“Les extrêmes se rejoignent” — extremes do meet — is a French expression believed to have originated in the 17th century. Its meaning has been described in a variety of ways. Recently, I read about it as part of a political analysis regarding the far right and far left in contemporary Western society. A few years ago, I would have argued that the concept is ludicrous. I would have said that the far right is filled with hateful, regressive bigots while the far left is committed to equality and progress. Today, however, I sadly understand it.
Both extremes are cultic and they require the kind of loyalty that does not tolerate dissent or critical reassessments of positions. They have actual themes in common, too, including the most enduring bizarre hate-filled narrative about Jews being responsible for the world’s ills.
In November, eight Democrats in the U.S. Senate helped to end the government shutdown. Many thousands of jobs were saved and recovered, and those senators created a deal to secure SNAP benefits through September 2026 at higher levels than in the original package. Notably, they negotiated later action on Affordable Care Act subsidies to buy more time. I doubt federal workers and SNAP recipients felt angry at them. To me, the strategy was sound as well as ethical. The Democrats would have been the bad guys if they held out — especially during the holiday season. The burden is still on the Republican majority to move forward with a plan that serves Americans, and the spotlight shown on them during the shutdown was not pretty.
Still, those eight senators largely received scorn rather than praise from their peers and leaders/activists on the middle and far left. They stepped out of line to do what was needed. That used to be considered admirable. In today’s world of extremes, compromise and long-game strategies are “selling out” rather than saving the day.
While “extremes do meet” is an unpleasant truth, many French expressions elicit joy or curiosity. “Violon d’Ingres” refers to the French painter Jean Ingres. He was the second violinist in a small orchestra when he was young, yet he was never going to achieve greatness with it. Still, he played throughout his entire life as an important secondary pursuit that contributed to his success as an artist. I refer to gardening as my violon d’Ingres. I do not aspire to be a master gardener, and I likely do not have the skillset or temperament for it, yet I tend to my gardens dutifully and creatively with effort.
An arrogant fool may be pushing a door that is already open — “enfoncer des portes ouvertes.” S/he is stating some sort of aha moment that was already named. A fake discovery. “Pisser dans un violon” — peeing in the violin — is an action or speech that is useless. The English expression to not judge a book by its cover may have come from “l’habit ne fait pas le moine” — the outfit does not make the monk. Wearing the clothes does not mean one is religious.
The only French I have spoken are basic greetings and phrases to be respectful as a visitor in France. Somehow, “oh là là” stuck with me enough that I think or say it at least once daily. It can be used to accompany astonishment about something wonderful or something horrible. When spoken, it sounds like oo-la-la. “Ouf” is another favorite. Three letters to describe what we would call crazy/good.
The Norman Conquest of 1066 helped French words and expressions make their way into English. Over half of today’s English vocabulary is believed to be of French origin despite the earliest roots of English as a Germanic language.
Ken Burns’ recent PBS series, “The American Revolution,” reminded me that the likelihood of American independence would have been very small without the steadfast bravery of the French on the ground and in the sea fighting alongside worn and often inexperienced rebels fighting British loyalists. Burns did not sugarcoat the horrors and moral complications of the war. Enslaved black men and Native Americans were exploited by both sides. Freedom from monarchy did not equal universal freedom, yet the French and Americans influenced each other in ways that changed the world.
When I was last in Paris in 2016, I sat at the Monument à la République with its three statues of virtues — liberty, equality, and fraternity — and Marianne, the personification of the French Republic, on top. Parisians had gathered there in record numbers after the horrific terrorist attacks in 2015. I also went to a museum where several prototypes of the statue of liberty remain on display. The French are very proud of that gift to the US.
Merci to France for giving us the term and the action of camaraderie throughout our messy and significant democracies. Vive la notre amitié! Long live our friendship.
J.M. Sorrell is a monthly columnist and a Francophile — un peu.