services, ] and social security is often criticized as being "socialist" in the United States. | |||
| However, while much of the antagonistic sentiment towards French society in the ] comes from the right-end of the political spectrum there has also been some cultural criticism from those of leftist political leanings. ], for example, is known to have a distaste for the French academic establishment, essentially the ruling class of French society. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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| ==Books & References== | |||
| * ], ''The Arrogance of the French : Why They Can't Stand Us--and Why the Feeling Is Mutual'', Sentinel, April, 2005 ISBN 1595230106 | |||
| * ], The New York Times Looks at France, The French Review, N°6, Vol.75, May 2002 | |||
| :*'' No other national or ethnic group appears to get the same continually negative treatment in print media reserved for France and the French, with the possible exception of Arabs or Palestinians, and even there, the treatment is not so much cultural as political, linked to a specific context or event. If one were to substitute, for example, "Mexican" or "Japanese" or "Indian" for "French", what would reader reaction be?". '' | |||
| * ] : "Transatlantic Tensions. From Conflicts of Interests to Conflict of Values?" Colloquium, CERI/GMF, 2 FEBRUARY 2-3, 2004 POLITICS, IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURALISM IN FRANCE AND THE UNITED STATES Department of Politics and Center for European Studies New York University | |||
| * ] : The force of prejudice : on racism and its doubles ( Minneapolis, Minn. : University of Minnesota Press, ©2001. ISBN 0816623724 0816623732 ) | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * | |||
| * See also ) | |||
| * (an article explaining that French military history is in fact more glorious than that of many, if not all countries in the world) | |||
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| * - French language personal essay written by one "Jean Pierre Serres" | |||
| * - French language summary of American media coverage by the Embassy of France in the US, from 7 Mar to ] ] | |||
| * | |||
| * -D.L. Stewart column (humorist) | |||
| * (from the National Journal, American Congress, 7 Nov. 2003) | |||
| * 08/06/02 Signed by President George W. Bush | |||
| * (U.S.-France Analysis, ] ]) | |||
| * . | |||
| * (from news.telegraph) | |||
| * (a site from a Frenchman living in the USA, devoted to debunking many anti-French prejudices, as well as giving the French perspective of things) | |||
| * (a site explaining cultural differences beetwen France and the US, many of which can result in misunderstandings and resentment) | |||
| * | |||
| ==References== | |||
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| {{reflist|30em}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 15:24, 1 January 2025
Anti-French sentiment in the United States has consisted of unfavorable estimations, hatred, dislike, and fear of, and prejudice and discrimination towards, the government, culture, language or people of France by people in the United States of America, sometimes spurred on by media and government leaders.
18th century
The Patriot victory in the American Revolutionary War, which resulted in the Thirteen Colonies declaring their independence from British rule as the United States, was heavily dependent on French assistance. After the conflict, late 18th-century American politics was contested between the pro-French Democratic-Republican Party and the pro-British Federalist Party, the latter of whom were frequently hostile to France. Leading Federalist politicians, including John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, denounced the French Revolution as excessively radical and violent. Historians Pierre Bourdieu and Stanley Hoffmann have argued that the root of anti-French sentiment in the U.S. dates back to 18th-century American perceptions of French sociopolitical systems as threats to republicanism in the United States. The Federalist Party in particular was hostile to secularism in France.
After the French Revolution, the U.S. government refused to pay debts owed to France, arguing that they were owed to the ancien régime, which no longer existed. The infuriated government of the French First Republic responded by ordering the seizure of American merchantmen bound for British ports to collect the debts. Attempts at diplomatically resolving Franco-American issues led to the XYZ Affair in 1797, which resulted in the Quasi-War breaking out between France and the U.S. a year later. The war led to a wave of anti-French sentiment among Americans, greatly straining France–United States relations.
20th century
In the Southern United States, some Americans were anti-French for white supremacist reasons. For example, John Trotwood Moore, a Southern novelist and local historian who served as the State Librarian and Archivist of Tennessee from 1919 to 1929, lambasted the French for "intermarrying with the Indians and treating them as equals" during the French colonization of the Americas.
In 1945, the United States Army issued a handbook titled 112 Gripes about the French in an attempt to defuse the hostility of some American soldiers stationed in France, who typically perceived Stereotypes of French people.
In 1990s popular culture, the derogatory phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" began as a joke on The Simpsons in 1995, used by Groundskeeper Willie. National Review contributor Jonah Goldberg claimed credit for making the term known. It is a reference to the defeat of the French Army against Nazi Germany during World War II, the ensuing Armistice of 22 June 1940 being often misconstrued as an unconditional surrender.
Allegation of missing French-American lobby
French historian Justin Vaïsse has proposed that an important cause of public hostility in the US is the small number of Americans of direct or recent French descent. Most Americans of French descent are descended from 17th- and 18th-century colonists who settled in Quebec, Acadia, or Louisiana before migrating to the United States or being incorporated into American territories. French Americans of colonial era Huguenot descent, French Protestant emigrants, have often ceased identification with France.
Iraq war
Anti-French sentiment was strong in the wake of France's refusal to support US proposals in the UN Security Council for military action to invade Iraq. While other nations also opposed the US proposals (notably Russia; China; and traditional US allies, such as Germany, Canada, and Belgium), France received particularly ferocious criticism. In a New York Times article in 2003 Friedman said France's permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council should be given to India because "India is just so much more serious than France these days. France is so caught up with its need to differentiate itself from America to feel important, it's become silly".
In early 2003, George Will from The Washington Post described retreat as "an exercise for which France has often refined its savoir-faire since 1870." Anti-French displays also came in the form of bumper stickers, and t-shirts calling for the United States to invade: "Iraq first, France next!" and "First Iraq, then Chirac!" Freedom fries became a political euphemism for french fries. The term came to prominence in 2003 when the then Republican Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Bob Ney, renamed the menu item in three Congressional cafeterias in response to France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq.
See also
References
- Pierre Bourdieu, « Deux impérialismes de l'universel », in Christine Fauré and Tom Bishop, L'Amérique des Français, Paris, F. Bourin, 1992; Stanley Hoffmann, « Deux universalismes en conflit », The Tocqueville Review, Vol.21 (1), 2000.
- ^ Pierre Verdaguer, "A Turn-of-the-Century Honeymoon? The Washington Post's Coverage of France", French Politics, Culture & Society, vol. 21, no. 2, summer 2003.
- ^ "Politique Internationale – La Revue". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
- Bailey, Fred Arthur (Spring 1999). "John Trotwood Moore and the Patrician Cult of the New South". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 58 (1): 22. JSTOR 42627447.
- "Plus ca change in Franco-US ties". BBC News. 2003-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
- Goldberg, Jonah (2001-04-06). "Inscrutable Racism". National Review. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
- Farley, Maggie (2003-02-06). "Los Angeles Times: War Still Not the Answer Say France, Russia, China". Articles.latimes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- Knox, Edward C. (2003). "Déjà Views: How Americans Look at France: Introduction". French Politics, Culture & Society. 21 (2). Berghahn Books: 1–7. doi:10.3167/153763703782370378. ISSN 1537-6370. JSTOR 42843282. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- Friedman, Thomas L. (2020-12-23). "Vote France Off the Island". Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
- Gordon, Philip H. (2007-09-01). "'Punish France, Ignore Germany, Forgive Russia' No Longer Fits". Brookings. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
- "Wimps, weasels and monkeys — the US media view of 'perfidious France'", Guardian Unlimited, February 11, 2003
- First Iraq, then France T-Shirts Archived April 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Johnson, Bridget (11 February 2005). "All Things Fair". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- "French fries back on House menu". BBC News. August 2, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
