French Crossroads: Forgotten Fights, 'The French' Freakout, and a Frenchness Defense
It's hard out here for a Frenchie...
The skies remain grey in the Northern French territories, but we’re endeavoring to get out and explore the treasures that suburban Paris has to offer. Last weekend, we took a walk on the Île des Impressionnistes which has a park on the Southern end and a small village on the Northern side.
Once upon a time, this was apparently an exotic getaway from Paris for the roving gang of impressionists in the 19th century including Sisley, Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Manet. It offers nice views of the Seine, but it’s perhaps just a touch less, well, impressive, thanks to the overpass that divides the island and the views of the surrounding modern apartments and offices.
Still walking along the banks, we did stumble across La maison Fournaise (see photo above), which was the setting for Augie Renoir’s famous Le Déjeuner des canotiers (Luncheon of the Boating Party) painting. (Side note: The translation fits with my theory that stuff just sounds better in French.)
The 1881 painting is considered to be an Impressionist masterpiece. As the story goes, Alphonse Fournaise built canoes for tourists to rent and his wife ran the restaurant. I’m sure it didn’t hurt business to have 19th-century influencers like Renoir featuring your digs in his paintings. The restaurant closed in 1906, but re-opened after a restoration in 1990, and I’m sure it’s now a popular spot for Instagrammers who attempt to pose their friends to look like the painting, but honestly, I don’t even want to look on the app because I’m afraid that it might be true.
Living in the ‘burbs, I have felt somewhat removed from the protests that have flared amid over President Macron’s pension reform plan. The New York Times wondered whether the French are just lazy. (Yes, but in a positive philosophical-humanistic way).
But certainly, the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets last week were certainly energetic enough. The protests have been such a hit that organizers are planning two more for Tuesday, February 7th, and Saturday, February 11th. So there’s still time to make your plans to be there if you want to experience France like a French person. Bring your own gas mask, though.
Unfortunately, the publicity-hogging retirement reform protests have been overshadowing all the other stuff that people in France are protesting. For instance, there are people upset about plans to expand video surveillance during the Olympics next year.
Then there are bakers, stung by the soaring costs of power and ingredients, who protested in Paris for more government support. Per the AFP:
Bakers were already struggling with higher butter and flour costs, while the price of eggs has also spiked because of a national bird flu outbreak that has hit many French farms.
The final straw for many of the country’s 35,000 bakeries has been the annual renewal of their electricity contracts, with suppliers suddenly asking for astronomical monthly payments in 2023.
And don’t forget the doctors and medical professionals. France’s universal health care system is a marvel, but it also has its own share of problems. The nation is not producing enough doctors, particularly general physicians, and this has led to a growing number of medical deserts across the country.
Doctors want to see their fees increased (which would still be largely paid by the state). They’re also upset that they might be obligated to be on call more often, and are asking for greater flexibility in their scheduling to help make the profession more appealing. The next strike is planned for Feb. 14.
“The French”
The French have a kind of perverse relationship to generalized criticism of…The French. Often, The French are simultaneously outraged at stereotypes and “French Bashing” of The French, while also acknowledging that there may be some truth to these views of The French. The French can be a self-flagellating people.
Recently, the Associated Press took a step toward stopping these gross generalizations when its Stylebook tweeted that “the French” should not be used.
Unfortunately, the AP lumped “the French” in with notions like “dehumanizing” and labels such as “mentally ill.” As you can imagine, The French lost it and the tweet went viral.
AP apologized the next day, but by then, the tweet was out of the barn.
Shortly after the original tweet by the AP Stylebook, an influential guide for English grammar usage across major newsrooms, Twitter users responded with a mix of jokes and outrage that had “the French” trending on the social media platform.
And speaking of stereotypes…
A Frenchness Defense
…the French are not above trotting them out when it suits them. Exhibit A: Actress Eva Green.
Green is perhaps best known for playing Vesper Lynd in the first Daniel Craig Bond film, “Casino Royale,” in 2006. Bond falls so hard for her that after she betrays him and is killed, Bond/Craig still spent another 4 films moping over her death and had to settle for the consolation prize of Léa Seydoux.
Anyways, Green has been in the news because she is suing producers for canceling a sci-fi film called The Patriot and is demanding a $1 million fee. During the trial in London, defense attorneys argued that she undercut the production, leading to its collapse, and trotted out some rather spicy text messages by Green.
According to Sky News:
The producers have cited WhatsApp messages from Green in which she described one producer as a "f****** moron" who should be fired and another as "evil". She also allegedly described funders for the movie as "a*seholes" and some proposed crew members as "sh*tty peasants".
Green had a simple explanation, saying it was "my Frenchness coming out. Sometimes I say emotional things I don't really mean. Of course, they are not weak and stupid.”
London-based French journalist Marie Le Conte wrote in The Guardian that Green’s explanation made perfect sense. The French are basically next-level complainers and other cultures just have a hard time keeping up.
“The British like to grumble and moan and whine, but really, no one does it like us,” she wrote. “There is nothing like a true, spirited, cathartic French whinge.”
I can attest to having experienced this firsthand, and many times. Someone will seem absolutely infuriated and be screaming, and then the rant ends with C’est pas grave. (It’s not big deal). They get it off their chest and then move right on with no grudge and it’s like you’re best buddies. It’s cultural whiplash.
Of course, as a French person myself, I still have not learned how to properly weaponize this feature of my adopted culture. Maybe there is a class I can take. I suppose that when I finally can use my “Frenchness” as an excuse for something, I will finally be truly French.
Great Reads
Channel island ferry services might be the next Brexit casualty as passport requirements have sent visitor numbers plummeting. It’s the 150th birthday of Colette, the children’s book author turned sexual liberation icon. The lack of snow has been devastating for French mountain resorts. And a new report found that sexism is getting worse in France.
Chris O’Brien
Le Pecq