Cheese-eating surrender monkeys
{{Short description|Pejorative term for French people}}
"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys", sometimes shortened to "surrender monkeys", is a pejorative term for French people. The term was coined in 1995 by Ken Keeler, a writer for the television series The Simpsons, and has entered two Oxford quotation dictionaries.
Origin
The term "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" first appeared in {{"-}}'Round Springfield", an April 1995 episode of The Simpsons, an American animated television show.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/france/story/0,,893202,00.html |access-date=2011-08-05 |work=The Guardian |title=Wimps, weasels and monkeys — the US media view of 'perfidious France' |first1=Gary |last1=Younge |first2=Jon |last2=Henley |date=2003-02-11}} In the episode, budget cuts at Springfield Elementary School force the school's Scottish janitor, Groundskeeper Willie, to teach French. Expressing his disdain for French people, he says in a heavy Scottish burr to the class: "Bonjourrrrrrrrr, you cheese-eating surrender monkeys!"{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=54}}{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997|p=173}}{{cite book |title=The Simpsons In The Classroom: Embiggening the Learning Experience with the Wisdom of Springfield |page=12 |author1=Du Vernay, Denise |author2=Waltonen, Karma |publisher=McFarland |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7864-4490-8}}
On the episode's audio commentary, executive producer Al Jean said the line was "probably" written by The Simpsons staff writer Ken Keeler.{{cite video |people=Jean, Al |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode {{"-}}'Round Springfield" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}} In a February 2012 interview, Keeler confirmed that he coined the term; he said he considers it his best contribution to the show.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2012/02/simpsons_talent_share_their_fa.php?page=3 |title=Best 'Simpsons' Moments: Castmembers Share Their Favorite Contributions to Celebrate the 500th Episode |work=OC Weekly |access-date=2012-05-05 |date=2012-02-14 |author=Du Vernay, Denise |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012025810/http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2012/02/simpsons_talent_share_their_fa.php?page=3 |archive-date=2013-10-12 |url-status=dead }} Al Jean commented that the staff did not expect the term to become widely used and never intended it as any kind of genuine political statement.
When {{" '}}Round Springfield" was dubbed for a French audience, the line became "Rendez vous, singes mangeurs de fromage" ("Surrender, cheese-eating monkeys").{{Cite news |last=Macintyre |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Macintyre |title=Last word: Any word that embiggens the vocabulary is cromulent with me |newspaper=The Times |date=August 11, 2007 |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2234263.ece |access-date=August 3, 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615125010/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2234263.ece |archive-date=June 15, 2011}}{{cite web |title=L'image de la France dans les Simpson |url=https://www.simpsonspark.com/dossiers/france |website=www.simpsonspark.com |access-date=24 May 2024 |language=fr}}
Later use and impact
In 2005 Ned Sherrin selected the term for inclusion in the third edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations.{{cite book |last=Sherrin |first=Ned |author-link=Ned Sherrin |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-957006-5 |edition=fourth |location=Oxford, England |page=xii; 137}} It is also included in the 2007 Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations.{{cite news |last=Sharto |first=Russell |author-link=Russell Sharto |date=August 24, 2007 |title=Simpsons quotes enter new Oxford dictionary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1561004/Simpsons-quotes-enter-new-Oxford-dictionary.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202182829/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1561004/Simpsons-quotes-enter-new-Oxford-dictionary.html |archive-date=December 2, 2008 |access-date=September 23, 2008 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London, England}}
= Political =
The term gained political traction in the US, especially in right-wing circles, when Jonah Goldberg, a columnist for the National Review magazine, used it in the title of an April 1999 column on the "Top Ten Reasons to Hate the French".{{cite news|last=Goldberg |first=Jonah |author-link=Jonah Goldberg|title=Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys From Hell |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/204434/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys-hell/jonah-goldberg |access-date=August 5, 2011 |newspaper=National Review |date=April 16, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130235956/http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/204434/cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys-hell/jonah-goldberg |archive-date=January 30, 2015 }} In the run up to and during the Iraq War, Goldberg reprised it to criticize European nations and France in particular for not joining the Coalition of the Willing, the United States-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.
In 2005, Nigel Farage used the phrase in a debate with Tony Blair over the United Kingdom's financial contributions to the European Union, in which Farage contrasted Blair with Jacques Chirac, whom Farage praised for standing up for the French people, while accusing Blair of failing to do the same for the British people.{{cite web |date=20 December 2018 |title=BREXIT - Relive Nigel Farage vs Tony Blair EU clash at European Parliament |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zupuJkLWwfM&t=92s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/zupuJkLWwfM |archive-date=2021-12-21 |access-date=1 November 2021 |website=YouTube |publisher=ProductiehuisEU}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |last1=Mcfadyen |first1=Siobhan |date=28 August 2016 |title=Still think the future is Europe, Tony? Watch 2005 Farage give Blair a super EU smackdown |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/704539/Watch-Nigel-Farage-give-Tony-Blair-a-super-EU-smackdown-back-in-2005 |access-date=2 November 2021 |website=Daily Express}}
Ben Macintyre of The Times wrote in August 2007 that it is "perhaps the most famous" of the coinages from The Simpsons and it "has gone on to become a journalistic cliché". The New York Post used it (as "Surrender Monkeys") as the headline for its December 7, 2006, front page, referring to the Iraq Study Group, and its recommendation that American soldiers be withdrawn from Iraq by January 2008.{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/12072006/news/nationalnews/iraq_appease_squeeze_on_w__nationalnews_.htm |title=Iraq 'Appease' Squeeze on W. |work=New York Post |date=December 7, 2006 |first=Niles |last=Lathem |access-date=February 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070126132159/http://www.nypost.com/seven/12072006/news/nationalnews/iraq_appease_squeeze_on_w__nationalnews_.htm |archive-date=January 26, 2007 |url-status=dead }}
The Daily Telegraph (November 2010) cited it in relation to Anglo-French military cooperation.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8105022/Angle-French-force-Cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys-Non.html |title=Anglo-French force: Cheese-eating surrender monkeys? Non |work=The Daily Telegraph |author=Rayment, Sean |date=2010-11-02 |access-date=2011-08-03}} In August 2013, The Independent suggested an evolution away from the term, in a headline about French-American relations over the Syrian Civil War.{{cite news | title = From 'cheese-eating surrender monkeys' to America's new best friends? | work = The Independent | first = John | last = Lichfield | date = 30 August 2013 | access-date = 18 December 2013| url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/from-cheeseeating-surrender-monkeys-to-americas-new-best-friends-franois-hollande-talks-tough-on-syria-after-uk-backs-down-8791471.html}}
On 6 March 2014, opposition Leader Bill Shorten used the term in the Australian Parliament. He called the Government of Australia "the cheese-eating surrender monkeys of Australian jobs".{{cite news |author=Gabrielle Chan |date=2014-03-06 |title=Qantas bill passes lower house - as it happened | Australia news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/06/qantas-first-up-in-parliament-politics-live?CMP=twt_gu#block-5317be66e4b0ddf0c7eca19d |access-date=2016-01-30 |newspaper=The Guardian}} When asked to withdraw the comment, Shorten claimed he borrowed the line from an American politician, whom he could not name.{{CN|date=October 2022}} On 28 July 2014, Australia's Immigration Minister Scott Morrison used it to describe the Labor and Greens position on asylum seekers.{{cite web |date=28 July 2014 |title=Scott Morrison says 157 Tamil asylum seekers are 'economic migrants' not in danger of persecution in India, calls Labor and Greens 'surrender monkeys' |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-28/consular-staff-begin-processing-of-tamil-asylum-seekers/5627732 |access-date=30 January 2016 |work=ABC News}}
= Other uses =
Anthony Bourdain described fellow chef Patrick Clark in his book Kitchen Confidential (2000) as follows: "He was kind of famous; he was big and black; most important, he was an American, one of us, not some cheese-eating, surrender specialist Froggie."{{cite book | last=Bourdain | first=Anthony | author-link=Anthony Bourdain | title=Kitchen Confidential | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-4088-4504-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XAsRYpsX9dEC&pg=PA138 | page=138}}
Jeremy Clarkson used it on Top Gear in June 2003 to describe the handling of the Renault Clio V6{{Citation|title=Top Gear - Jeremy Clarkson "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys"| date=6 October 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4FpJ-PSnpQ&vl=en-GB |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/f4FpJ-PSnpQ |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{cbignore}} and in a 4 June 2006 episode to describe the manufacturers of the Citroën C6.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} In Series 13, Episode 5, he calls the other French drivers "cheese-eating sideways monkeys" as they were overtaking him while sliding sideways.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=HarperPerennial |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}}|title-link=The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family }}
- {{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation |others=Foreword by Douglas Coupland. |edition=1st |year=2004 |location=Cambridge |publisher=Da Capo Press |oclc=670978714 |isbn=978-0-306-81341-2 |title-link=Planet Simpson }}
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051029101109/http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F32.html {{" '}}Round Springfield" episode guide] – The Simpsons Archive
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20040609050950/http://www.snpp.com/guides/foreign.html#france References to France on The Simpsons] – The Simpsons Archive
{{Ethnic slurs}}
{{The Simpsons}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys}}
Category:Anti-French sentiment in the United States
Category:Pejorative terms for European people
Category:Metaphors referring to food and drink