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"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys", sometimes shortened to "surrender monkeys", is a derogatory description of French people that was coined in 1995 by the writers of The Simpsons. It gained notoriety[1] in the United States, particularly in the run-up to the Iraq War.
The phrase first appeared in an episode of The Simpsons entitled "'Round Springfield" (first aired on April 30, 1995).[2] Groundskeeper Willie, the school janitor, is teaching French due to budget cuts, dressed in a striped shirt and a beret. In a heavy Scottish accent, he greets the class with "Bonjourrr, yah cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys!" According to the DVD commentary for the episode, the line was "most likely" written by Ken Keeler.
The "surrender" element of the phrase refers to the Battle of France which was a weakly-defended "surrender" to Nazi Germany, and their general cultural cowardice [citation needed].
The line was subsequently picked up and used predominantly by American politicians and publications. They were led, according to the British national newspaper The Guardian, by Jonah Goldberg, a columnist for the U.S. bi-weekly National Review and editor of their website National Review Online.[3] Goldberg's online-only column, the G-File, is written in a more casual, personal manner and in the late 1990s often contained Simpsons (and other pop-cultural) references. Goldberg's repeated aggressive use of the phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" led to its more widespread use amongst his readers, although Goldberg had stopped using it by the time the phrase was gaining mainstream popularity post-9/11.
France opposed many U.S. positions and actions, in particular, the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[4] Some argue the phrase's success reflects hostility in the U.S. towards countries such as France who oppose the U.S. in international forums.[1] The phrase, and similar opprobrious comparisons, have been used more frequently[original research?] by some U.S. media outlets, such as the New York Post and commentator John Gibson of the Fox News Channel, and commentator Mark E. Hyman of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group.[citation needed]
The New York Post resurrected the phrase "Surrender Monkeys" as the headline for its December 7, 2006, front page, referring to the Iraq Study Group and its recommendation that U.S. combat brigades be withdrawn from Iraq by early 2008.[5]
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In December 2005, the phrase was used by British United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Nigel Farage who said the French President Jacques Chirac was "...no cheese-eating surrender monkey...", in an unflattering comparison to Tony Blair during a session of the European Parliament following Blair's brokering of the EU budget deal.[clarification needed]
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On another British TV show, QI, Graeme Garden turned the phrase around, referring to Americans as "Burger-eating invasion monkeys". The phrase "haggis-eating suspender monkey" was also used by Garden, as his character, Dougal, on an episode of radio programme You'll Have Had Your Tea to describe his friend Hamish, who is Scottish and was wearing ladies' clothing at the time. Also on QI Series F Episode 11 Emma Thompson called the French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" when she found out that the French had called the British "lazy".
British TV show presenter Jeremy Clarkson described the Renault Clio V6 as a "surrender monkey" in terms of handling at its limits on BBC 2's Top Gear,[6] and the Renault A610 Turbo as a "cheese-eating surrender monkey" on his DVD Supercar Showdown. Again, in series 10 of Top Gear, he described a panel of judges including Jay Leno, Carroll Shelby, and Jean-Michel Cousteau by "imitating" Shelby telling Cousteau "shut up you Goddamn Frenchie cheese-eating surrender monkey." In his review of the Citroën C6, Clarkson questioned whether the car had become too sensible and German, and whether the cheese-eating surrender monkeys had bottled it.[7]
In Episode 46 of the anime show Hetalia: Axis Powers, England wants to get a new hairstyle after being taunted by France that England's current style is "unsophisticated". After France gives England several haircuts he is not pleased with, France gives him the same haircut that he had at the start of the episode. This infuriates England, who leaps up and screams at France, calling him a "cheese-eating surrender monkey".[8]
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