French author and musician Boris Vian wrote an anti-war song in 1954 against the First Indochina War. The song takes the form of a letter from a draftee to the president, explaining his reasons for deserting. Although it was initially criticized as an anti-patriotic song and banned by the French national radio committee for 8 […]
In the almost two months since the shocking murder of Japan’s former Prime Minister Abe by Yamagami Tetsuya (山上徹也), controversies continue to arise. Although many are saddened by Abe’s death, sympathy for Yamagami has emerged in both mainstream and social media. Initially, Japanese media’s reports were filled with very ambiguous expressions and generated more questions […]
The shocking news of former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo’s (安倍晋三) assassination just recently broke. Since gun violence is so rare in Japan, and usually associated with the yazuka, this is particularly stunning for the Japanese people. It wasn’t until I lived in the US had I ever even heard any gun shootings, as I had spent […]
The recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs Wade stunned many people around the world, including the French. For French people, the US is an important model for fundamental rights (as written in the linked article: “Les États-Unis ont un poids important comme modèle de défense des droits fondamentaux.”). The shockwave of this decision inspired several […]
🔹If you are interested in getting my latest linguistic gems, please consider becoming a subscriber here: https://www.patreon.com/join/yukikeiser It’s fascinating how languages evolve overtime, directly reflecting major social and cultural changes. The most recent phenomenon that has caught my attention is the word “actress” in English becoming outdated, and often replaced by “actor” as people are starting […]
As you may know, France is going to elect their new president this Sunday. Like five years ago, the final candidates are Emmanuel Macron, the current president, and Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right party Rassemblement National (RN – National Rally). It is the third time that a far-right leader is in the […]
In your studies, you may have noticed how many English words tare used in Japanese and in French. French often uses English words for business/marketing and internet related terms. For example, we use the English words “brainstorming,” “data,” “startup,” “follower,” “like,” in French. This phenomenon has been reinforced over the last decade via the social media […]
As the whole of Europe is gripped within the anxiety of a potential nuclear war on their continent, Swiss people have been talking a lot about bunkers lately. Yes, bunkers! I am as surprised as you – although I was raised in Switzerland, I had completely forgotten about them. Since the 1960’s, each Swiss citizen […]
🇺🇸 Today, I’d like to post two excerpts of French classic authors of the 18th and 19th centuries, denouncing the horror and the absurdity of war. 📚« Tant que le caprice de quelques hommes fera loyalement égorger des milliers de nos frères, la partie du genre humain consacrée à l’héroïsme sera ce qu’il y a de […]
Today, I’d like to talk about a political interview that recently went viral in France. Gérald Darmanin, the current French Minister of the Interior (equivalent to the Secretary of Homeland Security in the US) was interviewed by journalist Apolline de Malherbe, which became heated when a sexist comment was made. First, it is important to […]