Most priests I know, Jesuit or otherwise, are salty-tongued. By which I’m not admitting to having been French-kissed by priests, so get your mind out of the gutter. Heh.

No, I think my chronic nastiness is pretty much a function of my own native foulness, though from a Buddhist standpoint we have to say that everything comes from somewhere else– dependent co-arising. To borrow from Thich Nhat Hanh, Kevin is composed entirely of non-Kevin elements.

Thanks to my Dad, I’ve had a long association with the military. Whereas many high-minded folks will say things like, “To express yourself intelligently, you don’t need to resort to swearing,” I tend to feel that foul language is a medium for very creative expression– and the military folks have set high standards in this area… which I rarely meet, though not for lack of trying.

The French are fabulous at swearing. Being able to make an enchanement de jurons is actually quite aesthetic– I remember learning this when I went to France in the mid-80s for the first time. It was a trip down memory lane when, in “The Matrix Reloaded,” the Merovingian spewed a very familiar chain of swear words then concluded, “It’s like wiping your ass with silk; I love it.”

Kevin

Yeah, I live pretty monastically. Sadness.

Kevin

Posted by: Kevin Kim at December 14, 2003 07:03 AM
”

Jesus! you’re from Georgetown? Did the Catholics teach you all the cuss words?

Yeah, I live pretty monastically. Sadness.

Kevin

i would have never guessed that such a vulgar hominid could be a teetotaler.

Oh, God, I wasn’t trying to be profound. I don’t seriously believe there’s a neat separation between culture and politics– I’ve studied too much Buddhism to believe that. All things are connected, as Yoda might say.

It’s how we often tend to deal with large, complex phenomena: we isolate various parts (instinctively or quite consciously) and often speak as if the parts are neatly separated or distinct. Of course, as exploration and discussion ensue, we realize the case isn’t so simple– which is your point, I think, and I agree.

While I’m fairly comfortable writing in (admittedly imperfect) French, I may not have transmitted the joking tenderness I was intending. France’s politics do indeed frustrate me, but it’s possible, as you say about the US, to dislike certain aspects of a culture/nation/society/etc. while loving others. La vie est compliquée. Of course, it’s good to see how the parts of a phenomenon interrelate, and occasionally to question whether we’ve parsed the phenomenon correctly.

A more uncomfortable question might be: how can Kevin know he’s gained a real appreciation for French culture if he doesn’t drink alcohol? What kind of asshole lives in France and doesn’t try the wine?

I always had fruit juice while everyone else drank wine, back when I lived with a host family. I did attend a dégustation in Nice once, a few years later, but since I’ve never acquired a taste for alcohol, I had no idea what I was drinking, or how good it was.

Hélas.

Kevin

Your link will sure boost the debate with the ‘Yankees’, but I will learn from our disagreements, and am always surprised to see that what another Frenchman, Monsieur de Tocqueville, wrote about you Americans 170 years ago (when there was no more than 20 million of you) is still largely valid.

Vive la France! …et surtout les Françaises!

Kevin