The two virtues of the French

[Johnno]

Lorsque Dieu créa le monde, il décida de concéder deux vertus aux hommes de
chaque peuple afin qu'ils prospèrent.

Par exemple il rendit:
- Les Suisses précis et pacifistes,
- Les Anglais flegmatiques et ironiques
- Les Japonais travailleurs et réalistes
- Les Italiens joyeux et humanistes
Quant aux Français, il dit :
- "Les Français seront intelligents, honnêtes et sarkoziens."
Lorsque le monde fut achevé, l'ange qui avait été chargé de la distribution des vertus demanda � Dieu :
- "Seigneur, tu as dit que tu octroyais deux vertus � chaque peuple, mais les Français en ont trois.
Est-ce pour cela qu'ils se placent au dessus des autres ?"
- "En vérité, Je te le dis, répondit Dieu, chaque peuple a deux vertus y compris les Français, car chacun d'entre eux ne pourra en posséder que deux � la fois.
Ce qui veut dire que :
- si un Français est sarkozien et honnête, il ne sera pas intelligent,
- s'il est sarkozien et intelligent, il ne sera pas honnête,
- s'il est intelligent et honnête, il ne peut pas être sarkozien."

C'est ainsi que Dieu agit dans son infinie sagesse.

Roughly translated

When God created the world, he decided to give two virtues to each nationality so that they thrive.

For example:

- The Swiss: precise and pacifist,
- The English: phlegmatic and ironic
- The Japanese: hard-working and realistic
- The Italians: merry and humanistic

As for the French, he says:

- "The French will be intelligent, honest and Sarkoziens."

When the world was completed, the angel which had been in charge of the distribution of the virtues asked God, "Lord, you said that you granted two virtues to each people, the French have three of them. Does this make them better than the others?"

- "In truth, I say it to you.", answered God. "Each people has two virtues including the French, because each one will only be able to have two virtues at the same time."

"What I am saying is that:

- if a French person is Sarkozien and honest, they will not be intelligent, - if they are Sarkozien and intelligent, they will not be honest, - if they are intelligent and honest, they cannot be Sarkozien."

Thus God acts in his infinite wisdom.

 

[Mark]

When the world was completed, the angel which had been in charge of the distribution of the virtues asked God, "Lord, you said that you granted two virtues to each people, the French have three of them. Does this make them better than the others?"

- "In truth, I say it to you.", answered God. "Each people has two virtues including the French, because each one will only be able to have two virtues at the same time."

"What I am saying is that:

- if a French person is Sarkozien and honest, they will not be intelligent, - if they are Sarkozien and intelligent, they will not be honest, - if they are intelligent and honest, they cannot be Sarkozien."

Thus God acts in his infinite wisdom.

LOL

That's clever, and precise.

 

[alwyn]

Had to look this one up. For those of us uneducated auslanders...from another forum:

Please can anyone tell me the meaning of this word? I found it in a joke posted by KaRiNe Fr in a thread under Cultural Discussions - and can't understand the punchline without it!
It doesn't appear in any of my dictionaries. Is it anything to do with the politician Nicolas Sarcozy - perhaps it's a derogatory expression for 'liberal'?

In the joke, to be 'sarkozien' is described as a gift of God, along with intelligence, honesty etc.

and the reply:

You got it, it comes from Nicolas Sarkozy, the controversial French interior minister and presidential candidate.


ciao