I would say that "cultures", taken as a whole, usually hate most other
cultures. This seems to be true from the macro (countries, even races,
religions) to the micro level (towns and even villages). However,
nothing functions as a whole. If you are an American and you treat a
concrete French person as part of a whole (that you don't even know
very well or perhaps at all), the sophistry is evident. Individuals
don't tend to act like that, in my experience. This is recognized even
in clichés like the antisemitic guy rushing to reassure his audience
that he has many Jewish friends. What he hopes to avoid is the
accusation of sophistry. That means he recognizes the sophistry.
How did we get here? Ah, Boris Vian. Didn't really click with me,
though I have not read enough to make a well founded judgment. Of the
French-language crime writers I know, I like Malet a lot, as well as
the great Manchette and of course Simenon. I never tire of Simenon.
Best,
mrt
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