Please remember that the French are humans too.
U.S. newswire Associated Press, whose stylebook is the gold standard for English-speaking journalism, has said that news articles should avoid using “dehumanizing” labels such as “the French.”
“We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing ‘the’ labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated,” AP Stylebook tweeted.
The post quickly went viral, reaching over 20 million views in less than a day and causing a great deal of bemusement.
“We are the French,” far-right politician Éric Zemmour responded.
Journalists rushed in to offer their own (tongue-in-cheek) alternatives to “the French,” ranging from “people who are French” to “people experiencing Frenchness.”
The French embassy in the U.S. joined in, posting a screenshot of a proposed new bio of “Embassy of Frenchness in the U.S.” with the caption “I guess this is us now.”
Although AP’s tweet sparked more amusement than outrage, it is reminiscent of a cultural debate in French society over so-called woke ideas from the U.S.
French daily Le Monde picked up the story in a short article that was the second most-read on its website on Friday morning.
“The reference to ‘the French,’ as well as the reference to ‘graduates,’ is an effort to show that ‘the’ labels, whether they are traditionally perceived as positive, negative or neutral, should not be used for anyone,” Lauren Easton, AP’s vice-president for corporate communications, told Le Monde.
The American newswire eventually published an updated version of the tweet on Friday morning, without mentioning “the French.”
“The use of ‘the French’ in this tweet by AP was inappropriate and has caused unintended offense,” AP explained.
