Thursday, April 17, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

French kiss-off

Had enough France-bashing? Many say oui

By Andrew Kiraly

When will this needless, unjustified war finally come to an end?

Oh, not the war on Iraq, but the other war--the little war of little minds being waged against zee leedle country Americans love to hate, France. Indeed, as anti-French attitude continues to simmer like a Bordeaux sauce, that's the question on the minds of many who say they've had enough of the knee-jerk culture-bashing.

Some say that the anti-French mood is crossing lines as it mutates from personal boycotts to outright threats. Others point out that vein of anti-France sentiment--throbbing, perhaps, most conspicuously at a hotel-casino near you--might not be promoting the most sophisticated image for a city that relies on making people feel welcome and comfortable. Others are more blunt: Let's not forget that French tourists come to Las Vegas, too.

Says Van Heffner, chief executive officer of the Nevada Restaurant Association: "I understand how it really cuts people deeply that France did not support the U.S. in the war against Iraq," he says. "But when I see French wine getting dumped, I think of the French farmer who's tilling the soil, working hard with the grapes, only to get [the wine] spilled during some publicity stunt."

Andre Rochat, owner of Andre's, the city's oldest French restaurant, has witnessed the France-bashing firsthand. Last week the restaurateur received a threatening phone call. He's since contacted Metro Police, who are investigating it as a "crime of bias" (owners of two other French restaurants, Pamplemousse and Bonjour, have said they've received threatening faxes and phone calls as well). Rochat isn't so much rattled by the phone call (during which the caller showed off American pride by leaving his name, address and phone number) as by the bad logic that's feeding the anti-France sentiment.

"There is no logic to it," says Rochat, who's been an American citizen for 30 years. "We French in America don't have anything to do with the French government's decisions." As for the much-publicized boycotts of French products, Rochat says it's equally unjust--and it reveals a double standard that highlights lazy American thinking.

"Why punish a poor guy who works in a factory for a decision his government made?" he says. "And what about Germany and Russia? I don't see Americans boycotting Mercedes and BMW. France is just an easy target."

The bullseye continues to loom over the country's culture and wares in local casinos. Coast Casinos honcho Michael Gaughan has reportedly ordered all casino restaurants to remove French water and wine from the menus. Meanwhile, at the Hard Rock Hotel, there's water, water everywhere, but not a drop of Perrier to drink--per orders from higher-ups.

Gaughan and Yale Rowe, vice president of marketing for the Hard Rock, did not return phone calls. But they might want to consider whether they're being patriotic enough. Why stop at winemakers and water companies--none of whom have anything to do with the French government's decision not to join the war on Iraq? Adopting the casinos' line of reasoning, they've got a lot more work to do before they can claim to be truly French-free. For instance, they'd better make sure none of their restaurants put mayonnaise on anything--after all, the French invented the popular condiment in the 18th century. And how will their cashiers ever ring anything up if they got rid of their all their digital calculators? After all, French scientist Blaise Pascal is widely credited with inventing the precursor to the modern-day calculator in 1642, a numerical wheel calculator to help his father count taxes. And let's not forget that the famed inventor is also credited with developing a primitive form of roulette as well as the wristwatch. All French--so why not forbidden?

Finally, if you're hanging out this summer by the Hard Rock, scoping the hotties in bikinis--better call the manager. The offending swimsuits were originally designed by--mon Dieu!--Frenchmen Jacques Heim and Louis Reard. One suspects the Hard Rock honchos wouldn't be so quick to do away with this bit of French culture.

Which makes one wonder whether these other anti-French publicity gimmicks are hurting more than helping casinos. Surely the thinking is they'll create some flag-waving warm fuzzies among would-be customers, but others point out that the attempt seems to be backfiring in some ways: Vegas ends up looking not so much patriotic as reactionary and xenophobic.

"I hate to say it, but all this France-bashing has a little redneck on the side of it," says Bill Thompson, professor of public administration at UNLV. "I don't think [the anti-Francers] have really thought their position through. If I was playing this game, I'd ask why aren't they looking at the Hollywood anti-war crowd. Why not boycott Hollywood movies? Why not boycott California? There are plenty of protests coming out of there. But frankly, I'd just as soon see an American flag than someone going out of their way to knock France."

Perhaps the hospitality industry should bear in mind that even if Vegas isn't home to the most cosmopolitan mindset, the city does have cosmopolitan appeal. Rob Powers, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, points out that out of the 23 international markets that Vegas courts, France ranked sixth in the most recent reports, with about 137,000 French visiting annually.

"It's a good market for us," he says.

Sound business sense--if not sound logic--demands a rethinking of the anti-France stance. S'il vous plait!