Four gathered up

Minister Parlon has described as “four villainous riffraff” the youths who caused disturbances during the strike.

Four riffraff. I love it, it’s perfect. The four, in this phrase, as in others, indicates a not very large number of elements. We eat four almonds or do four numbers. And riffraff is hilarious. They are some people who were found who knows where. To gather is not to harvest. There is a wine in the Pla de Bages, from the Grau i Grau winery, called Four Riffraff, and the program by Rosa Boladeras, Oriol Grau, and David Fernández, on TV3, was also called that. And there is a human tower group at the University of Barcelona that is also called that. You speak of four riffraff to explain that those who were in a place are not of quality, they are not active subjects.

Núria Parlon is from Santa Coloma, one of the first places in Catalonia where linguistic immersion was implemented. The uninhibited, natural, lively, and firm way in which she used the phrase shows me that she doesn’t beat around the bush (to put it in her style) and that she doesn’t intend to be likable, but rather to be forceful. In these linguistic times we are living in, Minister Parlon’s words are worth making t-shirts and mugs out of. I am sorry, but sometimes I secretly wish there would be a bit of a scuffle because I get excited to see Minister Parlon come out to deliver a beating, always verbal ones.