1. Another falsified account of Sarkozy's latest insult
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The "Don't dirty me" only came after a first much harder aggression from Sarkozy. Facts:

- Sarkozy reaches for the man's hand to shake
- Man: "Don't Touch me!" (using "Tu")
- S: "flake off, then" (again with "Tu", and with surprising calm given the offensive words)
- M: "You dirty me" (again with "Tu")
- S: "flake off, then, poor ****" (again with "Tu", adding this time a very offensive insult, hard to translate in English, and replaced with "****" by Yahoo - yet still with unbelievable apparent calm)

Notes:

1. "Tutoying", i.e. using "Tu", while correct to anyone, and common in certain circles, is a bit too familiar, particularly when to high persons; excepted to Sarkozy, who is known for publicly saying "Tu" to unknown persons, which in France amounts to a permanent invitation to say "Tu" in turn.
2. "casse toi" is very offensive, and even among the most uneducated young people, would be received as a provocation to fight.
3. "pauvre con", offensive slang for "poor vagina", is even worse, by far; it is a very rude and offensive insult (felt at least like offending one's mother), even between ordinary persons. Anyone saying that to any sort of person in any circumstances and after any precedent would expect being hit with fist - or even with knife from certain people. Most people never said this once in their whole life.

Everyone in France, despite being already accustomed to Sarkozy "tutoying" people without their permission and insulting his employees, is deeply shocked by this behavior. Only mercenaries sent in mission by the power in place could pretend otherwise - and unfortunately they are numerous, yet they remain a tiny minority facing the overwhelming number of people of all ages, politics, religions, races, who usually keeping silent, today come on forums to refuse such behavior. Saying such insults with so much apparent calm and intertwined with "Thanks" denotes deep and trained duplicity.

Versailles, Mon 25 Feb 2008 17:16:20 +0100
Published by 1 Michel Merlin - 2008/02/25 05:12:01 pm

2. Sorry Michel, but "pauvre con" does NOT translate as what you said.
It simply means what was said before: jerk/a**hole.
Published by 1 Nina - 2008/02/26 10:16:30 pm

3. "Saying such insults with so much apparent calm and intertwined with "Thanks" denotes deep and trained duplicity." - Michel

What rubbish. It was an appropriate response to a guy who had joined the throng specifically so as to refuse to shake Sarkozy's hand. You think a good man would lose his temper?
Published by 1 Dom - 2008/02/27 03:35:18 am

4. Babelfish translates
"Casse-toi alors, pauvre con"
as
"Break then, poor idiot"
In English it would probably have been said as:
"Then get out of here moron." Which is pretty close to a Bushism. Hmmm, I'm surprised they don't get along better.
Published by 1 Dave - 2008/02/27 02:58:53 pm

5. Horrible translation.

If you want to boil the idea down to english terms, it essentially meant 'Get the hell out of here you moron'. I guess you could take it up another notch and say 'fucking moron', but you get the same idea. It does NOT mean vagina, jerk or asshole. 'con' is a term that means retarded/moron/idiot/not bright.

Either way, this is a president that just told a guy to fuck off if he doesn't want to shake his hand.

Best.President.Ever.
Published by 1 Michel - 2008/02/27 08:09:34 pm

6. allright, Michel Merlin is right when he says "tu" is a familiar way to adress someone. usually employed with friends, relatives, or younger people. the polite way to talk to a stranger would be "vous" but that's something else. on the other hand, "casse toi" means "get lost" or "take a hike", while "pauvre" does mean poor, but not when used with "con". "con" can be translated to vagina, but it's rare to use that word having this meaning in mind. it's very close to idiot, stupid, not intelligent, moron,...when "pauvre" is used with "con" it simply amplifies its meaning. I guess Dave was the closest to the "truth".
Published by 1 Xavier - 2008/02/28 10:45:59 pm

7. Sarkozy insulted a citizen, not the other way!
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The main purpose of the quibbles above seem to overshadow what I said, and which I maintain entirely and precise further below, i.e. the top of this page is a biased account:

Account: « using an expletive »
Correction: "casse toi" and "pauvre con" are not "expletive", they are INSULTS

A: « after a man in the crowd at a Paris agricultural fair told Sarkozy not to touch him...
...the unidentified man told Sarkozy not to touch him while the president was working a crowd,... »
C: This doesn't match some verbal television reports, from which it seems that the man did NOT tell Sarkozy "not to touch him" until AFTER Sarkozy TRIED TO SHAKE HIS HAND; OTOH the above report seems more coherent with what we can see on the video. Anyway the eventual difference here would be benign.

A: « and accused Sarkozy of "making me dirty". »
C: the man did NOT say that until AFTER Sarkozy INSULTED him with "Casse toi".

So the inaccuracies #1 and #3 are so bad that they can't be inadvertent, and make the account a falsified one. The #2 is most probably accurate, else benign; the rest of the account is accurate.

Bacl to context, people are accustomed now to Sarkozy, with his everyday aggression of people (particularly his high employees), his everyday unwarranted promises, and his frequent twisting of facts. But they also know his dynamism and his apparent (and somewhat credible) intent to do well for the people. Should he present his excuses to this man and to the People, he could gain their hearts.

Unfortunately he did the opposite: on Mon 25 Feb, 2 days after the clash, Sarkozy received 8 citizens in a highly publicized interview, and repeated his lies and insults and the medias' relaying of them, saying "It's hard, even when you are president, to not reply to an insult, I must have the shortcomings of my qualities. Being the president doesn't make you someone on whom one can wipe feet". Openly lying that bad in ridiculous tries to grow his own image is typical of a dictator.

So for now I think most people (as me) are at the same time 1. afraid of the exaggerated importance Sarkozy and the medias allow to superficial "events" (either good, or bad as this one); 2. getting an even lower opinion of Sarkozy (which is already at a historical low); 3. yet keeping some hope that, being so full of energy and well-willing, he can realize what he is doing, recover, focus more strongly on what is important, and pursue what he promised.

Versailles, Thu 28 Feb 2008 23:12:15 +0100
Published by 1 Michel Merlin - 2008/02/28 11:07:54 pm

8. The chronological account given by M Merlin seems definitely to be the correct one.
I spent some time watching the video from leparisien (which as far as I can see is the only one, being spread everywhere) and I still don't grasp what is happening. If the man, whom Sarkozy hardly even has to pass, says "don't touch me", why does Sarkozy _after that_ really turn - almost backwards - to him, saying "casse-toi alors"? I tried to hear anything else but I still haven't managed.
After "you make me dirty", Sarkozy, in his apparent calm, seems to stotter a bit "casse casse-toi alors, pauv' con" and it is there that I'm still not sure if that's what he was saying - just because it doesn't make sense, because it is so incredible (and maybe because I think I hear an 'sh' sound which is not present in "casse-toi"). The whole event is so strange.
But given that Sarkozy looks a bit different afterwards (on trying to conceal having been disturbed) and the fact that he at least didn't deny having said these words, I guess it was subtitled presque correctly.
Published by 1 Erik B - 2008/02/29 08:20:48 am

9. please can you said one of your good pieces of storys
because your one sound really good
Published by 1 charley - 2008/02/29 10:48:18 am

10. It is a disgrace for a French president de la Republique to use such an abusive language. He behaves like a child and is totally unable to control his temper. What a shame for France! Chirac, come back!
Published by 1 Couvreur Jean-Louis - 2008/07/14 12:49:07 pm