The Language of Corruption, from Cash for Soup to Nokia Box
A protester in Nairobi displays a modified Kenyan 1,000 Shilling note ($12) imprinted with an image of a pig to depict what he says is greed in lawmakers for demanding a pay raise. Kenyan MPs voted to increase their salaries to 130 times the minimum wage,
Turks call bribes, “cash for soup.” Chinese call them “tokens of gratitude.” Afghans call them, “money for tea.” From one tongue to the next, the language of corruption is strikingly similar in its soothing, euphemistic power.
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