Just speculation, but I think -- like the Americans -- the "right wing" French have been more openly anti-immigration and anti-Islam than the English for awhile, so there's less desensitization that needs to take place to get the French populace on board against leftist rot. The English are still largely hamstrung by performative civility, just like my fellow Canadians.
Edit: I want to add that while I think the proportions of the population against leftism in each of the UK and France are about the same, I think the Overton window has progressed further in France.
I don't think it's just about the Overton window, but the willingness to make a fuss. We give the French bants for what their culture contains, but they've always been more willing to defend their culture than most of Western Europe..
The Brit will keep a stiff upper lip while you take everything from him.
The Frenchman will start a revolt in the streets if you oversweeten his macarons.
Like when the Académie Française told them to fuck off with their "gender neutral" language bastardizations.
I ended up leaving it out of my first comment, but I considered bringing up the yellow vest riots as support for what you and I are both saying. As far as I can recall, those riots went on for about a year with very little international coverage beyond the first couple months. Many French certainly stood up for themselves then, which comes off as especially admirable and sincere with so little attention.
I also wonder if their willingness to show backbone has something to do with France being the main battleground for both WWI and WWII.
Just speculation, but I think -- like the Americans -- the "right wing" French have been more openly anti-immigration and anti-Islam than the English for awhile, so there's less desensitization that needs to take place to get the French populace on board against leftist rot. The English are still largely hamstrung by performative civility, just like my fellow Canadians.
Edit: I want to add that while I think the proportions of the population against leftism in each of the UK and France are about the same, I think the Overton window has progressed further in France.
I don't think it's just about the Overton window, but the willingness to make a fuss. We give the French bants for what their culture contains, but they've always been more willing to defend their culture than most of Western Europe..
The Brit will keep a stiff upper lip while you take everything from him.
The Frenchman will start a revolt in the streets if you oversweeten his macarons.
Like when the Académie Française told them to fuck off with their "gender neutral" language bastardizations.
I ended up leaving it out of my first comment, but I considered bringing up the yellow vest riots as support for what you and I are both saying. As far as I can recall, those riots went on for about a year with very little international coverage beyond the first couple months. Many French certainly stood up for themselves then, which comes off as especially admirable and sincere with so little attention.
I also wonder if their willingness to show backbone has something to do with France being the main battleground for both WWI and WWII.