How are Tahitians/French treating Americans in light of the War?
 

Just wondering if the war has affected anything in FP.

Why?

Why care about whether the French in Tahiti didn't like the War. They didn't care too hoots about anyone else when they let off a nuclear bomb on an Atol in the South Pacific. Nor did they care when they bombed the Rainbow Warrier in Auckland Harbour and killed 2 people.
It was the French and the Russians who vetoed any action against Hitler before WW2 so I don't see that their slant on things is anything to worry about. Besides I doubt if anyone in the FP knew that there was a war let alone cared.

Liz - you're a woman who says who I'm thinking! You add a great perspective to this board.

Just remember to keep that job open for me when I get back there.
Ellen

LizF

You have taken your nationalism to the extreme. Your reply to canterbury 417 was an explosion of bellicose jingoism. It may come as a surprise to you, but the USA is not the only nation in this world and certainly we have engendered a lot of animosity among the world community because of comments like the ones you made. Do you by chance have stock in Haliburton? I might also mention the number 2 is spelled two, not too.

Dear smtlj
Please don't try and "teach grandmothers to suck eggs".

I am not American

I don't know what or who is Haliburton

I live in a country which allows freedom of speech - even if the person it is directed to doesn't like it.

I don't need correction if I make a typo

I think you need to look up the definition of the word jingoism.

Finally, being patronising to all peoples and countries does not endear you ( Americans) to anyone. Letting them ( other people and other countries) have their say i.e. mine or anyone else's, would go down far better than you telling me how I should think, speak and react because Political correctness and its absurdities has not quite taken over the culture of other countries as it has in the US of A. Kow-towing to a party line and not having the ability to say what you think was even ousted in the U.S.S.R a few years back I think and I have no intention of helping it along for a comeback. Therefore if I am asked a question I will answer it without fear or favour - which is the exact wording that is in our ( Australian ) Constitution. If you don't like it then that is Ok, that is your right, but don't tell me that I can't say it.
As someone who did actually have some clout said " I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
So to cap this off, if the French in the South Pacific or anywhere else for that matter don't like the fact that there was a war in Iraq and take it out on visitors then they will be the poorer for that behaviour. However I doubt that their feelings one way or another about the war would interfer with their wants and needs for the tourist dollar/peso/yen/pound/ Pacific French Franc!

LizF
Pardon me for mistaking your comments as being those of a right wing nature which have led my country into the unenviable position as the world's big brother.

Jingoism is defined in my dictionary as being one who favors a billicose or blustering foreign policy; a chauvinist.(The New Century Dictionary). I have chosen this definition over the "By Jingo, I think she's got it" one.

Haliburton is the corporation that was headed by our vice president DicK Cheney until he resigned as CEO to run for vice-president to George Bush in the 2000 elections. It now has a sizable contract to help Iraq rebuild it's oil fields. I might also mention that the Bush family has made it's fortune in oil, both inside and outside of the USA.

I am the child of an Australian mother and American father and am also a "Grandmother". My mother's family arrived in Australia in 1792 and I have traveled in Australia and consider it my sprititual home. How alike our two countries are in that each allows the opinions of all to be aired and respected.

Please accept my apologies for any injury I have caused you.

What a free-for-all you all have turned canterbuy's post into? Did it ever occur to any of you that maybe they were planning to visit French Polynesia and wanted to know how they would be received? Who wants to spend a lot of money to go on vacation and then be treated like pond scum?

I think that maybe someone on this board has to have traveled there recently and could give this poster an honest answer about how Americans are being treated on vacation in that part of the world so they can make an educated decision as to whether to go there or change destinations.

I use Webster's Concise English Dictionary for English Smtlj not an Australian/English dictionary or an American/English one, therefore the definition of jingoism is not the same .
Teaching Grandmothers or anyone to suck eggs has absolsutely nothing to do with being a Grandmother.
I accept your apology in the spirit it was given.
Freewoman, if you go around the place worrying if some people in some countries do not like you then I am afraid that you are in for a big shock because although Australia supported the US in the war in Iraq not ALL of Australians supported that stance so therefore you could come to Australia and find that there were people who gave you a hard time and others that welcomed you with open arms.
Same goes for France - I went there when Australia, NZ and others in the South Pacific were very unhappy with France letting off nuclear bombs in the SP, they were also, we were led to believe, unhappy with Australia and NZ because we condemned them. Some French people were totally in agreement with us and others were not, one just cannot make a generalized comment about a nation's people.
If everyone in the world held a grudge then none of us would be game to go anywhere for fear of retribution for past behaviour.
You are also right about my right wing comments - some of my ideas are right wing ( whatever that may be) and others are centre and some even left wing - depends on the subject matter but that is what freedom of expression is all about.

Although the exchange between lizF and smtlj was both enlightening and humorous, I think canterbury 417 would probably get more insight into his or her concern on the tahiti-explorer.com board...no offense to this Fodor's forum. It's been a topic of much discussion there.

Quite frankly, from my own personal experience back in 10/00, the French visitors generally ignored Americans for the most part then and probably have continued to do so. At least that was my opinion at Bora Bora. However, the native Tahitians were very gracious and friendly and no recent reports have indicated otherwise. Just don't take their slow service as being rude...everything's done on Island time there.