How to insult the French while following strict protocol. (This is very funny)

[TLS Guy]

The newly elected French president, Francois Hollande, has just paid an official visit to London.

More on disjointed French noses.

 

[its phillip]

Haha. Maybe he doesn't have a complex about his height like Sarkozy did/does

 

[GO-NAD!]

Must be a slow news day in the UK.

5' 7" may not be lofty, but it isn't terribly short either. There are some factors at play here, which exaggerate the height difference between the Guardsmen and Hollande. Obviously, the bearskins create an illusion of height. But also, the boots they wear have pretty thick soles. Finally, when the ranks (the line of men in formation) are "dressed", i.e. formed up, the shortest men go in the centre, while the tallest are at the ends, forming a very shallow "U" shape. The still photo in the article shows Hollande at the end of the rank, meaning he was standing next the the tallest guys in the Honour Guard. The Guard Commander is obviously taller than Hollande, but other than that, the massive height difference is kinda illusory...

I don't know why this became an "issue" worth wasting ink on...

So Napolean was 5'7" too? I always thought he was "short", short - like about 5"4". In his day, 5'7" would've been at least average height.

 

[TLS Guy]

Must be a slow news day in the UK.

5' 7" may not be lofty, but it isn't terribly short either. There are some factors at play here, which exaggerate the height difference between the Guardsmen and Hollande. Obviously, the bearskins create an illusion of height. But also, the boots they wear have pretty thick soles. Finally, when the ranks (the line of men in formation) are "dressed", i.e. formed up, the shortest men go in the centre, while the tallest are at the ends, forming a very shallow "U" shape. The still photo in the article shows Hollande at the end of the rank, meaning he was standing next the the tallest guys in the Honour Guard. The Guard Commander is obviously taller than Hollande, but other than that, the massive height difference is kinda illusory...

I don't know why this became an "issue" worth wasting ink on...

So Napolean was 5'7" too? I always thought he was "short", short - like about 5"4". In his day, 5'7" would've been at least average height.

You have to understand the relationship between the English and French over Trafalgar and Waterloo. Napoleon was a huge prick and the worst kind of despot. The fact that the French continue to idolize the man is nauseating.

The English take every opportunity to embarrass the French over Napoleon. The choice of the Coldstream Guards was deliberate, as was the whole choreography. They achieved the appropriate reaction in France which makes it funnier.

I'm in England now and everyone has enjoyed this spectacle enormously. The fact that Hollande is a prize twerp is just icing on the cake.

 

[GO-NAD!]

You have to understand the relationship between the English and French over Trafalgar and Waterloo. Napoleon was a huge prick and the worst kind of despot. The fact that the French continue to idolize the man is nauseating.

The English take every opportunity to embarrass the French over Napoleon. The choice of the Coldstream Guards was deliberate, as was the whole choreography. They achieved the appropriate reaction in France which makes it funnier.

I'm in England now and everyone has enjoyed this spectacle enormously. The fact that Hollande is a prize twerp is just icing on the cake.

Oh, I'm aware of the relationship between GB and France - I lived in Cumbria for two years and have visited the UK several other times. I just think it's kinda silly. It's similar to the GB/Germany relationship. You know - the "2 world wars and a world cup" thing.

Napolean was a despot, for sure, but not so different from his contemporaries that I'd single him out for criticism.

Please don't take offence - I love the UK and look forward to the opportunity for another visit. My ancestry is all English - well, as far back as I can trace. However, there is a bit of jingoism in the UK that I find a bit off-putting. It's a living-in-the-past mentality that stems from the loss of the prestige that goes with being a former world power - "Not much to brag about these days, so we may as well poke sticks in the eyes of the French and Germans about how we defeated them in the past".

Hey, I get it - Canada has a huge inferiority complex. So, people brag about the silliest things - like universal health care that the government can't seem to fix. It also makes our government commit our military to missions that it doesn't adequately man and equip them for: "Look at us! See what we can do with so little!" Having the boys continuously punching above their weight might make for good press, but it just causes burn-out and frustration.

Anyway, sorry about the little rant. I just think that if it was a deliberate act to embarrass the leader of a close ally, it was childish and counter-productive. Or, maybe it's that I'm just 5'8" myself...

 

[psbfan9]

I just think that if it was a deliberate act to embarrass the leader of a close ally, it was childish and counter-productive. Or, maybe it's that I'm just 5'8" myself...

I agree. I'm a bit of an anglophile myself, but this seems to be a cheap shot.

 

[darien87]

Seems like a gigantic "who cares" to me.

 

[GranteedEV]

It's Tyrion Lannister

 

[GO-NAD!]

Seems like a gigantic "who cares" to me.

You cared enough to post.

It's Tyrion Lannister

Ummmm.....who?

 

[darien87]

You cared enough to post.

Oh yeah? Well I still don't care and I just posted again.

 

[trnqk7]

You cared enough to post.



Ummmm.....who?

Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones (GoT) on HBO. He's a dwarf, played by Peter Dinklage. Pretty darn good show and great series of books written by George R.R. Martin.