David,

This is nice to see. I like when people aren't afraid to share what Americans say in defense of our country's actions overseas and here at home. I would like to say,  though, that not all French people detest America or think it's the most evil nation on the planet. I tend to think that too many Americans are to blame for promulgating this opinion and other nations merely latch onto it.

When I lived in France in 2000, I stayed in the home of an older, wealthy French woman. She was in her late 80s at the time and has since passed away. During my stay there, some people held an anti-U.S. rally in Marseilles that was targeting the influence of American restaurants in France, specifically McDonald's.

When I asked my French mother why so many of the French seemed anti-American, she responded, "Because too many have very short memories." She then proceeded to tell me how her family lost its ancestral home and was forced to hide all of their valuables, including their wine, during the occupation. She stressed that if it weren't for Allied troops, led by the U.S., they never would have returned to their home, the home where we were sitting and enjoying our dinner.

She added that the European press, much like ours today, preferred to degrade American efforts rather than promote the benefits the U.S. and other English-speaking countries have provided.

People constantly jab the French for their negative comments about the U.S., but they forget how often they jab foreigners here who don't take the time to learn English. I will always admonish people who go to other countries and refuse to accept their traditions. It has less to do with being "the people who brought them their freedom" and more to do with being rude to another person's culture, in my opinion.

I'm sure I'll get assaulted for this post, but I just wanted to point out that not all French people think Americans are awful and we shouldn't hate a culture just because only its negative comments get published. Just think if everyone judged us for strictly our neo-conservatives and our extreme liberals. The sad thing is, the majority of the U.S. media does this for other countries already so all they have to do is translate it.

I hope I didn't offend anyone in my post; I just wanted to present the other side of an often tarnished coin.

Best regards,
Jarrod A. Clabaugh
Editor, Source of Title