Ruminations on the Response

You ever notice that "cuss words" (as my friend from Mississippi would say) in foreign languages always seem so much more colorful than those in English? Just this morning, as I was sitting on my front Lanai, enjoying the sunlight and the greenery, as well as recovering from my late night reading, I started thinking about the Smithsonian response. For some reason, the word comemierda came to mind. Translated literally, it means "shit-eater." It is a word with great versatility.

When your friend who works at the local convenience store shows up in her brand new Lexus, you can say "Que comemierda." In this instance it denotes a certain pretentiousness. Here's where Mom would say "comen harina y escupen pollo," or they eat corn grits and burp chicken. The same can be said of people who include their degrees on a signature in order to establish intellectual superiority and avoid listening to people who might have a point.

The word can also describe someone who lets his or herself be duped. Your other friend whose husband has been cheating on her for years can be classified as "una pobre comemierda." If she is a particularly self-effacing dupe, you can better describe her as "una pobre comemierdita." So if someone allows themselves or their institution to be used by unscrupulous propaganda brokers, the same descriptor could apply.

The little old codger stopped in front of you at the light who seems to be waiting for a color other than green "esta comiendo mierda," as is someone who parrots shibboleths instead of engaging in meaningful self-scrutiny.

I think you get the idea. What all variations of the word have in common is stupidity. It can be laced with pretentiousness, or gullibility, or misfiring neurons, but in the end es comer mierda.
I may be touchy, but I found the response more insulting than the original offense, which could have been the result of ignorance.