Borat Lives
First thing I should say is that my Turkish is hilariously bad, and that I so often inadvertently trip over some local cultural taboo that Ricochet member Okan once came up with the idea of trailing behind me with a camera and turning my life into a comedy show called "Borat in Reverse." So in recounting the conversation I had today, believe me, I am not mocking Turks who make mistakes in English and don't quite get American taboos. I'm in no position to mock. I'm just laughing at the world.
You may not realize that there are Turks of African descent. There aren't many in Istanbul, but every so often you do see black people. Anyway, I'm at the gym, and my teacher, who speaks some English and likes to practice it, puts his head out the window and sees a few black guys walking up this street. He turns to me and says, "In this neighborhood there are many negroes."
I was a bit taken aback, but of course I know English isn't his first language. I don't want to correct him aggressively, though, because Turks will shrivel and then sullenly hate you forever and plot your downfall if you criticize them directly-- I've inadvertently caused more ill-will than you could possibly imagine by saying, directly, "No, you're wrong about that." So I say, "That word isn't really used any more, we say--"
"Niggers!" He exclaims proudly, glad to display his knowledge. "There are so many niggers in this neighborhood!" He says this in front of all the young, impressionable kids at the gym who pick up new English words really easily. (I know because I've taught them to call each other "fat fascists." Probably ill-advised. )
I blanche, so to speak. "No!" I say, throwing to the wind cultural sensitivity about not directly criticizing Turks. "No! You cannot use that word!" I'm having visions of this guy or one of his students getting off a plane in America and getting himself killed within the first five minutes. I'm thinking, I've got to quickly impress on them that this is nothing you can play around with where Americans are concerned.
He looks puzzled, then decides to stand his ground. "Yes, it's the right word! I hear it all the time in movies."
Okay, I'm thinking. How am I going to explain this. Where do I even begin.
"Please," I say. "Trust me. All cultures have their taboos. In America, that word is incredibly taboo. You may hear it in the movies, but if you say it to Americans, I promise you will deeply offend everyone."
"But why?" he asks. "It is same root as Niger, Nigerians. They are niggers, right?"
I'm about to put my hands over the kids' ears. They're like three-year-olds, too: They can see from my face that this is a fun word with really impressive power to shock the foreigner lady. They're about to start repeating it.
"Please trust me. It's not the same. It's a word that for historical reasons is considered unbelievably rude."
"Silly," he says. "Nothing like that in Turkey."
I look at him incredulous. Finally I say, "Armenian genocide."
Having made my point--rather effectively, to judge from the reaction--I explain that the word "nigger" is not considered proper at all. You would not use it ever, in any context, unless you meant to sound profoundly racist. I explain that it would be the end of the career of any politician if, for example, he or she was ever revealed to have used the word, even in a private context. It is that taboo.
He seems to get this, and I feel satisfied that I've made progress in explaining America.
Then he asks me: "So what word do your racist parties use in their campaign slogans?"
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Dec '10
Re: Borat Lives
Then he asks me: "So what word do your racist parties use in their campaign slogans?"
"neocons"
Aug '10
Re: Borat Lives
It is so cool that your fight instructor is also a famous author, but gosh he's got to be pretty old. Hasn't Haley's Comet been by once since he was reputedly dead. But then I heard him say that "rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated" or something.
Has he taught you how to fight with a bowie knife ?
Did he tell you about the Jumping Frog ?
I don't think he'd get killed getting off the bus in NYC. But the image had a Stevie Wonder vibe to it.
Oct '10
Re: Borat Lives
You have the greatest posts, Claire! (to be sure some are way over my head, but that's my deficiency, not yours)
Jun '10
Re: Borat Lives
Love it. My best friend in Russia and I agreed fairly quickly to be very careful what we taught each other in our native languages. Though I acquired some Russian slang through osmosis, I never had a passion for learning it. Conversely, my friend was especially enamored with learning anything he could get his hands on and I fell for it one too many times. I threw him a bone one time with a really bad one which he foolishly repeated, innocently, in front of a bunch of American Mormon missionaries. I was about as mortified as you were in your story. Language differences breed so many hilarious stories. And yes, it is amazing what people all over the world pick up from our darned American movies.
I fully understand the difficulty of impressing on someone what the true impact of a particular word is in a culture. I also learned how our own native language is so tightly connected to our feelings and emotions. No matter how many times I said thank you in Russian, it still felt insincere to the point that I would even say it in English sometimes since it felt more genuine to me.
Re: Borat Lives
Oh, thank you so much--it's really lovely to read that.
Sep '10
Re: Borat Lives
"So what word do your racist parties use in their campaign slogans?"
African-Americans
Jun '10
Re: Borat Lives
And as for the answer to his question, I think us racist Conservatives would say words like:
... and other such profanities. Sorry if I offended anyone...
Re: Borat Lives
Ricochet's Code of Conduct prevents me from fully explaining some of the mistakes I've made in Turkish, which (like English) has many vulgarities separated from words in very common usage only by what is to a foreigner's ear a subtle vowel sound. Suffice to say that I've just decided I need never describe anything as happening "often." It's okay just to say that it happens "a lot."
Jun '10
Re: Borat Lives
"He looks puzzled, then decides to stand his ground. "Yes, it's the right word! I hear it all the time in movies."
Isn't innocence a beautiful thing!
Oct '10
Re: Borat Lives
I've come across a similar dynamic in Spanish with the word chulo. In South Texas it is a compliment if you say someone is chulo: they are good-looking, cute, etc. But in Central America, the word is an insult, roughly the equivalent of "pimp" or "prostitute".
Dec '10
Re: Borat Lives
Great story, Claire. Truly it made me laugh. (Quite a change from your gloom and doom Sunday morning opener.)
Thank you so much for telling it verbatim. Most people these days would have related the anecdote with the horrible substitute "the N word."
I think I speak for most of us here that we appreciate being treated like adults.
Oct '10
Re: Borat Lives
Claire Berlinski, Ed.:
I explain that it would be the end of the career of any politician if, for example, he or she was ever revealed to have used the word, even in a private context. It is that taboo.
Using the "N" word didn't end the career of Bobby Bird. In fact, it wouldn't end the career of any reliable lefty. Always remember that in politically correct speech, the offense isn't derived from the word, but who uses it.
Edited on Jan 23, 2011 at 11:49amDec '10
Re: Borat Lives
Ah, memories of The Kentucky Fried Movie: Rex Kramer, Danger Seeker.
Not to mention Blazing Saddles.
There was a time in the early 1970s at which it was conceivable that the N-word would lose its power by being turned against racists in a comedic way.
Oct '10
Re: Borat Lives
. . .Turkey has racial supremacist parties? Or was that another grammatical mistake? Sorry I'm confused.
Oct '10
Re: Borat Lives
Stuart Creque: Ah, memories of The Kentucky Fried Movie: Rex Kramer, Danger Seeker.
Not to mention Blazing Saddles.
There was a time in the early 1970s at which it was conceivable that the N-word would lose its power by being turned against racists in a comedic way. · Jan 23 at 12:32pm
It could very well have happened, until the "sensitive" people got in the way.
When I was over on Big Hollywood and looking at their posts about the Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes posts, and saw the Youtube videos of the old celebrity roasts, I almost died laughing.
And then realized (and such was the point of posting them in the first place) that nothing like that will ever be seen again. Because ethnic humour can now only be made by people of that ethnicity.
Sep '10
Re: Borat Lives
Then he asks me: "So what word do your racist parties use in their campaign slogans?"
Aug '10
Re: Borat Lives
John Lennon weighs in, as he modeled a generation's thoughts he should be able to defuse some silliness. Take it John :
Edited on Jan 24, 2011 at 7:56amOct '10
Re: Borat Lives
Are you sure the teacher is not just playing with you, Claire?
Re: Borat Lives
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Suffice to say that I've just decided I need never describe anything as happening "often." It's okay just to say that it happens "a lot." · Jan 23 at 11:02am
Heh heh heh. I can see where that might be a little tricky. A tittle can make a big difference.
Sep '10
Re: Borat Lives
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Oh, thank you so much--it's really lovely to read that. · Jan 23 at 10:55am
And you're a lovely dancer.