French Bashing — What’s Behind It?
9:00 a.m., Friday, Oct. 6, 2006
Webster Hall Auditorium
Admission: free

“Why did the French plant trees on the Champs Elysées? So the Germans could march in the shade.” You’ve probably heard plenty of jokes like this about the French, particularly after France’s refusal to participate in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Comedians have a field day with the French (after all, they have to make a living) and the media isn’t far behind. As Edward C. Knox wrote in an article titled “The New York Times Looks at France” in the French Review, “No other national or ethnic group appears to get the same continually negative treatment in print media reserved for France and the French…If one were to substitute, for example, ‘Mexican’ or ‘Japanese’ or ‘Indian’ for ‘French,’ what would reader reaction be ?” The question is: why are the French such a convenient target? And what do the French bashers know about French history and society and culture? Harriet Welty Rochefort looked at some of the most prevalent stereotypes used by French bashers and attempted to counter them with a few badly needed…facts.

Iowa native Harriet Welty Rochefort has lived in France since 1971. A freelance journalist and speaker, Ms. Rochefort is the author of two books about the French, French Toast, a humorous tale of Franco-American cultural differences based on her life in France, and French Fried, a memoir of French cuisine in which she divulges some of her French family’s favorite recipes. Both books were published by St. Martin’s Press. She is currently working on a third book about the French. Rochefort’s hobbies include reading, gardening, wine tasting, cooking, and yoga. Her favorite places are her own little garden in Paris and the terrace of any Paris café where she can watch the world go by.