What is the Problem with the French?

I came across this very interesting essay entitled: What's wrong with the French? What struck me was how attitude had not changed much in the last 15-20 years about the French in Europe. I was also struck by how similar this is to the books The Europeans and The Italians written by Luigi Barzini. Barzini was a very interesting political essayist, whom I read in the late 80's, known for his insights shaded with humor. If you have a chance take a look at these works.

Anyway this essay on Warblogging.com really dealt with the coming vote in France on the EU Constitution. Currently polls show that the French may not adopt it, effectively gutting the idea of a functional EU. What is of interest here is that most of Europe doesn't like the French.

Asked to list five adjectives that summed up the French, interviewees could only think of negative stereotypes

... Britons think of them as "chauvinists, stubborn, nannied and humorless," or that Germans describe them as "pretentious, haughty and frivolous."

... Spanish see them as "cold, distant, vain and impolite," the Italians as "snobs, arrogant, flesh-loving, righteous and self-obsessed" and the Greeks as "not very with it, egocentric bons vivants."

Even the famously tolerant Dutch describe them as "agitated, talkative and shallow," while the cool and detached Swedes paint them as "disobedient, immoral, disorganized, neo-colonialist and dirty." Read more...