tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post44018430323827750..comments2024-03-27T03:19:11.216-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: ParanoiaAssistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-11737432021864736512019-12-01T10:20:48.007-05:002019-12-01T10:20:48.007-05:00Once in central Asia I had a Russian translator, s...Once in central Asia I had a Russian translator, spoke very good English but was still trying to wrap his head around the finer points of idiom. He had been trained in the Moscow Language Institute, which was the cover business for training Soviet spies; He had been through most of the program when Glasnost hit and ruined his prospective career. Anyway, of course all Soviets are paranoid from birth as a survival mechanism. One day in the course of business an observation about paranoia was made and I rolled out the old chestnut: "You know, Alex, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that somebody isn't actually out to get you". I could see him rolling that around trying to sort out the syntax for about 45 seconds before he finally got it and let out a true, hearty Russian guffaw. It was a very satisfying moment, seeing humor make its way past repression.Aggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11089648434324058300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-91168639782859907682019-11-27T18:30:50.168-05:002019-11-27T18:30:50.168-05:00Fish don't know other fish are wet, either.Fish don't know other fish are wet, either.Christopher Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00396671757183163171noreply@blogger.com