Any advice for accepting a loss of national preeminence?
- Captain Seafort
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Re: Any advice for accepting a loss of national preeminence?
I'm not sure of that. Would the names of Crecy, Agincourt, Blenheim, Trafalgar or Waterloo hold the same magic if they'd been fought against opponents who'd rolled over at the first sign of trouble?
Only two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe: Albert Einstein.
Re: Any advice for accepting a loss of national preeminence?
Well, in keeping with the theme of this thread the French certainly suffered quite the loss of national preeminence. It seems they still aren't entirely over it and are sometimesannoying in academic circles because they'll use their terms for stuff instead of more common terms, and they still carry a bit of arrogance related to the accomplishments and works of Frenchmen long dead.Captain Seafort wrote:I'm not sure of that. Would the names of Crecy, Agincourt, Blenheim, Trafalgar or Waterloo hold the same magic if they'd been fought against opponents who'd rolled over at the first sign of trouble?
Actually, being just a train ride away you guys probably have a lot more exposure to them than I have (I only meet French people and conferences and international meetings).
- Captain Seafort
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- Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:44 pm
- Location: Blighty
Re: Any advice for accepting a loss of national preeminence?
That and the familiarity that comes with watching the Channel for the next invasion for two thousand years.sunnyside wrote:Actually, being just a train ride away you guys probably have a lot more exposure to them than I have (I only meet French people and conferences and international meetings).
Only two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe: Albert Einstein.