Average French Person's Perspective

[MattTuck]

So, I was waiting for my indian take out tonight, and I struck up a conversation with a french couple that was visiting the states for a little new england site seeing.

They were very impressed with my knowledge of French geography (attributed mostly to following pro cycling) and I asked them what they thought of Lance Armstrong and the whole situation, they said they didn't follow cycling much, but that the general feeling in france was:

1. Everyone does it.
2. He won too many times and was greedy
3. Everyone does it, he just got caught.

And WE think we're cynical?

[mvrider]

Did you ask them why no Frenchman has won the maillot jaune since 1986? ;)

[vqdriver]

, they said they didn't follow cycling much,


perhaps they were being polite?

[Louis]

1. Everyone does it.

Years and years ago, when the Blue Train was crushing everything in its path, that's exactly what they were saying on the French cycling forums during the TDF. Of course back then I didn't know better and didn't believe them...

[phcollard]

Just check the comments on the TDF Facebook page. They all want Lance back, their hero! Me not understand.

[Peter P.]

That French attitude extends to how they feel when their heads of state have affairs. (Who was it?-I can't recall the person or their position. Not DSK.)

It's ingrained in their culture.

[zap]

They were very impressed with my knowledge of French geography (attributed mostly to following pro cycling) and I asked them what they thought of Lance Armstrong and the whole situation, they said they didn't follow cycling much, but that the general feeling in france was:

1. Everyone does it.
2. He won too many times and was greedy
3. Everyone does it, he just got caught.

And WE think we're cynical?

This general attitude is why blokes like Hollande get elected.

[mistermo]

My wife is French and we listen to French radio daily. Let's not go overboard and think that their attitude towards Lance Armstrong somehow equates to their political views. That's a stretch, and if you apply it to them, then we'd better look in the mirror too. I heard yesterday (from a Brit) that our view of the presidential election is juvenile, akin to cheering on two football teams in a match. If you want to compare/contrast their views of government to ours, that's a different thread. But I digress....

From listening to French radio each day, I've been surprised at how little coverage there has been. In general, I'd say they've moved on. It's a FAR FAR bigger deal here in the US, than in France. Afterall, Lance was an American "hero", not a French one.

And the attitude that 'everyone' in cycling is a doper? I think most Americans now have that attitude too. It's not strictly the French.

Lastly, in France, cycling is akin to NASCAR in the US. It's a blue collar, rural sport. If you ask someone in New York or San Francicso, about NASCAR, they probably will say they don't follow it either.

[goonster]

Who was it?
Most of them, de Gaulle excepted.

Mitterrand was perhaps the most famous case, since his mistress and illegitimate daughter attended his funeral prominently.

[zap]

Top of the news at the time I posted this link. Der Spiegel (Germany) has been covering the affair too.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/

[19wisconsin64]

personally i share the sentiments that Louis posted. some good friends of mine are from france, and they told me years ago about lance armstrong doping, but I refused to believe them.

last year I sincerely, and earnestly apologized to my friends.

french are not cynics, they are realists. from what i can see they are often the first ones in when there is a human aid crisis in nearby third world nations.

god bless the french! and thank them for the le tour, and everything french.......food, wine, cheese, fancy designer things, world's most beautiful city, world's cutest children in little french outfits....!

was on a water taxi the other day, and some french tourists where there, admiring the close up view of the statue of liberty. i thanked them. they smiled and said your welcome.

dear french people, we, americans, are awfully sorry! (well, some of us at least!)

[mistermo]

personally i share the sentiments that Louis posted. some good friends of mine are from france, and they told me years ago about lance armstrong doping, but I refused to believe them.

last year I sincerely, and earnestly apologized to my friends.

french are not cynics, they are realists. from what i can see they are often the first ones in when there is a human aid crisis in nearby third world nations.

god bless the french! and thank them for the le tour, and everything french.......food, wine, cheese, fancy designer things, world's most beautiful city, world's cutest children in little french outfits....!

was on a water taxi the other day, and some french tourists where there, admiring the close up view of the statue of liberty. i thanked them. they smiled and said your welcome.

dear french people, we, americans, are awfully sorry! (well, some of us at least!)

Remember when we invaded Iraq, and they wouldn't go along and we boycotted things French, believing they owed it to us since we saved them in WW2?. Congress took french fries off the menu, calling them 'freedom fries' instead!

Ten years later, most of us have forgotten this. Kinda funny given what ensued in the following decade.

[MattTuck]

Remember when we invaded Iraq, and they wouldn't go along and we boycotted things French, believing they owed it to us since we saved them in WW2?. Congress took french fries off the menu, calling them 'freedom fries' instead!

Ten years later, most of us have forgotten this. Kinda funny given what's transpired in the ensuing 10yrs.

Of course, when they wanted to help out in Libya, and realized that they had neglected their military spending and didn't have any bombs or other military equipment that was up to the task, who did they call? Oh yeah, us.

They were right on Iraq, but let's not extrapolate that them being right about everything.

[Tom]

Given that it is probably fairly unusual to run into a person from France where you happened to be the other night, much less two in the same place, I should think that by definition they are not 'average'.

[tannhauser]

I was in rural France once, hundreds and hundreds of people eating outside, the murmur of the crowd a nice wave of positivity.

Two American cycle tourists were yelling at each other from across the plaza trying to communicate. The murmur stopped and everyone just looked at them.

I shook my head and said to the gorgeous hotel clerk how silly that was. She said, "Les Americans sont comme les enfants!" or something like that. When I told her I am American but totally agreed with her she turned bright red.

Pretty much typifies this thread.

[MattTuck]

Given that it is probably fairly unusual to run into a person from France where you happened to be the other night, much less two in the same place, I should think that by definition they are not 'average'.

you are right. This was not a double blind controlled study with appropriate sampling size. Didn't mean to suggest findings were statistically significant, nor that the p value was less than 0.05. Was just trying to provide a new voice, and one that I (and perhaps others) was not that familiar with.

[mistermo]

Of course, when they wanted to help out in Libya, and realized that they had neglected their military spending and didn't have any bombs or other military equipment that was up to the task, who did they call? Oh yeah, us.

They were right on Iraq, but let's not extrapolate that them being right about everything.

Never made any such extrapolation. I just find it funny how much we got our panties in a bunch because the French wouldn't go along with our military ambitions in Iraq. "Freedom fries!" We really showed 'em!

[mistermo]

you are right. This was not a double blind controlled study with appropriate sampling size. Didn't mean to suggest findings were statistically significant, nor that the p value was less than 0.05. Was just trying to provide a new voice, and one that I (and perhaps others) was not that familiar with.
Out of curiosity, where were you?

[joep2517]

I was in Paris, two weeks ago when, I believe, the USADA report was released (10/11ish) and I don't remember much news in the French press. I did some channel surfing that night and the only place I saw coverage was on CNN International. There was a lot of coverage there - almost ESPN like. We didn't have any of the British Channels at the hotel so I don't know what was said there. But my impression was the French were past it and it was old news.

[firerescuefin]

Never made any such extrapolation. I just find it funny how much we got our panties in a bunch because the French wouldn't go along with our military ambitions in Iraq. "Freedom fries!" We really showed 'em!

And I found it funny how they circumvented the UN and their allegiances to NATO and sold nuclear technology and weapons technology to Iran and Iraq. Let's not paint them as a bunch of peaceful altruists... Theyre like all countries (including the US)..moral relativists and ethical when it's convenient.

[mistermo]

My apologies to the OP for any role I played in derailing this thread.

I'm out.

[oldpotatoe]

Did you ask them why no Frenchman has won the maillot jaune since 1986? ;)

Yowser,

[charliedid]

They were clearly on drugs...