Cross-diplomatic wit failures reveal perceived hierarchies of refinement

Evidence

When they parted, Dhu’l-Fikar observed to his cronies: “He talked to me in fancy language, but I answered him back in plain Turkish.” The Indian, says Naima, was heard to say to his companions, as he left Dhu’l- Fikar’s house: “Glory be to God, who created an ox in the form of a man.” — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 611

Categorization

• CANDY: The ‘created an ox in the form of a man’ insult is a light, elevator-conversation-worthy anecdote illustrating how the Indian envoy perceived Ottoman cultural standing.
• XREF: connects to: Structure and agency interpenetrate through every discursive exchange. — Mary Bucholtz and Kira Hall, Identity and Interaction: A…, 117; Divergent belief systems across cultures cause misunderstanding that reduces cooperation — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 721; Taken-for-granted language reproduces value hierarchies and centric thinking — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 124 (+4 more)
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Structure and agency interpenetrate through every discursive exchange. — Mary Bucholtz and Kira Hall, Identity and Interaction: A…, 117; Divergent belief systems across cultures cause misunderstanding that reduces cooperation — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 721; Taken-for-granted language reproduces value hierarchies and centric thinking — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 124 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Cultural outcomes within Relation are unpredictable and resist fixed hierarchy #complicates (0.74) — Édouard Glissant, Poetics of Relation, 827