There are other very interesting things I learned at the WebbyConnect conference. Global cultural things.
The Tall Poppy
For example, I was talking to an Australian guy about how sports figures are treated down there and he introduced me to the concept of the tall poppy. It sounds like the equivalent of the Japanese expression Deru kugi wa utareru (The nail that sticks out gets hammered down). In Australian culture, you don’t aggrandize yourself and take too much (or any) pride in your accomplishment. If you compete really hard and lose, that’s okay. If you win, but you downplay your victory and act humble, maybe that’s okay. But if you win, you don’t do what athletes in America do all the time. You don’t brag or trash talk or do dances.
For example, from Psychology Today:
Many Australians turned against Steve Irwin’s showmanship when he dangled his son in front of a crocodile. After Irwin died, he was enshrined in the hearts of Aussies everywhere when his father refused a state funeral for him—a sure sign of proper Australian humility.
Pronto Pups v. Corn Dogs
I learned about the rabid Pronto Pup versus Corn Dog controversy that rages at the Minnesota State Fair (held in late August).
Batter-dipped hot dogs on a stick seem to go back to the Twenties, but became popular at fairs in the early Forties. Corn dogs (with cornmeal) seem to come from the South, with Pronto Pups (with wheat) appearing in Oregon and then migrating to Chicago and Minnesota.
But what’s really important is that people practically come to blows arguing about the relative merits of the two food products at the Minnesota State Fair. I’d love to try the two side-by-side and decide for myself.
Swearing Québécois Stylee
But the pièce de résistance was learning about how Quebec French profanity. In Quebec, they have the usual scatological terms that you find in the U.S., but in Canada, those words are mild. When you’re really pissed off, you go for sacre.
As it was explained to me, this goes back to the early 19th century, when the Catholic Church was a huge influence in Quebec. Since the Sixties, the influence of the Church and religion in general has declined, but the swearing goes on.
For example, a big curse phrase is “Host of the Tabernacle,” which might be uttered as Tabernaque! I mean, seriously, that’s the kind of thing you’d yell when you’re mad. Sacrament or sac is also a big one. But then, since that’s such strong language, you can soften it. So a mother might say taberwhee. I’m probably not spelling that right — it might be tabarouette — but that’s how it sounded.
That’s hilarious to me. “Tabernacle” is such an outrageous word that we have to tone it down for the kids.
Christ and the Virgin Mary are in there, but so is “host,” “chalice” and “ciborium,” the receptacle in which the host is stored (respectively rendered as ostie, câlice and ciboire). It sounds like a 16th Century monk swearing when he breaks his quill. Here’s a video on the subject.
2 Responses
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The Pop View Says:
By the way, I forgot to mention that you can use the word de to string together a more complex phrase. For example, my Canadian expert gave me this one:
Mon hostie de chalice de tabarnac de Chriss de con!!
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The Pop View Says:
As a further update to Australian attitudes, here’s James Fallows:
…there is a powerful middle-classness to Australia’s social bargain that is the result of customs and deliberate policies. The minor symbol of this is the expectation, at least for men, that if you’re getting into a taxi, you’ll sit in the front seat, like a mate, and not in the rear, like someone being chauffeured around. And the general disdain for the creepy and demeaning-all-around custom of tipping. Instead: prices are high, wages are high, taxes are relatively high, and there is a sense of “middle-ness” to many aspects of life, from income distribution to expectations of public services. Australians sometimes complain that their country is too middle-minded, with a result of enforcing conformity or putting a ceiling on ambition or innovation (and yes they have their plutocrats).