Those silly French

[reason]

If it makes you feel any better, The Big Sexy woke up this morning to hear WLW say the Catholic League of Uptight Women is calling for a boycott of WalMart due to something of this nature.

[reason]

The Big Sexy is certain trav and gae go to the corner Marathon Station near their home.

Over time The Big Sexy has "gathered" information on the owners. Like the one time The Big Sexy asked, what kind of music is that you're playing, and the the rotund guy with the round glasses, said, "Arabic." So The Big Sexy assumes the owners are Arabic.

Anyway, over time, the same guy said something about owning or working at a store in Detroit. Another time he compared his minimarts to the ones he knew while in France.

So it appears that the owner is Arabic and is in Cincinnati via Detroit and France.

Nice tie-in, The Big Sexy thinks.

So last night The Big Sexy was feeling sorry for himself, so he did what he always does, which is buy junk food at the corner market (something btw, one cannot do in France, according to the Arabic owner). Once again, The Big Sexy chatted it up with the owner, who was doing all the work behind the counter while his hired help, African Man, was outside smoking.

The Big Sexy commented that it sucks that Arabic man must do all the work. Arabic man responded, "Work is a blessing. I am fortunate I can work."

Arabic man at the Marathon station certainly does not live up to the trav and gae stereotype. The Big Sexy guesses Arabic Man routinely works 16 hour days. He is not rioting. He is not bombing trav and gae's house.

What gives?

<font color="#FFFFAA" size="1">[ November 11, 2005 08:42 AM: Message edited by: The Big Sexy ]</font>

[Sean Pa]

I was just playing some John lee hooker, guess that makes me a Black American delta blues man.


COOL

[gae]

"Arabic Man" is properly named Nasir and "African Man" -- if I am thinking of the same person (older, thin dark skinned gentleman) is his father.

Next time you're seeking junk food, go one more block down your street. THAT corner market is owned by a Pakistani couple.

You're very right that they don't live up to the stereotype. And ya wanna know why? Because they are assimilating into the American culture. Nasir drives a bright yellow hummer and has nothing good to say about the whiny Muslims in Detroit or anywhere else. Nor does he have anything good to say about the youfs, but he's adopted the American way of life and doesn't mind profiting from the youfs obsession with oversized clothes.

And just to set the record straight, Nasir no longer works 16 hours a day. He did when he first bought the station, but he now hires his nephews to take most of the shifts.

[gae]

Originally posted by Sean Pa:
I was just playing some John lee hooker, guess that makes me a Black American delta blues man.


COOL

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's so good you post here, Sean Pa. You're the first British redneck Black American delta blues man I've ever come across.

[Sean Pa]

Originally posted by gae:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Sean Pa:
I was just playing some John lee hooker, guess that makes me a Black American delta blues man.


COOL

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's so good you post here, Sean Pa. You're the first British redneck Black American delta blues man I've ever come across.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oh I am very unique

[img]wink.gif[/img]

[cincygreg]

But think of the French contributions to our lives.

Where would we be without...

French Toast?
French Fries (we have based an entire fast food market on this product LOL!)
French Bread?
The French Dip?
French Ticklers? [img]graemlins/devil.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]
French Kissing? [img]graemlins/devil.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/kiss.gif[/img]
French dressing?
And of course the "Le Car" ? [img]eek.gif[/img]

Oh yeah and all that art and wine and stuff !

[gae]

One for the good guys!

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on Wal-Mart?s decision to yield to the league?s demands:

?Yesterday, I said the Catholic League?s boycott of Wal-Mart would proceed until the company a) rendered an apology b) withdrew its insane statement regarding the origins of Christmas and c) revised its website. When I left the office last evening, none of the three demands were met. When I checked news reports this morning, and Wal-Mart?s website, all three were met.

?Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogleman released a statement last night saying, ?We sincerely apologize to any person or organization that was offended by the inappropriate and inflammatory comments made by this former associate.? Fogleman was referring to the objectionable remark offered by a Customer Service employee, Kirby, who started the entire controversy by sending the insane statement regarding the origins of Christmas to a female customer. Alas, Kirby has been fired. As for our third demand, Wal-Mart has now adjusted its website so that when a customer types ?Christmas? in its search engine, it no longer gets, ?We?ve brought you to our ?Holiday? page based on your search.? Now the customer is taken directly to a site named ?Christmas.?

?Wal-Mart says it is not going to change its policy of encouraging employees to say ?Happy Holidays? instead of ?Merry Christmas.? This is dumb, but it was never part of the Catholic League?s complaint. We only trigger boycotts when we?ve been grossly offended.

?This is a sweet victory for the Catholic League, Christians in general, and people of all faiths. And it means that Wal-Mart can now enter the Christmas season without this cloud hanging over it.?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

[reason]

You're very right that they don't live up to the stereotype. And ya wanna know why? Because they are assimilating into the American culture.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well that was exactly the point The Big Sexy was making to Sean. The problem isn't the muslim/Arabs/African. The problem is the FRENCH way of doing things.

This from today's Wall Street Journal editorial page:

Consider the contrast with the US. Between 1978 and 2002, the percentage of foreign-born Americans nearly doubled, to 12% from 6.2%. At the same time, the five-year average unemployment rate declined to 5.1% from 7.3%. Among immigrants, median family incomes rose by roughly $10,000 for every 10 years they remained in the country.

These statistics hold across immigrant groups, including ones that the US nativist groups claim are "unasssimilable." Take Muslims, some two million of whom live in America. According to a 2004 survey by Zogby International, two-thirds are immigrants, 59% have a college education and the overwhelming majority are middle-class, with one in three having annual incomes of more than $75,000. Their intermarriage rate is 21%, nearly identical to that of other religious groups.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The French are very much into protecting their Frenchness. Add that to a weak economy and restrictive labor markets, and the Muslims are on the outside looking in.

That's why there are riots in France. It's not a muslim thing - it's an economic thing. The Big Sexy, God, and the Wall Street Journal say so.

<font color="#FFFFAA" size="1">[ November 11, 2005 10:18 AM: Message edited by: The Big Sexy ]</font>

[reason]

"Arabic Man" is properly named Nasir and "African Man" -- if I am thinking of the same person (older, thin dark skinned gentleman) is his father.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">African man is not blood related. He is about 6'8" very black and sports an accent very different from Nasir.

Nasir certainly shows a greater friendliness towards people like me compared to the youfs who walk through the door. But then if one goes into the Nasir's store enough, one can see why the hassles of dealing with the youfs would wear on him.