I think before 2001 it had a different vibe. As a kid it felt like it was fairly present even back then, but thinking back on it now it was more of a “kid brother imitating their older sibling” vibe that probably came from imported European culture. Stuff like Monty Python or whatever making “everybody hates the French” jokes, where Americans just kinda ran with it without understanding the context of centuries of war in Europe that gave rise to an in-group joke that we are definitely not a part of, or felt that they were a part of the in-group because of their heritage as immigrants or something.
Also probably not helped by the fact that France’s aid is generally glossed over in American history in favor of a more “pulled ourselves out of British tyranny by our bootstraps” narrative.
I doubt most Americans even know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France.
I think before 2001 it had a different vibe. As a kid it felt like it was fairly present even back then, but thinking back on it now it was more of a “kid brother imitating their older sibling” vibe that probably came from imported European culture. Stuff like Monty Python or whatever making “everybody hates the French” jokes, where Americans just kinda ran with it without understanding the context of centuries of war in Europe that gave rise to an in-group joke that we are definitely not a part of, or felt that they were a part of the in-group because of their heritage as immigrants or something.
Also probably not helped by the fact that France’s aid is generally glossed over in American history in favor of a more “pulled ourselves out of British tyranny by our bootstraps” narrative.
I doubt most Americans even know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France.