Let's be serious for a moment

[Kobal2]

I was walking the streets of Paris tonight, going back home after dining with my parents, when I stumbled upon a group of old geezers with funny little hats with medals on. Curious, I got closer, and saw they all wore nametags, so at first I thought they were just tourists, but then I saw that, under the names, they all had "90th Infantry" written on them.

My grand-fathers, who were both resistants, excepted, it was the first time I was in the presence of WWII vets. I don't know why exactly, but I felt I had to go and shake their hands, which I did.

Now, I do many things on such instincts, in the spur of the moment as it were, but afterwards, I wondered why - you have to understand that I'm the most pacifist, anti-violence guy ever. I've been hit and hurt many, many times during my youth, yet never fought back. I dodged the compulsory military service. If there ever was a big war in which France was involved and had to draft again, I'd desert on the spot, without a single doubt, even if faced with prison or a firing squad.

Yet, I had saluted, and respected those vets, and I wondered why.

I think now it's because you just have to admire how noble (and how dumb, of course, but still...) it can be to volunteer to go and fight to liberate a country you don't give a rat's ass about, and to free us French not only from Zee Djermans, but from our own f*cked up collaborationist government. I don't think any of us youngsters can imagine, let alone understand, what these guys have been through, and even though we may hate America today (and believe me, we do most of the time), you've just got to respect what it was these days, and what it's done for us.

I just don't know, and don't want to imagine what France would be like if the Vichy Government had stayed in place... I'd have to imagine being born and raised in a society with values and morals and opinions that are so completely alien to me (or to anybody for that matter), with prejudices and hatreds and narrow-mindness, and most importantly, I'd probably have embraced them, not even begun to understand how wrong they were. I don't know about you, but this thought alone scared me sh*tless, when it occured to me in the subway.

I just had to share that.

OK, now, back to throwing bricks at you stupid Americans.

[jeffsmith]

Originally posted by Kobal2:

Snip

I dodged the compulsory military service. If there ever was a big war in which France was involved and had to draft again, I'd desert on the spot, without a single doubt, even if faced with prison or a firing squad.

Yet, I had saluted, and respected those vets, and I wondered why.

OK, now, back to throwing bricks at you stupid Americans.

You did what you did

perhaps because you must realize

that these Vets did what they did

so you could have the right to make your decisions & choices

whether they (or any of us) agree with those decisions or not

Thank You for your gesture of appreciation

I will now return to Ducking your Bricks

[ June 04, 2004, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: jeffsmith ]

[Sergei]

Kobal, when you dined with your parents just how many bottles of wine did you have? Quite many, I bet, because otherwise you would have just thought, "SIGH, so those were the ones who helped Gaullists into power!" and continued walking.

[Kobal2]

Gaullists I can deal with . You just have to watch and wait, and they'll stumble upon their own feet.

Now, nearly fascist regimes with an omnipresent Milice, that's another kettle of fish alltogheter, innit ?

[ June 05, 2004, 07:50 AM: Message edited by: Kobal2 ]

[Michael Emrys]

Originally posted by Kobal2:

I think now it's because you just have to admire how noble (and how dumb, of course, but still...) it can be to volunteer to go and fight to liberate a country you don't give a rat's ass about, and to free us French not only from Zee Djermans, but from our own f*cked up collaborationist government. I don't think any of us youngsters can imagine, let alone understand, what these guys have been through, and even though we may hate America today (and believe me, we do most of the time), you've just got to respect what it was these days, and what it's done for us.

So send me a case of wine and we'll call it even.

Michael

[Kobal2]

Look at my profile. It says "uni student". And in Paris, to boot. Which basically means I have to make a living out of a 4 square meters flat, on one meal a day - or even one meal every other day (and one tin can pasta meal, mind you).

As to alcohol, I have to go on loathsome Heineken (if you ever need something of a comparison, is like canned-piss Budweiser, only *lighter*) and Gros plant wine, which is basically "whatever was left in the keg after the real wine was put in bottles".

Being a student in 2004 Paris is a lot like being an upperclass citizen in 1941 Poland, yeh ken ?

[ June 05, 2004, 08:58 AM: Message edited by: Kobal2 ]

[Paul Atreides]

You don't like Heineken? Ha!

[General Bolt]

Originally posted by Kobal2:

... and even though we may hate America today (and believe me, we do most of the time), you've just got to respect what it was these days, and what it's done for us.

Being an American I often wonder why the rest of the world hates us?

Because we are so sucessful and its out of pure infantile jealousy?

Beause in the past we have supported a few evil rulers (the Shah, Saddam while fighting Iran, the Chile assination) around the world?

Because we export our culture - things like DisnyEuro, McDs and Starbacks -(OK lets call that lack of culture) of around the world?

[Jim Boggs]

Very touching and gracious. Thanks for not only sharing your experience, but your thoughts as well.

[Pzman]

Originally posted by General Colt:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Kobal2:

... and even though we may hate America today (and believe me, we do most of the time), you've just got to respect what it was these days, and what it's done for us.

Being an American I often wonder why the rest of the world hates us?

Because we are so sucessful and its out of pure infantile jealousy? </font>