ill bite, for argument's sake.
average american's opinion of france/the french:
they're snotty to us for god knows what reason, and "we saved your ass in wwII."
the end.
is the opinion justified? i dunno. i've never been to france. i know a few french girls (socially and biblically) and they're nice to me (again, socially and biblically).
but, thats just on a personal context. i guess the general opinion, tho grossly abstracted and simplified above, is, in actuality, based on the above.
as far as the US goes, the WWII generation is still alive, around, revered, studied, and remembered. france being defeated and our helping them out are major key points to that war and post-war era.
there's the facts that the opinions and myths have grown from. and, because of this, i guess that every war-time event since is scrutinized all the more. anytime the french make a good or bold move, its nearly ignored. anytime they make a bad or "cowardly" move, its hyped.
with the current war on terrorism, i know there was a big uproar on france's wavering decisions. first, they wanted no part of it, then they were willing to join, but not actively, etc, etc.
does that make them inferior as a people? no. is it sometimes fun to think so, tho? i guess so!
