People living with their bodies and people living with their mouths (quote)

Kim Gyuhang is a writer and social commentator, whose blog often has interesting stuff. In a recent post he records a following conversation with a person from "culture circles." – With whom do you usually spend your time? – With neighborhood friends. – Neighborhood friends? – Yes. – What kind of people are they? – Just neighborhood people. Company guys, self-employed, their wives, children. – What do you do together? – We just have a good time. Go to mountains, ride a bike, have some drinks. – Do you spend any time with writers or culture people? – No. – You sound quite firm on that. – I've been a writer since '98, and I've spent time with those people as well. But hardly any more. – Is there a special reason? – They are boring. You know for example "Peacemaking" (평화만들기). – Yes, many intellectuals and artists gather there. – They are people who say they'll do everything. I went there a couple of times, but the atmosphere was really strange. – So? – They come together every night and act like they were running the whole country. Activists with an elite consciousness. Really strange atmosphere. - Oh I see. – Seems there are people living with their bodies and people living with their mouths. – So your neighborhood friends live with their bodies? – They are not without their faults but at least they don't live with their mouths. – What do you talk about together? – Just about life. This and that about life, joking. – You may say so, but don't you feel intellectual thirst among them? – I don't think so. Like Jesus said, intellect is being able to express oneself in the most understandable language. – Do they know who you are? – They mostly know. I wouldn't tell them at first, but it didn't go that way. – Isn't there any uneasiness for their part? – No, I don't think so. They sometimes tease that I'm dull-witted. – Don't they often find your talk difficult to understand? – I don't use difficult language. Someone saw a newspaper interview on me and said that Gyuhang doesn't use these kind of difficult words with us. – Oh, that's interesting. – We just laughed about that. – So do you explain the difficult words for them? – No, we don't talk about theories and principles. Except when some men are too authoritarian towards their wives. – Do you get mad at them? – Mad as hell. – Do they correct their manners? – Little by little. It's because they haven't given a thought about this. – Anything other? – During the last election we talked a bit about progressives and conservatives. – Did they understand? – Sure. They are 100 times better than the nightmouths (밤의 주둥아리). – Who are the nightmouths? – Netizens. (Laugh) 김규항씨의 말로 입으로 사는 사람들보다 몸으로 사는 사람을 많이 사귀었기 때문에 공감이 잘 되는 글이다. 근데 내가 아는 "몸으로 산다"고 할 수 있는 동네사람들이 입으로도 상당히 살고 있다. 아니, 동네살이 그 자체가 입으로 살아야 한다고 할 수도 있다. 그리고 내 연구목적인 동네장사가 "말하는 장사"의 원형일 것이다. Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang: blogging ∙ socialcategories