| Cheese-eating Surrender Monkeys |
Website Links For Surrender |
Information AboutCheese-eating Surrender Monkeys |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CHEESE-EATING SURRENDER MONKEYS | |
| the simpsons | |
| francophobia | |
| anti-national sentiment | |
|
"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys" is a satirical and insulting phrase, referring to the French , which gained notoriety in the United States , particularly in the run-up to the War In Iraq . ''THE SIMPSONS'' The phrase was first popularized in the ''Simpsons'' episode " 'Round Springfield " (first aired on April 30 , 1995 ). Groundskeeper Willie , the school janitor, an unkempt immigrant from Scotland , is teaching French due to budget cuts, dressed in a striped jumper and a beret. He greets them with ''"Bonjourrrrr, yah cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys!"'' The ' Surrender ' element of the phrase refers to the perceived proclivity of the French to surrender in military confrontations. The implicit characterization of the French as Coward s, and the description of the Battle Of France as a surrender is—as promulgators of the phrase likely intend—regarded by many as highly offensive. This was again referenced in the episode The Blunder Years , when Lenny (while scared) said "I'm shaking like a French soldier!" The character of Groundskeeper Willie is known for his grumpiness and animosity, and the format of the phrase in question is in keeping with his characteristic style of insult (as when, in the episode entitled "Kamp Krusty", he calls Principal Skinner a "silk-wearing buttercup"). His attempt to speak French with a heavy Scottish accent does provide much of the comedy in the scene. According to the DVD commentary for the episode, the line was "most likely" written by Ken Keeler . In the European French language version of that ''Simpsons'' episode, Willie's line was dubbed as ''singes mangeurs de fromage'' (cheese-eating monkeys) without any mention of "surrender". The line does not translate easily due to the Adjectival manner in which "surrender" is used in the English-language version. Historically, as any Scot such as Groundskeeper Willie will tell you, Scotland has a very close friendship with France ( The Auld Alliance ). IRAQ WAR , 2006 ]] The line was first picked up and used predominantly by Republican American politicians and publications. They were led, according to the British national newspaper '' The Guardian '', by Jonah Goldberg , a popular columnist for the US bi-weekly '' National Review '' and editor of their website National Review Online .1 Goldberg's online-only column, the G-File, is written in a more casual, personal manner and in the late 1990s often contained ''Simpsons'' (and other pop-cultural) references. Goldberg's repeated aggressive use of the phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" led to its more widespread use amongst his readers. Oddly enough, Goldberg had stopped using it by the time the phrase was gaining mainstream popularity post-9/11. France opposed many U.S. positions and actions, in particular, the 2003 Invasion Of Iraq . Some argue the phrase's success reflects deep antipathy in the U.S. towards countries such as France who oppose the U.S. in international forums. The phrase, and similar opprobrious comparisons, have been used more frequently by some U.S. Media outlets, such as the '' New York Post '' and commentator John Gibson of the FOX News Channel (both owned by Rupert Murdoch 's News Corporation , which also owns ''The Simpsons''), and commentator Mark Hyman of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group . The New York Post resurrected the phrase "Surrender Monkeys" as the headline for its December 7 , 2006 front page, referring to the Iraq Study Group and its recommendation that U.S. combat brigades be withdrawn from Iraq by early 2008.2 USE IN GREAT BRITAIN Use of the phrase has also grown outside of the United States, particularly in the United Kingdom where ''The Simpsons'' is also very popular. It is generally used in two ways:
In December 2005 , the phrase was used by British Eurosceptic Nigel Farage who said of the French President, Jacques Chirac , "No cheese-eating surrender monkey, he", in his unflattering comparison to Tony Blair during a European Parliament session following Blair's brokering of the EU budget deal. Edouard Lapaglie , faux French comedy sidekick to broadcaster Martin Kelner on BBC Radio in Yorkshire on a Friday and Saturday night, is frequently referred to jocularly as a soap-dodging cheese-eating surrender monkey. In Peter Milligan 's X-Statix book for Marvel Comics he introduced a supervillain of French descent known as Surrender Monkey . His super power was the ability to "quit at just the right time". On the popular satirical British TV show '' Have I Got News For You? '', former Conservative leader William Hague has used the phrase when hosting the show on two different occasions. The first time he did it, however, it said that he didn't agree with it, and that they had left out "wine-guzzling". On another popular British TV show, QI , Graeme Garden turned the phrase around, referring to Americans as "Burger-eating invasion monkeys". And the phrase "haggis-eating suspender monkey" was also used by Garden, as his character, Dougal, on an episode of radio programme '' You'll Have Had Your Tea '' to describe his friend Hamish, who is Scottish and was wearing ladies' clothing at the time. British TV show presenter Jeremy Clarkson described the Renault Clio V6 as a "surrender monkey" in terms of handling at its limits on BBC 2's Top Gear . USE ELSEWHERE Irish comedian Dylan Moran referenced the use of the phrase by Americans in his stand-up DVD ''Monster'', in which he comments on anti-Americanism in Europe in early 2003. OTHER REFERENCES
SEE ALSO
REFERENCES
|
|
|