Inside France: Blood sausages, union divisions and 'the French'
From emerging splits in the opposition movement to France's planned pension reform to debate about whether 'the French' is a demeaning label (plus an unfortunate moment with a blood sausage), our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
The French
This week we're talking about the French - or are we? This extract from the style guide of Associated Press, suggesting that 'the French' is a demeaning label, has gone wildly viral in France.
Their point regarding labels like 'the poor ' or 'the mentally ill' is clearly a good one and one that we try to follow at The Local, but their suggestion that they are replaced with the 'people with' format for the French has lead to some confusion and much laughter. Even the French Embassy in the US got in on the act.
I guess this is us now... https://t.co/YFybgfI2AB pic.twitter.com/LrKvgjiw1X
— French Embassy U.S. (@franceintheus) January 26, 2023
AP has since deleted their tweet and apologised for the choice of examples. One thing I've always wondered though - why does the English language talk about 'a German', 'a Swede' 'a Dane' etc but not 'a French'? Answers on a postcard please.
Unfortunately placed sign of the week
It might have been better if the Loire village of Genilac hadn't put these signs right next to each other - the one on the left calls on people to give blood, while the one on the right advertises the village's blood-sausage festival. We're sure all those sausages are made with animal blood.
Simple coïncidence ? #NousSachons pic.twitter.com/O1wbOuQqCT
— Complots Faciles (@ComplotsFaciles) January 22, 2023
Picture flagged up by the always funny Complots Faciles (easy conspiracies) account, which takes the piss out of conspiracy theorists with their hashtag Nous Sachons (we know).
United we stand?
On a more serious note, we're also talking about strikes, of course. The government was reportedly worried by last week's action - specifically the high turnout for demos in small towns which usually don't do a lot of protesting (unlike in Paris, where we're always on the street about something).
The next big strike will be on January 31st, but more and more of the smaller unions are declaring their own unlimited or renewable strikes into February.
Pension strikes: What to expect on January 31st
While the pension reform will undoubtedly be a major challenge for the government, it could also be difficult for the union leadership as they battle to keep their members united.
You can listen to us talking about strikes - as well as restaurant recommendations, sexism, film stars, basketball and France's enduring love affair with comic books - in this week's Talking France.
Map of the week
A flag map of Europe but each flag is determined on which country they share the longest border with pic.twitter.com/KxTOvZB5kQ
— Terrible Maps (@TerribleMaps) January 20, 2023
France's longest border is with Brazil? Yep, because of French Guiana. If you come across a bizarre geographical fact about France, it's usually to do with the overseas territories - for example, did you know that France has 12 different time zones?
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
The French
This week we're talking about the French - or are we? This extract from the style guide of Associated Press, suggesting that 'the French' is a demeaning label, has gone wildly viral in France.
Their point regarding labels like 'the poor ' or 'the mentally ill' is clearly a good one and one that we try to follow at The Local, but their suggestion that they are replaced with the 'people with' format for the French has lead to some confusion and much laughter. Even the French Embassy in the US got in on the act.
I guess this is us now... https://t.co/YFybgfI2AB pic.twitter.com/LrKvgjiw1X
— French Embassy U.S. (@franceintheus) January 26, 2023
AP has since deleted their tweet and apologised for the choice of examples. One thing I've always wondered though - why does the English language talk about 'a German', 'a Swede' 'a Dane' etc but not 'a French'? Answers on a postcard please.
Unfortunately placed sign of the week
It might have been better if the Loire village of Genilac hadn't put these signs right next to each other - the one on the left calls on people to give blood, while the one on the right advertises the village's blood-sausage festival. We're sure all those sausages are made with animal blood.
Simple coïncidence ? #NousSachons pic.twitter.com/O1wbOuQqCT
— Complots Faciles (@ComplotsFaciles) January 22, 2023
Picture flagged up by the always funny Complots Faciles (easy conspiracies) account, which takes the piss out of conspiracy theorists with their hashtag Nous Sachons (we know).
United we stand?
On a more serious note, we're also talking about strikes, of course. The government was reportedly worried by last week's action - specifically the high turnout for demos in small towns which usually don't do a lot of protesting (unlike in Paris, where we're always on the street about something).
The next big strike will be on January 31st, but more and more of the smaller unions are declaring their own unlimited or renewable strikes into February.
Pension strikes: What to expect on January 31st
While the pension reform will undoubtedly be a major challenge for the government, it could also be difficult for the union leadership as they battle to keep their members united.
You can listen to us talking about strikes - as well as restaurant recommendations, sexism, film stars, basketball and France's enduring love affair with comic books - in this week's Talking France.
Map of the week
A flag map of Europe but each flag is determined on which country they share the longest border with pic.twitter.com/KxTOvZB5kQ
— Terrible Maps (@TerribleMaps) January 20, 2023
France's longest border is with Brazil? Yep, because of French Guiana. If you come across a bizarre geographical fact about France, it's usually to do with the overseas territories - for example, did you know that France has 12 different time zones?
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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