Declining to Die: Ali vs Foreman

I kinda figured that they simply dislike English people and their language, no one can be as stupid as that woman appeared to be, but I did not expect them to put up an act like that.

 

Well some of them do dislike the English and there's lot's of reasons for that, but there's a broader force at work. Just as in London, New York or any great metropolis there's a certain antipathy to outsiders to break through whatever your nationality. You are the person holding them up on the Metro, walking too slowly along the boulevard, nearly causing an accident at the intersection etc. etc.

I've been to Paris a lot and had some brilliant times there. You just need a combination of a thick skin and un petit peu de francais. 'Un croissant sil vous plait', would've got you the pastry and in all liklihood a suggestion of other food available in English. Making that first move is essential, they are proud people in a proud city and they don't like the thought that their near neighbours are too arrogant to learn even a smattering of their language when they've been forced to learn English for years at school and it's all around them in popular culture as well.

Once you're making the effort they can be kind and considerate. I popped my head in a hairdressers there to ask for directions and a lady came out into the street in rollers pointing, gesticulating and giving me detailed directions. Of course I forgot most of what I could follow in seconds, but the thought was nice!

 

It's a brilliant break down and the choice of clips is superb as well. You've brought the fight back to me and I've learned somethings as well. Thanks for posting it, great work and I really enjoyed it!

 

Must admit, I didn’t look at it that way. I figured, they’d get that a tourist is a tourist and go from there as people in most other countries do.

My trip to Paris was a spontaneous one, decided I want to go there with me wife one evening, went across the pond the next morning so learning how to say “I would like to buy that cruesant” wasn’t on my to do list