|
roachboy - am i right in assuming that you were involved in the antiwar movement in paris? you said that you attended their meetings... it would appear that you at least appeared to tacitly support their cause.
if so, then i think you can safely infer that the reason why those french people were so hospitable to you is because you added credence to their political notions... not because they were more adept than we here in the US are at separating people from national policy.
nothing would be more welcoming to a french marxist than an American who admires their cause. "see, even the American agrees with us... so we must be right."
if you made yourself to appear completely neutral (which would be next to impossible to do in that crowd for any length of time.) then you may not be seen as a supporter of their cause. if you did not maintain complete neutrality in word and deed, i'm doubting you expressed agreement towards the administration...
think, would they have been nearly as hospitable to you if you supported the war? would they then have no difficulty in separating you from the government's actions?
i think i've tipped my hand as to what my opinions are... but you were there and i am interested in hearing your thoughts.
sidenote: i've been to france as recently as two years ago in fact. i did not personally encounter a large amount anti-american sentiment, though there were times when it was clearly present.
__________________
If you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.
~ Winston Churchill
|