tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post7080200805068124369..comments2024-03-29T05:13:21.130+00:00Comments on Perfume Shrine: The Politics of Perfumery: Jean Paul Guerlain Makes a Faux-Pas?Perfumeshrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-69900245922283505792011-01-28T19:05:29.356+00:002011-01-28T19:05:29.356+00:00Adding to the above to clarify:
If indeed the inhe...Adding to the above to clarify:<br />If indeed the inherence made from his second sentence is that black people didn't work hard as slaves (which I think it was what he left open to be understood as such). <br />I might have misunderstood the whole thing!Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-39306813363749657002011-01-28T19:03:15.555+00:002011-01-28T19:03:15.555+00:00Anon,
you may have a point. It's not that we&...Anon,<br /><br />you may have a point. It's not that we're trying to justify him because there is any "race" common thread though, I believe it's because we have come to love the refined perfumes and what they stood for and can't accept that someone who has made us dream so much can have cruder aspects than we anticipated.<br /><br />Of course I defer to your more acute Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-10789722774178226082011-01-28T19:00:02.350+00:002011-01-28T19:00:02.350+00:00VL,
I'm always extremely cognisant of the pol...VL,<br /><br />I'm always extremely cognisant of the political aspect of any social incident. Man is not an island and there is an influence between us. To deny it is pure folly.Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-42139392232524918132011-01-28T18:58:55.247+00:002011-01-28T18:58:55.247+00:00V,
they have distanced themselves and it's na...V,<br /><br />they have distanced themselves and it's natural. I do wish they had done so if they had full knowledge of such beliefs before something like that happened, though.Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-3257498775053898742011-01-28T18:58:03.093+00:002011-01-28T18:58:03.093+00:00Brownie,
indeed they are. I wonder whether action...Brownie,<br /><br />indeed they are. I wonder whether actions should be more monitored rather than words, although words can hurt, that's for sure.Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-15243448210620612972011-01-28T18:28:36.421+00:002011-01-28T18:28:36.421+00:00Wow, there sure is a lot of white privilege and wh...Wow, there sure is a lot of white privilege and white 'explaining' going on in this post and comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-38648051587950892472010-10-22T16:56:41.980+01:002010-10-22T16:56:41.980+01:00The sad thing, it all become political, not just s...The sad thing, it all become political, not just social. But I will say that where I live we "used to say" work as a negro meaning work very hard. Really right now this is politically incorrect, so we don't hear this, just maybe in some houses when people feel at ease and know they are just saying something that doesn't mean anything bad. Black people really worked hard in timeVintage Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17360008343132814160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-34726692084497720392010-10-21T13:52:08.707+01:002010-10-21T13:52:08.707+01:00I just caught up with the official apology from Gu...I just caught up with the official apology from Guerlain on Wim Janssen's Guerlain Facebook fanpage.<br /><br />They are clearly mortified by the whole incident and furiously - and understandably - putting some "clear blue water" between JPG and the current company.Vanessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11847145282522572183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-54506548672753867752010-10-20T23:05:52.917+01:002010-10-20T23:05:52.917+01:00Racial terms are a minefield here in the U.S., so ...Racial terms are a minefield here in the U.S., so I can't really condemn the man given my country's history. One should always think before they speak though.<br /><br />This somewhat reminds me of Crystal Champagne bigwig - Frederic Rouzaud - who in an interview seemed to lament the enthusiastic African-American use of the product. After his comments were published, rappers and other Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-5452899817992082822010-10-20T12:17:56.977+01:002010-10-20T12:17:56.977+01:00Ines,
thanks for commenting! We take all opinions...Ines,<br /><br />thanks for commenting! We take all opinions here and a lively dialogue is in fact encouraged. So even if people jumped up on you, as long as they did it civilly and with logical arguments... :-)<br /><br />I agree that one can be PC and be more hurtful than otherwise. For instance to bring it perfume-circle-wise, which is worse: saying "oh, that's a lovely perfume you&#Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-75435367343867357972010-10-20T12:12:40.520+01:002010-10-20T12:12:40.520+01:00Pitbull friend,
LOL! Thanks for that!!
I also rem...Pitbull friend,<br /><br />LOL! Thanks for that!!<br />I also remember J.F.Kennedy's Berlin speech! (less "intimate" though)<br /><br />You see, sometimes the tongue slips. I think Jean Paul didn't really realise what he said till after he said it.Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-25187627791303862462010-10-20T12:11:22.127+01:002010-10-20T12:11:22.127+01:00Hello Minette!
It's true, some idioms should ...Hello Minette!<br /><br />It's true, some idioms should be retired. But it's perhaps too much to ask of papas in their 70s and 80s to do so. Let's start doing it ourselves rather (I know you and I do, I mean in general)<br /><br />As to political correctness, please see my reply to Liisa. It gets to the point when words lose their meaning. And "when words lose their meaning"Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-88510238485867504362010-10-20T12:06:53.013+01:002010-10-20T12:06:53.013+01:00Liisa,
hi there! :-)
Indeed there are colourful ...Liisa,<br /><br />hi there! :-)<br /><br />Indeed there are colourful expressions in languages and the sanitation of PC extricates that very colourfulness. Sometimes this is an exaggeration. <br /><br />As to the "children" coming into this, well, it's assumed that our kids should be protected from hearing bad words, getting bad notions into their heads etc. Theoretically this is a Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-73449300124952973162010-10-20T11:58:52.220+01:002010-10-20T11:58:52.220+01:00Bela,
you did an accurate summation of the situat...Bela,<br /><br />you did an accurate summation of the situation indeed. That is what happened.Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-82297373576692186942010-10-20T11:57:23.243+01:002010-10-20T11:57:23.243+01:00Anatole,
I realize the point of view from which y...Anatole,<br /><br />I realize the point of view from which you mention what you say. Please see my comment above to Bela. <br /><br />However, we have now ascertained that there are at least 4 different languages that have the same idiom (French Greek, Russian, Argentinian Portuguese), so if it exists, there's got to be something there. Not that what is there is justifiable, mind you!! It'Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-1230897875646719252010-10-20T11:56:35.070+01:002010-10-20T11:56:35.070+01:00I didn't want to comment yesterday because I t...I didn't want to comment yesterday because I thought this might turn into what you called people getting at your jugular (or mine for that matter for not sounding incensed enough by what JPG said). There is the same saying in Croatian about working like a ...<br />There's also a whole lot of other sayings including people of European descent that in my opinion are not meant as an offense Ineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12119611878721554991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-38756544987483768872010-10-20T11:49:32.149+01:002010-10-20T11:49:32.149+01:00Bela,
thank you for your commentary. Much appreci...Bela,<br /><br />thank you for your commentary. Much appreciated!<br /><br />As I suspected, this was the feeling I got as well. The translations surfacing on the Net have twisted the word from an (obsolete) term into an undeniable racial slur, thus skewing the blame from the second part of the quote into the first. Which is rather stupid but perhaps also cunning, as that twist does sell more Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-59695586476178460182010-10-20T11:49:09.628+01:002010-10-20T11:49:09.628+01:00Bela,
thank you for your commentary. Much appreci...Bela,<br /><br />thank you for your commentary. Much appreciated!<br /><br />As I suspected, this was the feeling I got as well. The translations surfacing on the Net have twisted the word from an (obsolete) term into an undeniable racial slur, thus skewing the blame from the second part of the quote into the first. Which is rather stupid but perhaps also cunning, as that twist does sell more Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-52839572524353250552010-10-20T11:34:15.476+01:002010-10-20T11:34:15.476+01:00Mel,
thanks for providing yet another piece of da...Mel,<br /><br />thanks for providing yet another piece of data on languages containing that idiom. <br /><br />I admit I have always failed to see the relation between a despicable attitude and a piece of artwork. I do listen to Wagner, even though he was a passionate anti-semite. In times past, when homosexuality was less accepted by the society at large, should the Italian Masters be burned at Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-5932419402822871782010-10-20T11:29:54.178+01:002010-10-20T11:29:54.178+01:00D,
you know *flashbulb lighting up over my head p...D,<br /><br />you know *flashbulb lighting up over my head prompted by your comment*, you make an interesting point. What if he did mean it that way? Although I have to say it doesn't sound too much like it, much as I'd like to think it. <br />The thing is now we'll NEVER know, because any further attempt to explain would be construed as him trying to justify what he said, thus Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-69301638784406792432010-10-20T09:05:03.881+01:002010-10-20T09:05:03.881+01:00Thank you for the level headed write up. would hop...Thank you for the level headed write up. would hope that you will have plenty of articles or such, and more! Your article helped me a lot! Thanks!jetstarvnhttp://www.vemaybayjetstar.net/dat-ve-may-bay-jetstar/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-31270653820698729302010-10-20T05:22:23.787+01:002010-10-20T05:22:23.787+01:00I have taken translation gaffes with a grain of sa...I have taken translation gaffes with a grain of salt since I was a child. President Jimmy Carter was giving a pleasant greeting to the citizens of Poland, but the audience was shocked and dismayed. Turns out that his statement that he hoped to cooperate more with the Polish people came through in translation that he hoped to have intimate relations with the Polish people! Thanks for this pitbull friendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18426744107243600553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-46015179788960115572010-10-19T22:06:02.110+01:002010-10-19T22:06:02.110+01:00my first take was "who cares?" because, ...my first take was "who cares?" because, i mean, really... is he or his comment really that important? <br /><br />idioms are idioms. they are colorful. even if some of them are outdated and ought to be retired. <br /><br />soooo tired of the politically correct police trying to sanitize everything. give it a rest. <br /><br />cheers,<br />minetteAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-87653746006815457362010-10-19T21:46:14.790+01:002010-10-19T21:46:14.790+01:00I miss the 'what about the children' trope...I miss the 'what about the children' trope in this uproar. /sarcasm<br /><br />Alrighty alright, I grew up in a white monoculture in a rather small town and somehow, my parents and teachers failed to teach me to think whatever bad stuff is popular elsewhere about foreigners, coloureds and who else. I thus constantly fail to get what.the.hell. So, what the hell? I wonder why people take Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10451092262381231105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792393342962796253.post-67957312668217974132010-10-19T12:27:16.033+01:002010-10-19T12:27:16.033+01:00I'm not sure, but I think you were responding ...I'm not sure, but I think you were responding to my comment, Anatole. I am French too, but I'm 62 and a literary translator of 35 years' standing. I am stunned you've got to the grand old age of 37 and have never heard (or even read) the expression 'travailler comme un nègre'. Anyway, it isn't that phrase that enraged the French - there is no racist slur in it; it'Belahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935284724145788208noreply@blogger.com