A British Invasion in Orlando!

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Mike, thanks for these comments. If your initial post had been phrased in this way (moderate langauge, and a carefully explained position) I would not have reacted in the way I did.

Regards

Rob

 

[Mike Jones]

Cheers, Rob!

 

[floridalol]

To be fair on Mike I think if everyone re-reads his original post they will see that it was written with tongue planted firmly-in-cheek. I find his posts on this site interesting, often with a good sense of humour which has been misinterpreted on this occasion on this thread.

My own experience of France is negative as well - overpriced, over-rated and in general unfriendly people. I won't spend another penny of my hard earned money there.

Florida? Just wonderful - nothing can compare anywhere in the world.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Well I'm sure the intention was tongue-in-cheek, but nevertheless it may still have caused great offence to any French readers of this board. When you also take into account that threads like this or this are not untypical of the views expressed on the DIS in recent months, you might understand why I'm sensitive to anti-French comments. I should probably point out that I've also made posts criticising anti-American comments on the DLP Internet Guidebook (which has trhe majority of posts from European contributors). I'm not pro-French or anti-America, but I am against xenophobia of whatever flavour.

It's entirely fair to explain that your personal experience of visiting a particular country has not been positive, but to make broad comments about all French, or American, or Italian, or whatever country you are talking about seems to me to be out of place on an otherwise friendly discussion baord like the DIS.

At this point I think I'll shut up, no doubt having tested the patience of the readers who have made it this far in this thread.

Regards

Rob

 

[Olaf]

Originally posted by rob@rar.org.uk
I'm not pro-French or anti-America, but I am against xenophobia of whatever flavour.

I really have to take umbrage with your use of the word "xenophobia," which in my book means fear out of ignorance. That may not be OED, but it's not too far off. I'm neither fearful of the French, nor ignorant of them.

I, and several people in the this thread, have posted our experiences on visiting France. When one feels slighted, offended or treated with disrespect, one generally tries to avoid that situation in the future (especially when paying an arm and a leg for it).

BTW MIke, I've always been treated quite well while vacationing in the UK, with the exception of having run into a few loud-mouthed teenagers (once).

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

With apologies for prolonging this when I said I'd stop, the American Heritage Dictioary defines a xenophobe as "A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples." It's the contemptuous aspect I had in mind when I used the word.

Regards

Rob