Parlez-vous Français? Non? (or Froggy's Little Problem)

Once again, oh-so-delicate French national sensibilities are being grossly offended by the Anglosphere. Why? Because we actually want to make our writings more accessible to anyone who wants to read them. The impertinence! The arrogance! The threat! Mon Dieu!

France to develop Google 'rival'
France is spearheading a project to make European literary works available online in an effort to counter growing US cultural dominance worldwide. The virtual library initiative follows a similar move by US firm Google to make 15m works available on its site.

The head of the French national library, Jean-Noel Jeanneney, recently called for a European "counter-attack" against the Google project.

A counter attack? Who is this indescribable idiot? Oh yeh - French. . .(and I think we know precisely how many other 'European' literary works will be getting a guernsey here).

President Jacques Chirac will discuss the plan with EU ministers in May. Mr Chirac said in a statement that "a vast movement to make knowledge accessible on the internet around the world is underway."
He held a meeting in Paris with Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres and Mr Jeanneney on Wednesday to discuss the project.

He asked them to examine ways the collections of the great libraries of France and Europe "could be made more widely and more quickly accessible on the internet".

Easy, post them, like everyone else. Ahhhh - but of course, there’s a small problem there, isn’t there - one we really would rather not think about. . .
"Because of France and Europe's exceptional cultural heritage, they must play a key role" in the development of the internet, Mr Chirac said.
Mr Jeanneney warned in January that Google's $200m (£110m) project could result in "the crushing domination of the US in shaping the worldview of future generations".
Yes - of course - those evil Americans, at it again. Let’s just ignore the little detail of Oxford University’s involvement, shall we (and the fact that America actually shares Europe's cultural heritage)?

Enter, stage left: Froggy’s little problem. The Anglosphere only potentially shapes the world view of those who read English, now doesn’t it. Now we see Froggy’s little problem, non? The itty bitty issue of: ‘Parlez-vous Français?’ After all, who’s bothering to learn French anymore . . .
Mr Donnedieu de Vabres denied the French initiative was an "anti-Google operation". "It is about a desire for everyone to be able to put forward their talents, heritage, history and culture," he told French newspaper Le Monde. "There's nothing hostile about it."
Then what’s all the shrieking about? One minute we’re yowling about ‘the crushing domination of the US’, the next we’re coming over all egalitarian like. Methinks these people speak merde. . .
Google said it welcomed the French project. "We subscribe to all efforts to make information accessible around the world," it told Le Monde.
Ahh - but that’s the real issue, Google, isn’t it. When you get right down to it, the French really don’t agree.

Vive la France!

No comments:

Post a Comment

All comments containing Chinese characters will not be published as I do not understand them