Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys: Difference between revisions

 

{{examples}}

* ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]:'' Sort of a [[Zig-Zagging Trope]] for [[Anthropomorphic Personification|France]], depending on the time period. England even refers to him by the trope name in the dub.

** Italy is a fully qualified Pasta-Eating Surrender Monkey. The series ''name'' means "Hopeless Italy". Quite explicitly, Italy can't even beat WWII France after Germany's taken him out. During the Renaissance, he's too young (i.e. little city states) and the story is basically falling in and out of Imperial control. Because the series keeps its [[Politically-Correct History|history]] light enough for comedy, this is only [[Played for Laughs]] and part of his [[Moe Moe|cuteness]]. The Axis is really a [[Comic Trio]] rather than a [[Power Trio]].

* Invoked explicitly in Tucker Max's book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

{{quote|"You fucking cheese-eating surrender monkey. I thought someone stunk around here. So if I start speaking German can I push you around and take all your stuff? Those hairy fucking stink-bags would be speaking Kraut right now if it wasn’t for us, and they aren’t the least bit appreciative. I hope they all fucking die, and your frog-sympathizing ass with them.”}}

 

 

* One episode of ''[[Spin City]]'' focused on the Mayor trying to get Paris to be New York's sister city.

{{quote|'''Paul:''' Sir, do you really think you can take Paris?

* An analysis published by the American Army concludes that the French soldiers are amongst the best there is when they are properly led. It all comes down to leadership. Under a Napoleon, De Gaulle, Louis XIV, De Lattre De Tassigny or Bigeard they will fight like devils, but under a Petain they will not.

** There has been quoted a 1940 discussion of Prime Minister Reynaud and General Gamelin, the latter having snapped: "I do not trust De Gaulle, he's just a youngster" (Gamelin being 68 by then). To which the Prime Minister asked De Gaulle (just before making him an Undersecretary of State for War) his age (50) and replied: "At your age, Napoleon had already made and unmade all his conquests and his career had ended."

* Curiously, Vichy France, perhaps the [[Trope Maker]], is at best an ambiguous case. Its bureaucracy certainly was an example, as it did in fact suck up to the Germans and in fact were even more enthusiastic about things like [[Casablanca|rounding up usual suspects]] then was necessary to appease them, both for their own ambitions and to prevent reprisals on the civilian population. However the Vichy military was reasonably professional even if they had no cause to fight for save [[Honor Before Reason|their own pride.]] While they almost always lost and certainly were not up to the level of a first class belligerent in efficiency, they did make a showing in places like Madagascar, Morocco, and Mers-El-Kabir.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:National Stereotyping Tropes]]

[[Category:Useful Notes/France]]

[[Category:Designated Acceptable Targets]]

[[Category:Race Tropes]]