Monday, July 14, 2008

Happy Bastille Day from Rickey

It's July 14th, which means it's time to appreciate the je ne sais quoi of all things French as you celebrate Bastille Day. For those of you who are unaware of precisely what Bastille Day is all about, it is best described as the French version of America’s Independence Day, or Mexico's Cinco de Mayo, or Canada’s …uh, Canada Fest or ...Canadapaloozaok, Rickey doesn't know what Canada has, but whatever it is it’s probably totally awesome.

Anyhow, back to the French. Today’s holiday commemorates the storming of the Bastille Prison (an act that helped a grand total of seven people gain freedom). The storming and subsequent burning of the prison are generally used as the point of reference marking the beginning of the French Revolution. While this oversimplifies things greatly it has the advantage of saving you from listening to Rickey ramble through a lengthy discussion about French history. Bottom line: they gave us modern democracy and freedom from absolutism and we responded in kind two hundred years later by going to war on false pretenses, renaming french fries "freedom fries," and generally carrying on like this fellow to the right.

In honor of the day, we recommend breaking from the mold and being a little festive: set off some fireworks, get your petanque on, or google Sophie Marceau images. It's your day, make the most of it. Now if you'll excuse Rickey, he's off to brush up on his Locke and liberate a bottle of bourdeaux from the clutches of a despotic liquor store.

[Posted at Humor Blogs]

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6 comments:

George said...

Just don't Google Sophie Marceau images and then shoot off fireworks.

Alice said...

As the daughter of a daughter of Mother England, I am not allowed to read this post. She and the rest of the coven also force me to mock Quebec.

damon said...

I'm pretty sure you're right. It's Canadapalooza.

Seems we should get along better with the French. They gave us that big statue and everything.

Noah said...

My mom's family is half French-Canadian. That's gotta count for something here.

Alex L said...

Kill everyone hey, we at least he's got some sense of equality. Our national holiday is just called Australia Day... as you can see why really good with naming shit. Canadapalooza sounds like a blast.

Anonymous said...

Canadapalooza was replaced in 2003 by an act of Parliament after two teens in Mississauga were witnessed to be "hooting loudly".

We now have "Stay In Your Home and Discuss Last Winter" Day.

It's the best.