"Cela ne va pas vous tuer d'aimer les Français pendant deux heures" C'est le titre d'une pub remarquée (et drôle) de la chaine History Channel pour son émission spéciale sur la révolution française (Via Guillemette, journaliste New Yorkaise et collègue estimée.)
Au début du mois, un écrivain français installé à NYC fulminait déjà; Pour lui, ce slogan tranché était du même tonneau que celui de cette pub télé pour des poulets rôtis en Californie (dont je ne peux pas immédiatement vérifier l'existence): "Ne soyez pas français, lâche comme un poulet. Mangez-le!"
Surprenant, pour la Californie. On ne m'a jamais insulté en relation aux positions politiques françaises, sauf sur ce blog. Certes, un grossier personnage a brûlé le drapeau français sous notre porche peu après le début de la guerre en Irak, mais c'est tout. A la sauterie du 14 juillet, l'ambassadeur de France aux USA à qui j'ai raconté cette petite mésaventure s'est exclamé: "Hissez-le de nouveau!" Le drapeau à moitié cramé? Sous le porche en bois? Vous êtes sûr?
Quand à l'émission de ce soir, selon ce commentateur dans le Los Angeles Times: "Les conservateurs américains voudraient secrètement avoir leur révolution (en Iraq)... L'administration Bush pourrait tirer deux ou trois leçons de l'Histoire de France." Ce qui trahit sans doute son âge, car me dit-on, la révolution française était ultra-branchée au sein de la gauche dans les années 60, une obsession presque. Ces révolutionnaires devraient tout rafler au grand concours "Qu'ils mangent du gâteau."
Earlier this month, a French writer in New York was steaming already. He compared the History Channel's cutting slogan to a (unverified) TV commercial in Californie promoting rôtisserie chicken this way: "Don't be a chicken like the French! Eat it!"
Which is surprising for California. I was never insulted because of French politics, except on this blog. OK, a rude character burnt the French flag under our porch, soon after the beginning of the war in Iraq, but that's all. At the Bastille Day bash, I told the story to the French Ambassador to the US who erupted: "Hail the flag again!" You mean, the half-burnt flag? Under the wooden porch? Are you sure?
Regarding tonight's show, according to this commentary in the Los Angeles Times: "American conservatives have a bad case of revolution-envy... The Bush crowd could learn a thing or two from French history." These comments may carbon-date the writer, since I'm told that the French Revolution was extremely hip among the Left in the '60s. It was their obsession almost. These revolutionaries should kick ass at the "Let them eat cake" sweepstakes.
PS: the "Guillotine" is mine because the pic is too bad to show the blade.
Thanks Elspeth! Whoops, if only I could hire a copy editor, and a very good translator too, while we are at it.
Had to google "Jack Johnson": so it's another talking mule, like Francis? He looks like a sweet character for children.
Not like I'm watching the revolution show myself. I must have missed it because they're having a special on tsunamis throughout history. I console myself with the History Channel website and their video clip of Mawee Antoinett".
Bonjour
Pour l'information Carl's Junior, c'est vrai. Toutes les infos ici:
www.miquelon.org/carljunior.html
Pour toutes les activites de Franch bashing aux US, un site:
www.miquelon.org/
Boycotez les restaurants Carl's Jr, Hardees, Green Burito, La Salsa!
Tu fais trop bien les gouttes de sang et les flèches :P
Ahhh c'était Carl's Junior! Un journal de Orange County semble dire que la pub remonte à cet été. Merci pour le lien Chris. La page de Miquelon sur cette campagne précise le contenu de la pub:
:-----------------------------------------------------------
* At the Waterloo, the French surrendered.
* In the Franco-Prussian War, the French surrendered.
* In World War 2, well, the French surrendered.
* Don't be a big chicken. Eat one
Mais la page concernant le projet d'action en justice semble périmée.
Mon boycott ne servira pas à grand chose vu que je ne mange jamais dans les fast-foods, sauf In n' Out. Je me renseigne sur le dernier mot de l'histoire.
MrFab: quel talent, hein! :#
Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with fast food franchises and France bashing. Jack in the Box was doing it too a while back. I don't mind satire or even heated criticism, as long as it's informed -- but this stuff's just lame. It feels like this thing of showing how "in" you are by taking your turn with the soap sock on the whipping horse du jour. Or maybe their feelings were hurt by all those "fat american" stories in Le Monde. Who knows.
I guess poor McDonald's is the die-hard xenophile of the bunch, with its paper bags and medium-sized drink cups proudly inscrawled with slogans in French. Go figure.
Actually the Jack Johnson, was a black boxer, who was very successful and beat several white boxers which caused him a great deal of "trouble", but he lived as he wanted to live; lots of women and lots of money. There is a group from Texas, trying to get Pres.Bush to give him a pardon for a conviction under the Mann Act (transporting women across state lines - or something like that)for which he spent almost a year in jail. But he had bought a railway ticket for a lady so it was a really bad call! Since it was during the Lynching Era, nobody can figure out how he avoided being lynched.If you goole him, look over to the right, where the programme is listed as "Unforgiveable Blackness"
Why, when there are only a few programmes on TV, that you want to see, do they run at the same time?
Elspeth: Whoops! When I googled Jack Johnson I ended up on a site about a children-book donkey instead. The PBS site has lots of details about "YOUR" Jack Johnson. It looks like PBS won't show the film again anytime soon.
"taking your turn with the soap sock on the whipping horse du jour"... I have no idea how to translate that, but this is the best English expression I've learnt in a while. Thank you!
I can't believe it, my co-worker just bought a car for $33135. Isn't that crazy!
Sorry - watching "Jack Johnson" story on PBS! Ahm - - "Guillemette, "esteemed" colleague..."