Thursday, May 28, 2009

One for Diplomacy*



WOW:

http://b.static.ak.fbcdn.net/swf/mvp.swf?8%3A152716%3A1&v=84510643574&ev=0

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I just returned from a whirlwind tour of Japan. By all standards, it was a great success.

At the very last after-event dinner, I made the statement "Corporate Television is crap." My dutiful translator needed to know, "What is this crap?" I had him explain the origin of the word being the root of inventor Thomas Krapper, designer of the water toilet as we know it today. (But I'll take a TOTO any day.) I asked the five gentlemen present, "What goes in the Krapper? Crap." One asked, "Is it like shit?" I explained you may say crap to your grandmother, but not shit. They all nodded in understanding.

I picked up a bean from one of the many dishes on the table. I held it up and asked my translator to interpret and have these men to repeat after me. "Beans, beans, the musical fruit... (they sounded it out in Japanese)... "The more you eat them, the more you toot... (Again, with quizzical looks). "Mr. Wesley-san, what is this toot?" I gave them a visual, audio and olfactory. They laughed til they busted a gut.

A bit later, as I got up to relieve some beer pressure I said, "I gotta take a pee." "What is this pee?" I wiggled my finger by my groin and again the laughter began again.

As I returned, my trusty translator had his small laptop out and was entering these new words to his Japanese/English database. He said to me, "We have many international guests. I have escorted many American guest. Never before has anyone taught me Fart, Crap and Pee." We all had another great laugh.

I'm a natural diplomat at heart.

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