French Government Bans "Email"

While the United States, in particular, and the rest of the world, generally, are inspired towards multiculturalism, the French seem to be going in the opposite direction. According to a correspondent in Paris reporting for the Australian website news.com.au, the French want to minimize the use of English words in the technological field by banning the term "email" and mandating that "courriel" (meaning - electronic mail) be used instead.

The move, made law by its publication in the official government gazette on June 20, will put the French administration out of step with the majority of the French public, who still prefer to use "email" to communicate between computer accounts. Agence France-Presse

This action doesn't make a lot of sense to me. The government can make frivolous laws day in and day out, but if the citizenry is of a different opinion, the laws will be ignored. It only creates enforcement problems for the political leadership and makes them look foolish. Of course, it's the French and they have a demonstrated history of doing some foolish things.