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Russia
Pravda: Cursing leaders
2004-08-21
Posted to web on
08/19/2004 22:33
Professor of linguistics Tatiana Akhmetova on the role of cursing in Russian politics and culture: "I can call many names of the people from the cultural elite of the past and the present who curse much", says professor of linguistics Tatiana Akhmetova who has been studying Russian cursing words all her life.
A noble pursuit, indeed. And a lifetime study, I might add...
..."In the Party circles, a little cursing was considered quite decent and democratic conduct. Lenin called Leo Trotsky in his absence "a whore" and "a prostitute", and he called Molotov "stone ass". Stalin was not ashamed to write his instructions in cursing words, although he had female employees in his office. He used to sing cursing couplets at the Kremlin parties. Khrushchev became notorious with his calling artists "bung humpers sodomites".

Leonid Brezhnev was cursing much when he was hunting. Among Brezhnev"s companions, cursing was common, and only Suslov, Gromyko and Andropov never cursed. Surprisingly, subtle Mikhail Gorbachev cursed quite well. However, he cursed in public only twice: the first time, when he allegedly called the plotters of the failed August 1991 coup "dicks penises", and the second time - when he promised to explain after the coup "who is dork penis".
Posted by:Mark Espinola

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