François Lechanceux
Hindustan Times
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Comments by "François Lechanceux" (@francoislechanceux5818) on "Macron's second big attack on U.S.; 'Not your vassal, we've a right to think for ourselves'" video.
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@kindface There's absolutely no possible comparison whatsoever between the HK dollar and the Francs CFA. The former is totally a HK currency, created, managed, printed, influenced, controlled...by HK. The USA has nothing to do with that currency. The pegging with the USA dollars is not even a USA's action or decision. This needs repeating "the francs CFA is actually a full French currency in every which way you look at it". The African countries involved just receive the bank notes from France according to France's volition and the wealth they deposited with the French ministry of finance (Bercy). The central banks of these countries receive and distribute the notes to the population. And that's it.
This is in part how it works: These countries keep their foreign reserves in France. They can't use below a certain amount even if they are dying of hunger. If things get worse for them, France will lend them their money with France and they will repair France but with a subsequent commission that France will keep. An example : Cameroon will by obligation keep 90% of its foreign reserves with the French central bank. Cameroon cannot use its own wealth held by France without France permission. And even at that, only a little percentage of Cameroon's foreign reserves with France is available for Cameroon's use. But if it desperately wants to use more of its own money held by France that will decrease its own foreign reserves in France coffers, then France will lend Cameroon Cameroon's own money held by France with interest. In other words, Cameroon will repay France with interest the Cameroon's own money that France lent to Cameroon. Can you beat that? And that interest Cameroon paid on its own money that France lent it will fully go to France.
This beggars the mind, doesn't it. This has been going on since some 70 years or more now and 99% of the people of the world have no knowledge of this. Even French media never ever talk about the scam.
Imagine the hysteria in the world if it was the USA doing this to African countries or European countries or Latin American countries etc.? 90% of the people of the world would have severally heard about it over and over and over again. But with France, nothing. Africans have complaining about since several decades but since it's France that is involved, nobody pays attention to them.
France has made trillions of dollars with this scam since the last 70 years. That's why it doesn't want to let it go.
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@synkaan2167 Lol. Typical. Always belittling what we put others through especially subsaharan Africans while exaggerating what others supposedly do to us. It's a classic in France. We programmed that way.
Just talk to Africans. Read about their tragic realities you won't read, see or hear in lemonde or Lefig or LCI, TF1 etc. Our media are masters in hiding France's crimes and/or faults outside of France. And when they report them, they belittle and doctor them. I know this for sure.
BTW, this is not about the 60s. It's about the crushing grip of France via its institutions and multinationals on poor subsaharan Africa. These guys tried to get away from the franc CFA (France's other currency in reality) but France has been resisting and fighting it with all its strengths. And to escape the accusation of neo-colonialism france wants to simply change the name to Eco.
France imposed the son of the late dictator of Tchad after his father's death as the present president of that country. France also encouraged Ouattara (France's number one vassal among vassals in Africa) to change the constitution of Côte d'Ivoire so as to stay indefinitely in power. And this vassal of France is a strong advocate of the maintaining of French subsaharan Africa as a vassal entity to France including via the perpetuation of the CFA. This is a country where France assassinated 65 unarmed civilians in front of Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan just to impose Ouattara in power and dethrone Laurent Gbagbo the then president. In Togo, France imposed the son of the former dictator Eyedema as the president of the country. In Cameroon, France imposed and supports one dictator in power since 40 years. In Gabon, France imposed the son of the former dictator Ali Bongo as the president etc...In Congo, a French vassal too in power. In that country, French ambassador often went into the former president's bedroom to talk harshly to him. Read his book. The former boss of Total use to insult him when he goes to request the country's shares of the oil Total was pumping and lifting out of the Congo (Brazzaville) to pay for the salaries of functionaries and the military. Eventually, France masterminded a coup against him and he was ousted. He came to power via a democratic election but kicked out via a coup supported by France.
Do you want to know more ? How about Centrafrique? It's no more France's vassal since the russians intervened. So France is attacking Centrafrique on the international stage and at the UN. Encouraging the tightening of existing sanctions against that already poor country just to punish it.
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@kindface How is the weather in st-petersbourg today, Igor. You seem pretty obsessed with the USA. Clearly you russians are still reeling from the defeat of the cold war.
Now, you made an allusion to the fact that I'm French and seem objective with the USA. Lol. I have always been fascinated by the fact that people outside of France think the French are anti-American. I think it goes to show our capacity of deception.
Let me shock you. But before I proceed, do you know that Macron called Biden and only Biden before heading to China? Lol. Now why would he do that? Why does he have to do that if you are to take what he just said seriously and to the letter?
The people of France are among the top most pro-American people on earth. Even Americans totally ignore this.
Where do I even begin.
- Since 1935 and even more since 1945, American movies have dominated the box office in France beating French movies every year in France. The movies with the highest entries in France since the 50s are 99% American movies.
- Books: Since the last 60 years at least, American authored books are the highest purchased and read books in France after French authors. And every year, year in year out, American books (translated in French) top the list of the most sold books in France.
- The USA is the most visited country on earth by the French outside of Europe.
- The USA has the highest number of French residents along with the UK. Many French are even illegals in the USA.
- The top fashion popular brands in France are American brands. Back in school we had a stats that showed that Levi's sold every year more than 13 million pairs of one type alone of its jeans, the Levi's 501.
- Once any product or technology is made by Americans or even adopted by Americans it becomes automatically popular and adopted by the French. This is so much so, that often French entrepreneurs have to say that their product is popular in the USA or inspired by Americans as a marketing strategy to sell their new french products to the French. Lol.
- American themed restaurant chains (not just fast food) and bars are insanely popular in France especially in the country sides. New franchised ones open almost weekly and it's been that way since several decades non-stop. The American fast food giant McDonald's has its greatest number of restaurants in the world and sells the most outside of the USA in France. (Did U imagine that?. I'm sure 99% of Americans don't know that).
- Every year, every supermarket chains in France celebrates it's own special American week. Massive adverts are made, American products are featured and valorised. ..products ranging from edible stuff even breads to fruit to fashion to purely American gadgets etc..just name it, if it can be sold in supermarkets. Since the last 40 years that I have personally been patronizing this special American weeks, it always been a massive popular success for each supermarket chains hence they keep doing it. The USA is the only country so honored. (I personally think an Italian and Spanish special weeks could work too but they don't exist). Do you imagine a special Chinese or Russian week, beeeurrrk!. French people will be horrified.
- I'm in my early 50s. I have never ever seen a single day in France, where there were no massive amounts of news and information from and or about the USA and Americans. There can never be too much news or information from or about the USA and Americans in France. The French will always be asking for more. It's like psychiatric obsession. It's like an addiction. An unquenchable thirst. So the media, all kinds of media outlets in France (radio, TV, internet since it came into existence, magazines, newspapers etc...can't stop or even pause talking about the USA and Americans or relaying information from the USA back in France.
This phenomenon reaches hysterical proportions during US presidential elections. Midterm elections hot subjects in France too but the american presidential elections reaches a level of madness in France you can't imagine. Precisely, after the last one, the newspaper Lemonde wrote a great editorial article titled "Les Français, ces experts de l'Amérique". (The French, experts of the USA"). This newspaper - the most prestigious in France - went on to describe how the just concluded US presidential election gripped, fascinated and passionated the French all over the country both in cities and in the villages. From the elite and politicians and intellectuals and business people etc to the common French person. I can post the online version of that article. It also pointed how all over France people hotly debated (both verbally and online) every topic and/or comment of the candidates or the candidates themselves right from the primaries to the general election and after. Every candidate had fanatical supporters and detractors in France. Debates pitched French against the French.
- In France, American tourists are kind of regarded more. And the average French is prouder that Americans love visiting France than say other nationalities. It's unexplainable but that's the way it is. Since the last 40 years, every year American tourists are overly featured and interviewed in the media during eac summer period. Even the years when for any reason there are less American tourists.
- Americans are almost the only non-French constantly featured in French media saying nice things about France and the French and French culture or one aspect of the French or the other. The journalists always ask the questions so the American willingly or unwillingly will say only nice things about France or any aspects of the French. In 40 years I have seen and read stuffs like this thousands of times from Americans interviewed by French journalists. The next in number of times even if very far from the number of times with Americans are the British. Never for once have I seen or read this from a German or Spanish or polish or Italian or Scandinavian or Chinese or Indian or Brazilian or Russian or African etc... Can U explain this to me? The obvious explanation is that the French journalists know the French cares more when nice words or compliments or flatters are from Americans and from the British. From the rest of the people of the world, the French could care less to put it mildly.
- All over the country sides of France, you can find "Country music clubs" and they each have their festival days. All participants wear cowboys hats and jeans or other Texas kinds of dresses (men and women and children) and only country music is played and the dancing is also the deep south US country dancing.
I could go on and on. It's just a marvel that one of the top most pro-American and very americanized countries on earth and by far, is regarded by many as anti-American. Simply fascinating. There's no other country and people mother Earth that fascinate and obsesse the French as the USA and Americans. None.
BTW, this seems to have started way longer than we modern people think. In school we learn that the French revolution was inspired by the American revolution that took place a few years prior. The citizens of France openly said "if that young nation on the other side of the Atlantic can have a revolution and be a democracy, we too we can and we should" And the fate of the king was thus sealed. Also in French we have an expression "Avoir un uncle d'Amérique" (to have an American uncle), it means to have a benefactor or someone who can get you out of trouble when necessary. This popular french expression can also be found in books written way before WW2.
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