A reader takes issue with me on my analysis of Georgian Chess Moves:

All these moves and counter moves are more or less based on the stupid theories inside the textbooks of International Relations and Political Science. There is no deep knowledge in these textbooks, just insipid informations and postulates.

Real understanding of nations comes from understanding the codes inside individual nations, that more or less design national culture and passions, that trigger emotional content and all systems, including, political, administrative and social…

Something in that. Over-formalising international relations behaviour in terms of abstract game theory and mathematical formulae which characterise a lot of US foreign policy analysis (much easier to do all that than actually go and find out what makes people tick) does not get us far.

On the other hand, national cultures and passions still have to be expressed in terms of specific demands, one way or the other. Which does boil down to good or not-so-good moves leading to gains (or losses) over time.

I think what what lies behind the original comment is this sort of fascinating analysis on how hierarchical assumptions built deep into language affect behaviour including how we tackle women’s rights questions:

So, women are kept at a lower level in social functioning in the language. They do feel it, but then not many find a way out of it. The husband addresses her as Nee in South Indian language, and she is an Aval. This is taken up by many others and they also use it on her.

At the same time, if she were to move around in social areas, where her husband is also functioning, her husband can get heartburns. For one thing, he himself is not always in the higher indicant word level in the open society. Even though, he can be a Chettan, or annanor Ji, Ningal, Aap, Adheham, Avar etc. inside the household, in the open society, he can very well be a Nee, Avan, etc.

If his wife functions in a social area, where he is thus addressed, she will within no time lose her respect for him (in most cases). It can be a sort of erasing of aura for the husband, and he may even find it difficult to get his wife to accommodate him adequately in sexual activities…

Eeek.

See also how well English does, for its largely ‘neutral’ unassuming way in which people talk to each other.