Worldly American liberals have at least one thing in common with the French far right: They love French destinations that are quaint, traditional, and relatively unaffected by globalization and immigration. Recent travel stories in The New York Times, for instance, sing the praises of Provence, the French Riviera, and Normandy. Rural life and regional uniqueness are fine if savored on vacations, even if locals who champion such things are dismissed as xenophobes. The American Francophile’s distorted picture of the country is part of why Jordan Bardella, the far-right politician who could be France’s next president, is an enigma on this side of the Atlantic.
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