“Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar” E. Murrow
Le dauphin blanc de Chine est le premier cétacé à disparaître par la faute de l’homme. Il est surnommé “la Déesse du Yangtsé”, le dauphin blanc de Chine, ou baiji. Un dixième de la population mondiale vit aujourd’hui dans le bassin du Yangtsé. Tous les 800 mètres on est certain d’y croiser un cargo. Le baiji, lui, y vivait depuis plus de 20 millions d’années…
I’ve decided to write this post in English to protest against the anti-american comments on Sarkozy’s vacation in the US. The fact that a French person can stress the fact that the French president is vacationing in the US as an argument to show that he’s evil or the puddle of GW Bush is just absurd. Anti-americanism is too old of a tradition in France, unfortunately. One can read this paper (in English) for a good overview of the subject…
The United States of America is a wonderful country, far less polluted than Europe. Just a personal illustration: the only time I’ve seen wild animals while skying was in Lake Tahoe. In France, all the animals have disappeared and the only things you may see behind the pines are cigarette packs or candy bar wrappers. Europe (and especially French officials) are so eager to lecture our “American friends” about the environment and above all the “Kyoto convention”. Result is that Europe is signing conventions, organizing international summits and America is acting. California alone has introduced a huge number of measures in order to better recycle, save eneregy and adapt people’s lifestyle to the ever more fragile environment. The golden bear state has become a model to follow.
The United States of America is also a welcoming country with great and helpful people. I have travelled throughout the American territory the last couple of years and nobody made me unsympathetic comments because I was French. To be honest, it did happen to me once when I was working in San Francisco: it was just in the aftermath of September 11 and the French were not very supportive of any American intervention in Afghanistan. Given the fact that the American have saved our ass during WW2, I could understand some of the “Francophobia” of that time and this feeling that we were letting them down when they needed us. Americans are nonetheless very friendly. It’s easy to make friends, communicate and interact with people. Take a plane with French people: everyone will be the nose in its newspaper. Board a plane with Americans and you’ll be probably talking to your neighbour in less than 10 minutes.
This just reminded me of a funny anecdote. There is a place I used to like to go for brunch in Paris. It’s called Coffee Parisien. It’s US-like cuisine with bagels, American brunch, etc. A lot of snobby French people come there to look “cool and trendy”. Once, I was there with a friend of mine. Next to us seat another couple. At some point, I was seating alone and the guy next to me as well (our respective brunch friend having to go powder their nose at the same time…). Watching him glazing desperately at the menu, I dared recommending him one of my favorite bagel. The guy turned to me and snapped back “Do you need to talk to me ? Do you think we’re at Mac Donald’s ?”… Friendly, ugh? This would NEVER happen in the US. I may be mistaken but I really do not think so.
Anyway, to come back to Sarkozy, it’s simply ridiculous to criticize him on his holiday destination. I’m sure he’s having fun and sun over there. (Not like here… rain since june…). The US cannot be reduced to its government or to its eccentricities (or what we consider as such in Europe). The US is a wonderful environment with great people: in a nutshell, a perfect vacation spot.
The French should try to better understand their “American friends” instead of criticizing them like former cold-war foes. Anyway, Europeans are probably jealous… 
Sorry for this sometimes incoherent post but I had to react to anti-US comments on Sarkozy’s vacations: relax guys, Sarkozy is not partying with Kim Jong Il…
Technorati Tags: Bush, Etats-Unis, environment, anti-americanism, sarkozy, United States
