{"id":13789,"date":"2012-03-03T21:57:43","date_gmt":"2012-03-03T20:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=13789"},"modified":"2021-08-05T22:33:07","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T20:33:07","slug":"belgians-finally-poking-fun-back-at-the-french-and-its-funny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/belgians-finally-poking-fun-back-at-the-french-and-its-funny\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgians Finally Poking Fun Back at the French"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 100 years of countless many\u00a0French blagues<\/em>\u00a0(jokes) at the expense of Belgians, and the compatriots of Jacques Brel <\/span><\/a>never felt like retaliating against the shenanigans of their\u00a0misbehaving southern neighbors…<\/span>\u00a0Well, not until recently, that is!<\/span><\/p>\n

Were they only biding their time?<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s something pretty funny for you:<\/span><\/p>\n

Although this can sound a bit strange or even unfair when some people from other countries hear it the first time (while maybe seeming all-too-familiar to others), but did you know that it has been almost like a basic feature of French culture for more than a century to tease Belgians, very often by cracking jokes which are ominously introduced by the “classic” line: “Il \u00e9tait une fois un Belge…<\/strong><\/em>” (“There was this one time, a Belgian guy…<\/strong>“)<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, having said that, it must be said to the credit of the Belgians that they always remained admirably “fair-play<\/strong>” about the issue, and never felt like retaliating against the shenanigans of\u00a0their misbehaving southern neighbors…<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, that was at least until recently, when the silent French Movie “The Artist<\/strong><\/span><\/span>“, starring the new enfant terrible <\/em><\/strong>of France,\u00a0Jean Dujardin<\/strong>, won big-time at the Oscars<\/strong>, a fact which prompted the Belgians, possibly for the first time in their national history (but then again, that’s not too long), to give the French a very well-deserved “right-back-at-ya<\/strong>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how the little sweet revenge dish of the Belgians tastes nowadays:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ab The Artist \u00bb, le film muet rafle 10 nominations aux Oscars, <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n une premi\u00e8re pour un film Fran\u00e7ais !<\/strong><\/em><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Comme quoi, quand les Fran\u00e7ais ferment leurs gueules, <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n tout le monde les appr\u00e9cie !<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Et vlan !<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0<\/em>The Artist\u00a0\u00bb, the silent film walked off with 10 Oscar nominations<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A first-time ever event for a French movie!
\n<\/strong>
\nSo, pretty much when the French shut up,<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/span>the whole world appreciates them!<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Oui, je sais <\/em><\/strong>(yes, I know), the French had it coming, but who would have ever thought that the Belgians would one day decide to “return the favor” to the French?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, they certainly waited a long time—some observers have\u00a0already seen in this yet another eerie sign\u00a0of the ominous year\u00a02012<\/span><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(maybe the Mayas didn’t do their math wrong after all.)<\/span><\/p>\n