Doug Henwood wrote:
>
>
> This use of "French" as an epithet reminds me of Trent Lott saying a
> few years ago that Michel Camdessus should have resigned as managing
> director of the IMF because he was "a socialist from France."
> Obviously, listmembers would disagree with Lott on whether MC was a
> socialist and whether being a socialist is a bad thing, but there
> seems to be some agreement on the French thing.
>
Nah. A sort of reasonably clear slang use of "French philosophy" has existed for a long time -- referring (sloppily but without confusion) at different times to Cartesianism, existentialism, and variations on Derrida. Incidentally, quite some time ago Edward Said wrote an interesting long article in _Critical Inquiry_ on Derrida & Foucault. In heavy polemics the phrase should probably be avoided, or in technical philsophical essays, but ordinarily quibbling with it is just that, quibbling to no purpose.
Rob tried to write heavy polemics using slang to name his target, and tied himself in knots.
Carrol