Obama 'US has finest Military force'

[Pabmusic]

...maybe it was mainly due to The Auld Alliance that the French have apparently won so many battles ... ?

I think you've hit on the true secret of French military success.

[Mr Pee]

The silly (and particularly unfunny) phrase, 'cheese-eating surrender monkeys', was coined by 'Willie' the Scottish janitor in the Simpsons, at the time of the Iraq War.

Well I thought it was funny at the time.

[french frank]

The silly (and particularly unfunny) phrase, 'cheese-eating surrender monkeys', was coined by 'Willie' the Scottish janitor in the Simpsons, at the time of the Iraq War.

And popularised in political circles by the American right-wing journalist Jonah Goldberg, who has been accused of francophobia and anti-European views.

It's thought-provoking that when the words were put into the mouth of Groundskeeper Willie they weren't intended to be anti-French but to make fun of the speaker himself, described as 'uncouth and unpleasant, though essentially harmless, character'. Et plus ça change, paraît-il

[scottycelt]

Depends on one's point of view rather than one's sense of humour, I suppose ...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9HNX1t-oJY

[scottycelt]

And popularised in political circles by the American right-wing journalist Jonah Goldberg, who has been accused of francophobia and anti-European views.

It's thought-provoking that when the words were put into the mouth of Groundskeeper Willie they weren't intended to be anti-French but to make fun of the speaker himself, described as 'uncouth and unpleasant, though essentially harmless, character'. Et plus ça change, paraît-il

That other racially-stereotypical aspect hadn't entirely escaped me also, french frank ...

[Mr Pee]

My favourite Simpsons character is Ralph Wiggum.

Me fail english? That's unpossible!!

[John Wright]

BBM,

Title: Obama 'US has finest Miltary force'

President Obama has said whilst addressing the remaing last forces in Iraq, that the US has the finest milatary fighting force in the history of the world. This is a very risky comment to make and I am hoping there will be reactions to this!!

The title should have read: 'US Finest Fighting Military Force'

You got there in the end!

[ahinton]

Well I thought it was funny at the time.

I didn't. For me, butter has to be French (and unsalted), for no one makes finer butter than the French (in Brittany, Normandy and the Charente especially), but for the most part my favoured cheeses are British (mostly English and a few Welsh as well). "Cheese eating surrender monkeys" therefore has no real meaning in the context in which you sought to use it, since the British make such wonderful cheeses and they don't exactly export more than the tiniest fraction of them to France.

[Mr Pee]

I didn't. For me, butter has to be French (and unsalted), for no one makes finer butter than the French (in Brittany, Normandy and the Charente especially), but for the most part my favoured cheeses are British (mostly English and a few Welsh as well). "Cheese eating surrender monkeys" therefore has no real meaning in the context in which you sought to use it, since the British make such wonderful cheeses and they don't exactly export more than the tiniest fraction of them to France.

The French eat cheese, whether British or French. Groundskeeper Willy didn't call them British Cheese Eating surrender monkeys. You might as well argue that the French aren't monkeys. Which they clearly are.

Talking of British Cheeses, have you ever tried one called Flower Marie? It's quite delicious, one of the best Cheeses I've ever tasted:-

http://www.pongcheese.co.uk/shop/flower-marie.html

Knocks spots off anything produced by those garlic munching, beret wearing, snail eating surrender monkeys from across the Channel.

[amateur51]

The French eat cheese, whether British or French. Groundskeeper Willy didn't call them British Cheese Eating surrender monkeys. You might as well argue that the French aren't monkeys. Which they clearly are.

Talking of British Cheeses, have you ever tried one called Flower Marie? It's quite delicious, one of the best Cheeses I've ever tasted:-

http://www.pongcheese.co.uk/shop/flower-marie.html

Knocks spots off anything produced by those garlic munching, beret wearing, snail eating surrender monkeys from across the Channel.

I agree, Mr Pee!

Flower Marie is a smelly cheese but .... have you ever tried some époisses, Mr Pee?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89poisses_de_Bourgogne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoSdFzvI5h4

If not, I'll gladly send you some under plain wrapper

I bought some yesterday at Waitrose for about £6.50

[scottycelt]

Groundskeeper WILLY?

So he's not Scottish at all he's GERMAN!

I might have guessed ...

[french frank]

have you ever tried some époisses [...] I bought some yesterday at Waitrose for about £6.50

I bought some of the Coop's Truly Irresistible Epoisses this week, marked down to £1.65 for a half (too resistible for tastes round this way) - but I had to eat it with a spoon

[ahinton]

The French eat cheese, whether British or French.

Most French eat very little British cheese. The Brits, like the French, eat lots of cheese, though in the case of the Brits it's British, French, Spanish and from elsewhere.

Groundskeeper Willy didn't call them British Cheese Eating surrender monkeys. You might as well argue that the French aren't monkeys. Which they clearly are.

I'd argue no such thing, since such an argument would be so pointless, almost all of the legal monkeys in both France and Britain being in zoos.

Talking of British Cheeses, have you ever tried one called Flower Marie? It's quite delicious, one of the best Cheeses I've ever tasted:-

http://www.pongcheese.co.uk/shop/flower-marie.html

No, I don't know that one, though Marie obviously sounds more French than British.

Knocks spots off anything produced by those garlic munching, beret wearing, snail eating surrender monkeys from across the Channel.

Roger Sessions (who, as you must know, was neither English nor French) once said that garlic was the beginning of civilisation. I love garlic, I never wear a beret, I'm not fond of snails either in the garden or in my mouth and I've never witnessed a monkey surrendering to anything or anyone.

[ahinton]

Groundskeeper WILLY?

So he's not Scottish at all he's GERMAN!

I might have guessed ...

What is it that reminds me of some connection of other between willy and pee and lets me mention it on this forum without fear of being banned?...

[Mr Pee]

Have you ever tried some époisses, Mr Pee?

Indeed I have, Amateur. Very nice, once one gets past the fact that it was made by the surrender monkeys. Nice bit of video there- do you know what the music was that accompanied the first few minutes of it? I feel I know it but can't quite place it.

And Alistair Hinton- I'm often not sure whether you're being serious because you genuinely don't do humour, or whether being so deliberatly obtuse IS your humour. Of course I don't believe the French to be monkeys, and I'm perfectly aware that the only monkeys in France- except perhaps for the odd pet- are kept in zoos. Surely you didn't honestly think I was serious??

And you really should try some Flower Marie, which despite the vaguely French sounding name, is as British as Edward Elgar.