11 March 2008

The Art of the Insult

This story came to me today from our Latin teacher.

The Latin teacher was putting phrases on the board. You know, normal stuff like:

“The sky is blue.”

“I am thirsty.”

“Take a left at the next street corner.”

Actually, I don’t know if those were the exact phrases, but it’s a high school Latin class, so we’re not talking about advanced things, here.

A student — not the most engaged child, sort of a trouble maker — calls the instructor over to his desk.

Student: Will you tell me how to say something in Latin?

Teacher (shocked at the show of interest): Sure.

Student: Your father is making sex with many women in a cave.

What teenager would say that? I know better than to think this kid has been brushing-up on his Shakespearean insults. And what teenager would want to be able to say it in Latin? It’s not like any of his companions would understand him.

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