by Torchwood » Thu Feb 10, 2011 5:56 pm
Oh dear, sweeping generalisations about national characteristics. Still, this is the internet.
In the same vein, the only European nation I find problems relating to is the Swiss. Putting Switzerland next to Italy is one of the better cosmic jokes.
The Germans, on the other hand, seem positively likeable and oh so eager to be liked, just that the food is as bland as the culture. Berlin is one of my favourite cities, because its slightly anarchic punk past means it is less uptight bourgeois than the rest of the country. Italy is great to visit, but it would be an awful strain to live there.
Nobody loves the French, not even themselves, truth be told, that apparent arrogance hiding a lot of angst and insecurity. Le Capitaine Murphy's friends are right, there is a big difference generally between Parisians and the French elsewhere. I find the latter a friendly lot, but then I speak fluent French; interesting though that those who have settled in the French countryside - even the English! - integrate much more than the monolingual sunshine emigrants to the Spanish and Portuguese costas , who stick to their ghettos as much as any Muslims in Rotterdam or Bradford. Still, I suppose that the Iberians are happy to keep them there and take their money, especially these days.
The language thing these days is not so much "you must speak French " as a lingering perfectionism, which means even people who know English are reluctant to speak it in case they make mistakes. It's changing, though, with the younger generations, who are still pretty formal compared to northern Europeans but much less so than their parents.
Pessimism is the soft option.