OT-People of the World

[Mohoender]

I hesitated some times before writing this thread but finally, I decided to take the risk (Kato as I’m convinced you are watching, lock it if it ever start to go wild). What I’ll say here is in no way an absolute (not talking of the vodka) but simple observations (that disserve critics and corrections) on people in the world. Don’t consider it as granted and don’t consider it as discriminatory. From my experience, you find great people and jerks worldwide (sadly we might be listening too much to jerks while most great people remain silent, their worse crime).

I start with the French (fair I think). In many ways they are a great people but they are turned toward the past and spend most of their time complaining while they should simply be moving forward. Starting a business in this country is hell and needs a lot of courage and stubbornness. The French have a tendency to consider themselves the most intelligent people on the planet but for my parts I consider that France is constantly organizing a national gathering of “slow minded jerks”. I think that the citizens are perfectly aware of that but they learn to live with it and the main French quality is patience. They are also hard workers. When their patience is expended, they go to Paris and cut off some heads (and that could happen again). At war, they fight bravely and should never be underestimated (however, Jerks are often on top of the chain of command). However, they hate fighting wars; don’t ever try to force them into it!! (The bad part for me is that I can live with the French weaknesses, being very French about that, sob!).

Then go for the English (and I’m not talking of Irish, Scots and Welsh). As a Frenchman, I naturally distrust them as we had been opposed for so long. Yes it goes back to Jeanne d’Arc but was repeated over and over again (1776, 1814, 1870, 1914??...). However, as a people I always end up appreciating them and have a good time when I hang up with English men and women. (We officially dislike each other but, truly, it isn’t that true and there are about 10% lobster looking English where I live). Moreover, I have a tendency to count them among the bravest people in the Western world (French complains, British acts). On the downside, they are noisy, drinking too much when abroad and usually surrounded by strange flying kids with coloured hairs and tattoos. Don’t ever go to a restaurant where English people are having dinner (fish and ships becomes a better option). Talking of that you have great food in England (if you have a few millions on your bank account) and they make one of the greatest breakfast (second only to the Scottish) and good beers.

I don’t want to say much on the other people living on the two British islands as I might seem to be praising them. I don’t know the Welsh but hear a lot of good things on them. Irish are simply great people and I have plenty around as I’m writing. They might suffer from a slight inferiority complex, however (and sorry, I find Ireland landscapes as boring as these of Belgium: Flat countries with churches as only mountains). For the Scots, I simply love these people: brave, nice and with a great sense of humor. Most of all, they are living IMO in the most gorgeous country on the planet (also it is cold). I would love to get rich simply to buy a small cottage over there (I fall in love with Scotland several years ago).

About US citizens, it’s trickier as I grew the deepest respect for the people and the most profound distrust of their leaders. When I looked, at the tower going down, I thought that we were on the verge of world war 3 (no kidding). However, on the next day I remember what I think about Americans (naïve, brave, honest and generous while self centered). It did go almost as I thought. We missed WW3 but US invaded Iraq to finally get rid of Bush and may be they voted for Ken or their best president in years (who knows). While more of my friends grew worry, I was growing more confident, convinced that the US citizens I knew would not let things go out of hand (I was not disappointed). The worse part in US for me is the way they raise kids and constantly spend time watching their neighbors. The main reason, I don’t live in US is that there are no ways for me to raise my kids there.

Watching neighbors is also the main activity of the Belgian people. I used to walk naked in my Brussels flat with its 20m² of open window just to chock the old women living across the street and constantly watching (that might have pleased her but as it didn’t cost me much…). In the meantime they are absolutely blind to what those same neighbors do and I spent the nine month in Brussels as an illegally working foreigner (when they finally got that, I was gone, LOL). Else they are a very nice people to hang with, they can be trusted when you have trouble, they are faithful allies (to the point of being blind and stupid) but they are also hot tempered and among the most racist people. I refused the racist part but if you ever touch my kid, I’ll find you and kill you wherever you are. To avenge my kids, I’m willing to nuke the planet (Oops! Too bad, sorry). One last thing, Belgium make the best beers on the planet but they are not for pussys. They also make the best French fries (actually, the French don't know how to make them). The fact that US switched the name to Freedom fries was only a proof of ingorance: should have been renamed Belgian fries (Moreover, as a result, the Belgians would have fought for you right up to Moscow).

Talking of racism, almost no one can challenge the Portuguese. However, they are generous to the point of giving you their water when they have it in very limited supplies (true life experience). I love them also as they are the best horsemen on Earth (IMO), patient and sweet. As long as you don’t watch a Portuguese bull fight, just don’t talk about it (sorry never went to a Spanish ones). However, they are hot tempered, very hot tempered. Among the 30 people working from my mother, you could find no less than 3 murderers, a dozen men who had spent time in jail for violence and the remaining ones had simply not been caught (one biting off the nose of his opponent in a fight). On the other hand, when some people threatened my mother with rifles, these thirty men all showed up fully armed and ready to fight. By the way, if you ever come to listen to Fado, lock out your weapons as you might feel like terminating your life right away (equally true for Corsican traditional music). Portuguese are among the saddest people I ever met, and they are slow and fatalist.

In all this, they are very similar to Russians. I have met many and spent a lot of time with them as Russians are a lot of fun (Vodka, Vodka…Ochin arachô). They are also a strange mix between genius and totally insane people (The Russian roulette could not have been invented by any one else). However, there is much more subtlety to a Russian that what you see in the first place and I grew a lot of respect for them (as much as for Americans). Strangely, Americans and Russians have much more in common that what they both think (Russians are fascinated by Americans and I suspect Americans to feel the same way). On the downside, Russians are lazy (especially the men who are usually the family shame). They are as fatalist as the Portuguese but in a different way (They talk of their leaders as “Ani”: them, these aliens, whatever…). Finally, you won’t get a Russian to fight for a political idea (not even communism. A French, however, can do that even if he doesn’t understand the concept) but he will fight to death for Mother Russia (No other people on this planet could have sacrificed 25 millions of their kinds to achieve victory: this is 1/3 of the entire victims of WW2).

I don’t know well Spanish people, however, but traveled enough through Spain to know that they are much to them that what you might see in the first place. Sadly no one taught those working along the roads to smile (over a hundred stops and I count the smiles with only one hand). However, there are some gorgeous cities in that realm. As I really apreciate our Catalan's friends intervention, I'm convinced they are nice.

Ok, now that I took that risk, don’t feel insulted, there are no insults here. I’m more interested in your opinions but try not to insult anyone. No people on this planet disserve insults. Might be interest to have several opinions on people and it might be helpful to get some ideas from which we can draw characters that are foreign to us.