Lewis Black nailed it two weeks ago when he exclaimed emphatically that “Glenn Beck has Nazi Tourettes!”. Beck however, is not the only one who suffers such political maladies. Many of America’s right wing columnists also suffer from what I call OFSAS.
Obsessive French Surrender Analogy Syndrome (OFSAS) is what happens when your knowledge of world history stems from a select anti-French Jay Leno monologues, anti-French jokes from the Simpsons combined with the analytical refinement of a cement brick.
Case in point, the words of A.W.R. Hawkins in his column about Los Angeles’ Boycott of Arizona. Somehow, Arizona, Illegal immigration, Los Angeles’ City Hall led to the following passage:
“Or like those vile Frenchmen, who long ago forgot that while they were dropping their rifles and raising their hands in surrender during World War II, our Midwestern farm boys were climbing off their tractors in order to climb into tanks and stave off ultimate defeat for the messieurs.” – A.W.R. Hawkins, May 27th 2010
With those words, Hawkins achieved a level of political discourse on equal footing with the words of Groundskeeper Willie. Not only are the French vile, they are of course – collective utter cowards.
Hawkins willfully ignores the fact the French lost 100,000 men keeping the German army at bay and saved the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk and Lille before their leadership yielded to Germany.
Hawkins also completely sidesteps America’s pro-Vichy stance until 1942, America’s widespread isolationism and many pro-Nazi sympathizers from Henry Ford to Joe Kennedy via Father Charles Edward Coughlin, the America First Committee, George Lincoln Rockwell and the German-American Bund to name a few.
Hawkins should be reminded that it was a Democratic President who came to the aid of Europe during its darkest hour despite the isolationism most prominent in the ranks of the Senate Republicans. But we’ll let more capable historians like Robert Young or columnists like Eric Margolis rebuke such simplistic histrionics.
This has become akin to racism now. And I’m not using that term loosely.
All those scumbags insulting the French people behind their computer screens.
Not once have I heard an American make a surrender joke while residing in France.
People like Hawkins disgust me.
I’ve responded. Mr. Hawkins piece is classic, and typical of the anti-French psychosis within the American Conservative mindset. A description of the French very worthy of publications like Der Sturmer. A perfect example of ethnic/race baiting.
Julius Streicher would have been proud of you, Mr. Hawkins.
Did you see who he pals around with on his blog ? Rumsfeld. Egads.
I have come to believe that these people are actually enemies of France.
Who hates French people more than these extreme American right wingers ?
They truly wish us harm. All you have to is read the comments on this Hawkins guy’s blog.
Even the Taliban and Muslim extremists all over the world don’t hate us as much as they do.
As I have a few moments, I’ve been looking at the website of this A.W.E. Hawkins and not only is he disconnected from reality, a lot of his commentators are as well! It’s May, 2010 and these people are still in the Dark Ages. Guess I have to totally agree with Barney hasn’t left the building.
My comments were not published on this site, so I will not bother responding to the likes of “Anakin, Iowa” whose knowledge of history is abysmal to say the least. I just got my hands on Actualité de l’histoire, mars-avril 2010. It has an extensive series on the 1940 defeat. Let me quote page 24-25 : “La bravoure des soltats français. Malgré une situation défavorable sur le plan tactique et stratégique, le soldat français se bat sur le terrain. En 45 jours de combat (10 mai – 25 juin 1940), l’armée française accuse de très lourdes pertes : 92 000 soldats tués, 250 000 blessés, 2500 chars et 900 avions détruits. L’armée allemande est également durement touchée : 49 000 soldats tués, 111 000 blessés, 1800 chars et 1400 avions détruits. ”
Not exactly the image Leno and Hawkins like to peddle.
People like this “A.W.R. Hawkins” need to be challenged to a duel as in the ‘old days’ when comments similar could lead to your death; however, as we know , duels are illegal today –a situation that allows these cowards to persist with impunity. Surely someone who has this guy’s acquaintance (or no) could effect the mechanism of “calling him out” —a “step outside offer” that projects to realism in the stance behind his remarks.
Je suis Francaise, est je suis de Lille, I was there in 1940, and again in 1944, Lille was liberated by the Canadians and Englishs troups, the American came later when they where fighting in Belgium in Bastogne, they sent their wounded to Lille.
“A.W.R. Hawkins, if you are reading this, and if you don,t like or beleive it, come to see me, I am easy to find, I am in Sundance , Wyoming, you know!!, Wyoming,? just in case you do not know, was part of the Louisiana Purchase, where my ancestors fought and died for.
I was so sure that French Bashing was done and over with, this is so tacky,
The Bushies are gone, so lets move on, you stupidity is showing, give it a rest, and A.W. R , crawl back to under the rock you came from.
Just how low will those French haters go ?
“”well, look let’s try to keep this perspective, at least they’re not as bad as a cheese-eating surrender monkey heat wave.””
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/wolcott/2010/05/dont-throw-out-the-bibi-with-the-bathwater-cry-the-voices-of-freedom.html
It’s a completely unwarranted and out of the blue low blow. How do the people at Vanity Fair think it’s ok to print that ?
This post has not received anywhere near the traction that I expected. I guess life goes on with twitter, facebook, etc.
Fred, things are slow – thankfully – in the world of French bashing. However, I fear it might regain some attention in the near future with the World Cup, especially if we end up with nightmare scenarios …
Case in point … sigh
^^^
That coward Bruce Crumley would probably have called us arrogant if the French had been confident.
I bet he’s one f those people complaining about anti-Americanism in France.
Hello,
I have a great respect for this website & for you guys expressing how you feel. The US, has lost Vietnam, Iraq & almost losing Afganistan…. The US spends more money (than anyone else on the planet ) on marketing the news and delivering fake news… The Vietnam war was based on lies and everything else . How can you believe anything that comes from the US?. People are not informed and repeat what they hear…. Some Americans are more educated and do not bother to put anyone down for that matter…. Remember that Jay Leno, Letterman put politicians down as well….
Your friend,
Anne.