Why do the French and British seem to have such a dislike for each other?

Question

Why do the French and British seem to have such a dislike for each other?

Answer 1

I was wondering the same, I think it's because of what happened in the past between the two countries. It's really frustrating though a few people told me that France would be a perfect country without the French people (joking but not nice) it's a bit mean. But on the other hand French are a bit mean as well calling them "Roast beef" and "jelly". I think all of them are stupid and that should stop, it's not helping anyone.

Answer 2

i am british and totally unaware of this

Answer 3

It's not one I have. I like the French.

And a bit of French...

Answer 4

not british, english ! just remember the "auld alliance" with scotland and france !!

i think this is just a like a good running joke. i love england and english people, but dont expect me to say... :))

Answer 5

These two countries have historically engaged in trade and empire building disputes.

The dislike between the populations is something of a myth generated by political leaders who needed the threat of war to help them persue their arguments.

In reality, the British love French wine, cooking, women and farmhouses.

Answer 6

the British hate the French because they burnt our Lambs! and are always trying to get one over on us!!!!

Answer 7

because in the past we are always been rivals and its continues now.

I'm french and i like British people i think there are attraction and exoticism between us; we don't hate each other indeed

sorry i can't express all my opinion because I'm not fluent in English yet

Answer 8

It's a myth, the French are super people, there are quite a few Brits i know that could learn many lessons from them. Manners and politeness being just two.

Answer 9

Im not sure. Steering away from generalisations, maybe because they're all garlic smelling, miserable, surrender monkeys. No - that was a joke.

Answer 10

we can't hate the french that much, because evey year, the English spend perhaps millions of euros in the hypermarkets around Calais and the other ports every year. and the French must love us for this.

i go to france 3 or 4 times a year for a day, i have never had any problems.

Answer 11

iv never met anyone french so i wouldnt know

i have nothing against them anyway.. at least i dont think

but thanks for the warning haha!

Answer 12

I think your question should be : why do the British seem to have such  a dislike for the French ?

I 'd seen enough here in Yahoo answers that the Brits always stereotype the French as arrogant and smelly , and call them frogs. In France here when people talk about the English we just call them Les Anglais ( Englishmen ) and never talk anything bad about them. So I wonder why, and English also painted the French a bad picture that all European and American hate the French, which is totally c**p, we here are full of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese living here and American tourist they said they love us and admire us but hate the Brits.

Answer 13

I blame the lesser spotted British PHROG,this creature of infinitly good breeding,deplores the attitude and antics of the unspotted smooth skinned Phrench phrog,just a simple matter of bad spelling really.

Answer 14

We have fought against them too often and when we joined them in fighting the Germans we still experienced years of torment. We seem to be so different.

Answer 15

i think it started in the wars, thats where the rude two finger thing came from because the brits chopped off the french archers fingers so they couldn't shoot them, i suppose the grudge has never lifted, brits have a thing about germans and americans too

Answer 16

It's incestuous - how else do you keep a british nation british and a french nation french? Both guilty of the same crime, yet in denial of themselves as pompous tabloid-hungry sensationalist kin-lovers. Oh dear, I'm having an off day. I'd apologise but I need a good reporting.

Answer 17

it's not true I'm French and I've never heard anyone say they don't like the British, we rarely nickname other nationalities, the only joke about the British is for their food (and I add that I've never heard a French citizen say that a people "stink"or are "rude" as I often read in "Yahoo UK" or even "Yahoo Spain" about the French. For those who say that our cultures are too different, can you give me at least one example of a different culture between France and Britain? we have exactly the same culture, there are only light different "details". We have different cultures with China, India or Tunisia for example but not with Britain.

Answer 18

It goes back centuries.  Probably because we are right next door to one another.  I mean, let's face it, it's probably part of human nature to fight and squablle sometimes.  And it'd be difficult for us Brits to fight with, say, the Turks cos they're so far away, so you fight with the people on your doorstep.

Colonial expansion in that era exacerbated things.

Things eased between Britain and France with the rise of Germany in the 19th century as there was now another power with the ability to threaten us both.

I'm English, and a student in England.  I've met some nice French folks, and some who are w*nkers.  Just like any other race, I suppose.

Answer 19

cause we helped them in 112 nd they never said thanks ? lol idk i dont mind them  i dont see tha problem.

Answer 20

Too many British go to Paris and get the wrong idea about the French. IMHO the French are fine as long as you avoid Paris. Parisians are possibly the most stuck up people on planet earth and have a particular disdain for English and American peope. Then there's the fact that so many French have come to London to work because of the terrible state of their economy, and most of them are Parisians too because its just a train journey away.

Answer 21

Its a myth that stems from disputes that happened many many years ago.

In actual fact the French quite like,and respect, the Brits for their "fighting spirit" zany humour,political boldness,good music,and their general "down to earthness".As for the Brits not liking the French............ I'm not too sure about that side of your question!!

Answer 22

Any dislike that the French and English have for each other probably stems from the 10th century and all the wars they've had over succession of each other's thrones.

Answer 23

Garlic.

Answer 24

France is a great country.it is only a small pea brain idiots who think that these two country's have problems

Answer 25

i am French living in the UK and every one is nice with me here. it is true that we dont like u guys so much but thats only when an english speaking person does not make any effort at all to speak our language, not even to say hi and many people expect the whole world to speak english. so thats unfair but we dont hate the whole of the uk, just the ignorant ones and unfortunately there is no cure against them and they exist is every nationalities.

my b/f is english and it isnt esy everyday but well it happens

Answer 26

I am British and live in France and have never come across it.

Answer 27

English? Not British.

Answer 28

<seem to>   there's no seemtooh - why are some categories of people so neurotic that they always want to find fuss where's there's no problem  ?-

    I  as a french have no problem withe the brits - some of my most wonderful g/f were english - and believe me english women mmmmmmmm...... french know how to love them - the g/f went back to GB but did not regret the cost of the travel

  So now let's be boring : how and why can I find negative aspects in GB mentalities ?????

  ........................... I can't - but I can tell you that some of their top-personalities make me upset :

   - First of all the gentry - but they are still more hated in their own country than in France - nobody cares in France - gentry in France survives with medicare and charity.

   - Tony Blair - this social traitor - who loves him even in England ?

   - his girl-friend Margaret Thatcher !!!!!!

   - the fact that there's such an arrogance in the britisih society

where 90% starving for 10% who don't know how to spend their £ - poor them

   - i am aware of many things concerning GB but in that sense am completely a-typical - french do not care about GB - don't even know where that thing is located - which is normal  since they are out of Europe though they do all to run it in Brussels - their money is not the Euro - and their soldiers are butchered in countries where the US tell them they have to go - Great isn't ???

As you understood I have no serious dislike reason against

GB - except maybe those yellow-press tabloïds such as teh Sun - which considering the level of vulgarity is not a Sun at all

and there's no equivalent in France - in the US it would be Fox News - they have in common a heavy despise of readers

and sell what people like : brown, round  mallow and stinking-

But once again even if the Sun piukes everyday with the Daily Mirror, both  owned by Murdoch ( doesn't sound british that name ????) the guaranteed anti-french gravy, it is once again nothing representing deep GB opinion -

Read the Guardian and you'll see wht a good press is

Now if you want to caary on believing that frenc and brits dislike each other means that you want to believe it - do as you like