Let's talk about naughty words, shall we? Since my readership is primarily Mormon, I'll keep the ones you won't find in the Bible out of this post (just don't click my links, kai?).
I know I'd sound like a bit of an ass if I said I've freed myself from feeling offense at naughty words, but. . . for most purposes I have. This is not to imply that I'm somehow superior to people who do not use or voluntarily listen to whatever words our culture has decided to call naughty. It's just that these words do not affect my spirit in the way that viewing gratuitous sex, violence toward women, or even passive aggressive meanness does. And what may be garbage to you is sometimes treasure to me. For example:
When Eddie Izzard swears, it's delightful punctuation to his hilarious comedy.
When Colin Firth, playing the King drops the "F" word without stuttering, it's inspiring AND giggle-worthy.
When Sassy Gay Friend calls Juliet a "Stupid B----" it's affectionate.
When Lily Allen sings "F--- you very, very much" it's cheeky liberation from people who are jerks.
The fact that the bad word taboo is so tied to being an American in this century makes the morality a moot point to me. I think people get worried because bad words are often used to be bad as in mean to other people. This is all just context surrounding the word, not the word itself. That's why "Screw you" is usually unkind and "Screw me" can be very nice (assuming it's from the lips of someone you want to engage in marital congress with and not from someone harassing you in the workplace). Like most things in life, it's all about how you use it.
For whatever cultural reason, these words do have a certain power, so cautious use of them is wise. And while I do not believe any word is inherently evil, I do think that in certain contexts, some words may be inappropriate. Most of the time it goes to being polite.
Don't say "bomb" on an airplane.
Don't say the "whore" in front of a pack of children. Same idea.
But I'm very comfortable with my stance on swearing. It allows me to read David Sedaris uncensored and watch Planes Trains and Automobiles without fast forwarding through the the car rental scene. It allows me to mutter profanities when I stub my toe without the least bit of guilt...unless there happens to be a pack of sunbeams around.
4 comments:
The F word? Fornication?
Way to link for every example. It really lends some vulgar credibility.
I watch so many movies with little to no regard for their ratings, as I find the MPAA to be a deplorable organization that serves little purpose besides reminding parents that they should plop their first graders in front of the TV and let them watch just any random movie. For adults, either you're grown up enough for the film... or you're not. If it gets to be too much, you can walk out, turn it off, etc. A 5-letter ratings system cannot do much for you EXCEPT make you miss movies that are well worth you're time because you might hear the "F" word more than once. Ahem.
As for me personally, I try to not use the harsher words like F*** and C**T, because, well... they're not generally acceptable in most professional or social settings. It doesn't mean I don't laugh when, say, Larry David says them on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but I'm not Larry David. I couldn't be THAT mean to people on a consistent basis.
But, as for the Biblical words, those don't bother me in the slightest... hearing them or saying them.
I'm always amused when Mormons say "What the H!" literally pronouncing the letter "H" instead of saying "Hell." Someone in our ward posted on Facebook that he was at a All American Rejects concert and that they did a great version of "Give You Hell," except he wrote "Give you H."
I usually save SH*T for those moments when I am frustrated, scared, or otherwise acting on instinct. I find that there's more power to a word when you're not spewing it every 5 seconds... hence, when I was a kid, my mom only said SH*T when she was REALLY pissed at us or something/someone else.
Beyond that... the only word that really offends me is when someone says something is "gay," when they mean "stupid." Gay can mean a lot of things... but unless something like a movie/book/shirt/car/etc is LITERALLY about homosexuality or the not-living item itself enjoys having sex with other non-living item of the same gender(?)... it's not gay, even if you say it is because you're too dumb to use a word like "stupid" and/or a 12-year-old boy. /rant
But... back to swearing. Does it bother me? Sometimes. All the time? No. Am I some kind of holy man who never swears?. Hell no. Do I think that one should practice restraint in some/many situations rather than rattling off a string of profanities? F**K yes. ;)
I like people who recognize the value of a good swear. I tire of those for whom the only manner in which they can communicate is by profuse employment of f-words.
I heard someone say, "What the H?" No, really. They articulated the letter "H." It was very puzzling to me. Even "What the heck?" is less ridiculous.
Good post,good thoughts. I'm pretty much entirely in agreement.
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