This comment is, of course, in the context of Aug 30, 2024. Nine plus months since you posted this. My how things have escalated and changed in that time - globally.
"Sale française" - I'm glad you took liberties. My brain added a superior French accent to the dialogue, which fit the feel of the story - until I remembered that it was an immigrant cocking his bitch slapping trebuchet and why would a Frenchman need to add the "French woman" qualifier.
Reminded me of Brook's "Schwanzstucker".
Anyway, this reminded me of my years in Germany, where "the ugly American" (UA if you will) was alive and well and F'd things up for the rest of us. Like the French, you couldn't really blame them for loathing and disdaining the outsiders - especially since they were extensions of the original occupation force. Many older Duetschen were young kids back then and remembered not so great times. However, during that time they save their greatest disdain for the auslander from Russia. However, middle eastern, Africans and Turks were just a rung below them.
Here's the thing though and I've found this in all countries I've been to (interestingly with France being the exception - several day trips), that when they saw you were making an attempt at assimilating, their levels of tolerance and acceptance climbed dramatically.
I might have attributed the leeway to the ubiquitous petro-dollar before it's recent demise, but the UA's were making it rain also, so it had to e that the locals could see a differentiation.
I'd say - on the whole - the same applies to the ethnic immigrant groups where the locals are concerned. I do agree that the immigrants rightly take issue with their "ugly immigrants" - especially when the majority of the misbehavior is violent, criminal or sexually assaulting the women and girls.
To me the legal immigrants are the canaries in the coal mine. When they raise the bullshit flag on their illegal counterparts, then you know the natives are justifiably restless.
I’ve spent a lot of time in France over the years—I don’t know how much you learned of the language, but I’m fluent (people think this means I went to a ritzy boarding school or something, but exactly the opposite: it was the only foreign language my tiny high school near the Canadian border offered; there was no Internet, and I, being the single undiagnosed female assburger who was statistically likely to be dumped there, had no friends), and that single, if large, gesture of assimilation means people absolutely love you.
Granted, they love you in something of a condescending way; being a Talking American gets a reaction almost exactly like that Talking Junkie comedy sketch from the 90s. Like they’re flattered yet amazed that this dog has learned sign language just to come visit them.
Point being, they ARE so delighted that any foreigner makes the slightest attempt to be considerate and assimilate to their culture, it lets me know that my fellow immigrants must be acting like a real bunch of c@nts to finally make the French lose their patience.
I had learned enough French to make them roll their eyes (justifiably) because I was murdering the language. I self taught German, Turkish, and Russian, to a tolerable level (that sounds more impressive than it was). Spanish, was like French for me, even though its in my ancestry.
I found the same type of barometer applied to the local populations, where UAs are concerned, as you described. The Germans had had enough of ignorant GIs going into town, getting drink and beating up their older teenagers and sexually harassing their girls/women or just being the loud obnoxious idiot. You could always spot one in public. It became embarrassing to say the least, when the quiet or low conversating mummers of the locals was shattered by the loud echo of F’in A man, look at that sh*t there, what the F are they thinkin 10 marks for that sh*t, F’ing stupid Germans”.
It was that way in Turkey, Spain, Albania, Uzbekistan, Africa and other countries I was in. You could always find the UA and every local new what one was - like they know what a yeti is - in all corners of the world today.
I will say, that in the Nordic countries, there was little disdain for the UA. Maybe it was the Viking blood - like a wolf recognizing some thing kindred in the fat, sluggish, bug eyed chihuahua, it’s about to devour. The Danes loved us, especially the women, but that was because we actually talked to them instead of grabbing them as they walked by, but that’s another story.
I miss the Europe I remember, before the EU, globalist take over and loss of individual cultures.
It is literally "dirty Frenchwoman," but in English that doesn't have the same slap, so I replicated the effect. I haven't heard "dirty" used as an insult in English for a long time, whereas in France it's still alive and well.
This comment is, of course, in the context of Aug 30, 2024. Nine plus months since you posted this. My how things have escalated and changed in that time - globally.
"Sale française" - I'm glad you took liberties. My brain added a superior French accent to the dialogue, which fit the feel of the story - until I remembered that it was an immigrant cocking his bitch slapping trebuchet and why would a Frenchman need to add the "French woman" qualifier.
Reminded me of Brook's "Schwanzstucker".
Anyway, this reminded me of my years in Germany, where "the ugly American" (UA if you will) was alive and well and F'd things up for the rest of us. Like the French, you couldn't really blame them for loathing and disdaining the outsiders - especially since they were extensions of the original occupation force. Many older Duetschen were young kids back then and remembered not so great times. However, during that time they save their greatest disdain for the auslander from Russia. However, middle eastern, Africans and Turks were just a rung below them.
Here's the thing though and I've found this in all countries I've been to (interestingly with France being the exception - several day trips), that when they saw you were making an attempt at assimilating, their levels of tolerance and acceptance climbed dramatically.
I might have attributed the leeway to the ubiquitous petro-dollar before it's recent demise, but the UA's were making it rain also, so it had to e that the locals could see a differentiation.
I'd say - on the whole - the same applies to the ethnic immigrant groups where the locals are concerned. I do agree that the immigrants rightly take issue with their "ugly immigrants" - especially when the majority of the misbehavior is violent, criminal or sexually assaulting the women and girls.
To me the legal immigrants are the canaries in the coal mine. When they raise the bullshit flag on their illegal counterparts, then you know the natives are justifiably restless.
The caveat to all that, of course, is France.
I’ve spent a lot of time in France over the years—I don’t know how much you learned of the language, but I’m fluent (people think this means I went to a ritzy boarding school or something, but exactly the opposite: it was the only foreign language my tiny high school near the Canadian border offered; there was no Internet, and I, being the single undiagnosed female assburger who was statistically likely to be dumped there, had no friends), and that single, if large, gesture of assimilation means people absolutely love you.
Granted, they love you in something of a condescending way; being a Talking American gets a reaction almost exactly like that Talking Junkie comedy sketch from the 90s. Like they’re flattered yet amazed that this dog has learned sign language just to come visit them.
Point being, they ARE so delighted that any foreigner makes the slightest attempt to be considerate and assimilate to their culture, it lets me know that my fellow immigrants must be acting like a real bunch of c@nts to finally make the French lose their patience.
I had learned enough French to make them roll their eyes (justifiably) because I was murdering the language. I self taught German, Turkish, and Russian, to a tolerable level (that sounds more impressive than it was). Spanish, was like French for me, even though its in my ancestry.
I found the same type of barometer applied to the local populations, where UAs are concerned, as you described. The Germans had had enough of ignorant GIs going into town, getting drink and beating up their older teenagers and sexually harassing their girls/women or just being the loud obnoxious idiot. You could always spot one in public. It became embarrassing to say the least, when the quiet or low conversating mummers of the locals was shattered by the loud echo of F’in A man, look at that sh*t there, what the F are they thinkin 10 marks for that sh*t, F’ing stupid Germans”.
It was that way in Turkey, Spain, Albania, Uzbekistan, Africa and other countries I was in. You could always find the UA and every local new what one was - like they know what a yeti is - in all corners of the world today.
I will say, that in the Nordic countries, there was little disdain for the UA. Maybe it was the Viking blood - like a wolf recognizing some thing kindred in the fat, sluggish, bug eyed chihuahua, it’s about to devour. The Danes loved us, especially the women, but that was because we actually talked to them instead of grabbing them as they walked by, but that’s another story.
I miss the Europe I remember, before the EU, globalist take over and loss of individual cultures.
Thank you!
I’d have translated “sale française” as “dirty Frenchwoman.” French slang has always been a mystery to me.
My small but proud win at work this week was correcting a well-known historian’s misspelling of Houellebecq.
Hehehe, congratulations!
It is literally "dirty Frenchwoman," but in English that doesn't have the same slap, so I replicated the effect. I haven't heard "dirty" used as an insult in English for a long time, whereas in France it's still alive and well.
(but I get your point!)