Cambalache Sur

“Euphemisms tend to undermine themselves. The fact that you feel in need of a euphemism shows that you have a dim view of what it refers to. And soon enough, if your distate is shared by others, the euphemism will have lost its power and all the old associations will have reattached themselves. In a country as blighted by racism as America there is always the need for yet another name for blacks. And when it comes to the place we do our number twos, everybody is always looking for the next nice way of referring to it. Many Londoners have recently adopted the American expression “bathroom,”, the old French euphemisms “toilet” and “lavatory” having lost their cleansing magic.”