Only in the sophisticated newsroom of Reuters, where terrorism is a matter of opinion not intentions and methods, only in such sophisticated precincts is holding a poor opinion of the French tantamount to "French-bashing".

FRENCH OUTPACE AMERICANS IN FRENCH-BASHING: POLL

PARIS April 27, 2007 (Reuters) - The French dislike themselves even more than the Americans dislike them, according to an opinion poll published on Friday.

The survey of six nations, carried out for the International Herald Tribune daily and France 24 TV station, said 44 percent of French people thought badly of themselves against 38 percent of U.S. respondents who had a negative view of the French...according to the Harris/Novatris poll, which questioned more than 1,000 people in each country.

... Thursday's poll said 74 percent of Americans said whoever wins the second round of France's presidential election on May 6 should try to improve relations with the United States. Some 41 percent of French agreed, but 20 percent believed Paris should be even more distant with Washington.

Perhaps you, like us, are not surprised to find the denizens of a materially rich underperforming nation who are over-mediated, chronically gloomy and cheerless, perhaps you are not surprised to find that they hold themselves in such low esteem.

PFFT (What is this?): The French catch onto themselves 3 | Rayonnement français 0