France has discovered that its latest cultural threat is google. The American search engine plans to convert the contents of British and American university libraries to digital format, to enable them to be searched. The tremendous contribution to the research capabilities of billions of ordinary people is a threat because:

1) English language texts are to be converted — first. Google is already used for 74% of web searches in France, and there is no reason to expect that other languages will not be converted eventually.

2) Google is American. That's enough right there.

3) Google is "vulgar" because it ranks entries based on popularity, instead of upon the expert views of intellectually superior authorities designated, presumably by the French state.

Finally, the French have found their new niche in world culture: as buffoons.

Hat tip: Lucianne.com

Thomas Lifson   4 1 05