Sarkozy's "plain words"
There's a fair amount of discussion here about Président Sarkozy's plain words when confronted with people who want to express their opinion somewhat strongly.
The latest incident was at an agricultural show. Now I am sure he feels under pressure here because Président Chirac was a man of the soil who could talk about cows all day and loved sampling the different wines. Sarko is a teetotal city boy who can probably identify a cow but I imagine that it more or less ends there.
So during a walkabout when an old guy saw Sarko's hand coming and said "Don't touch me, you'll make me dirty" the Président replied with (and this is a very approximate translation) "Get lost then, poor clot". The words the Président chose have that basic meaning but rather more force.
Previously when a disgruntled fisherman in Guilvinec shouted something from his balcony the Président said "Come down here and say that to my face".
The French find this a big change. After all, they have never had John Prescott (remember the chap who threw an egg ? Don't throw eggs at John Prescott !) or Prince Philip.
I think that it is important to remember that even when a person is in a position of public and civic responsibility, that person is still a fallible and fallen human being and there is a limit to how much you should provoke them. I am thinking of church meetings that I have seen (never been pastor in one, thankfully) where people think they have the right to say anything, make any accusation, come out with any outburst, behave anyhow and the church officers must just take it on the chin and bounce back graciously smiling.
Sorry, but the standards of holiness in speech apply to church members as well as to church officers and if you provoke someone enough they will slip. And when that happens it is more your fault than theirs.
Sarko has been elected président, not whipping boy, and when we disagree with things he does there are ways of expressing that, but "Don't touch me, you'll make me dirty" is not one of them !
The latest incident was at an agricultural show. Now I am sure he feels under pressure here because Président Chirac was a man of the soil who could talk about cows all day and loved sampling the different wines. Sarko is a teetotal city boy who can probably identify a cow but I imagine that it more or less ends there.
So during a walkabout when an old guy saw Sarko's hand coming and said "Don't touch me, you'll make me dirty" the Président replied with (and this is a very approximate translation) "Get lost then, poor clot". The words the Président chose have that basic meaning but rather more force.
Previously when a disgruntled fisherman in Guilvinec shouted something from his balcony the Président said "Come down here and say that to my face".
The French find this a big change. After all, they have never had John Prescott (remember the chap who threw an egg ? Don't throw eggs at John Prescott !) or Prince Philip.
I think that it is important to remember that even when a person is in a position of public and civic responsibility, that person is still a fallible and fallen human being and there is a limit to how much you should provoke them. I am thinking of church meetings that I have seen (never been pastor in one, thankfully) where people think they have the right to say anything, make any accusation, come out with any outburst, behave anyhow and the church officers must just take it on the chin and bounce back graciously smiling.
Sorry, but the standards of holiness in speech apply to church members as well as to church officers and if you provoke someone enough they will slip. And when that happens it is more your fault than theirs.
Sarko has been elected président, not whipping boy, and when we disagree with things he does there are ways of expressing that, but "Don't touch me, you'll make me dirty" is not one of them !
Comments