Those silly French

**travelinman** · November 11th, 2005, 06:57 PM

Originally posted by The Big Sexy:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by gae:
Did great, great, great grandfather Heinrich assimilate into the American culture or did he insist on lederhosen?

Probably a little bit of both. But he was allowed to assimilate. You cannot say the same thing about the situation in France.<hr /></blockquote>Not true.

When my Dago, WOP, Guinea, grease ball, Iteye grandparents got off the boat in 1899 they moved into the same lower eastside coldwater slums that the Irish just moved out of. The wanted to be American so much that none of their kids were allowed to speak Italian outside of the house. They worked their Asses off and eventually saved enough to move way out to the Bronx. My father was born in 1905 and quit school in the 8th grade and got a job cleaning up scrap metal in a factory and took every opportunity to stay past his 10-hour shift to learn how to be a tool and Die man. Eventually by 1938 he was ready to start his own business and anglicized his name, open a small shop and eventually won a contract making tank gears for the army.

If he was alive today I would let him tell you how he was ?allowed to assimilate?. Second thought he would probably just smack you in the head with his cane.

**reason** · November 11th, 2005, 09:28 PM

The Big Sexy is shocked - SHOCKED - that trav and gae are defending the French.

**reason** · November 12th, 2005, 04:12 AM

Originally posted by travelinman:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by The Big Sexy:
[qb] <blockquote>quote:<hr />Back to the Muslims and the Frenchies, though. If the Muslims don't like it in France, why don't they LEAVE?

So let see if The Big Sexy understands. The muslims are treated like the dregs of French society, excluded from jobs, good jobs, and opportunity, and the answer to the problem is, "If you don't like it, LEAVE!"

Hmmmm....<hr /></blockquote>And tell us why your ancestors came here? Was it because they had so good in Europe?

<hr /></blockquote>As the Big Sexy ponders the status of the descendants of great, great, great grandfather Heinrich, he knows that none his cousins are unemployed, none live in public housing; all live at minimum a middle class existence, some highly successful. Overwhelmingly college educated - of 36 cousins, upwards of 75-80%. All but one (19 years old) owns their own home.

It seems the Big Sexy's family has had better opportunity than the muslims in France.

[ November 11, 2005 12:18 PM: Message edited by: The Big Sexy ]