I say "American media" because in true elitist fashion, I am on holiday with my family outside of the states -- in the south of France, to be exact -- where my mother-in-law lives. We visit her every year at about this time and immerse ourselves in the region's culture, delightful political incorrectness and its relatively unspoiled beauty.

And along with drinking copious amounts of rosé and pretending not to look at the topless women scampering along the...