Frenchies and frogs

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Tue Apr 20 07:34:35 PDT 1999


There is an infinite distance between calling Frenchmen Frogs and calling citizens of the U.S. Yanks.

1) "Yanks" is regularly used (positiviely) *within* the U.S. (as in the World War 1 song, "The Yanks are Coming."

2) The resistance to "Yanks" within the U.S. comes from those who are still Confederates (lovers of slave-drivers) at heart. Therefore the use of "Yanks" by the rest of the world is a legitimate comment on internal U.S. politics.

On the other hand "Frogs" has an obvious sneer at *all* Frenchmen within it, *as Frenchmen*, not as holders of this, that, or the other political position. But the slogan, "Yankees go home" is clearly directed not at individuals but at U.S. imperialist policy. In fact anti-imperialists within the U.S. occasionally use domestic versions of it: Yankee come home!, etc.

Carrol

Jean Christophe Helary wrote:


> Rob Schaap wrote:
> > Er, why are we not allowed to refer to people we find attractive as
> > attractive? And why may I call you a Yank (as you have stoically allowed
> > many times) but a Frenchie not a Frog?
> >
> > Does this stuff really offend you to 'fuck you' levels?
>
> refering to someone you find attractive as attractive in fine. And it is not
> insulting to the person you refer to.
>
> Although I don't have to read your posts, I feel offended to be called a frog
> (I know it is not personal though).
>
> Yours,
>
> Jean-Christophe Helary



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