In defense of profanity.
Many folks have huge issues with profanity on this site. I’ve witnessed comments - some on my posts, some on others - that discredit a post purely based on some of the language used. In fact, on Daily Kos I contemplated titling my post “Sarah Palin is a filthy, lying bitch” with that exact title (did it here). I thought the title, and my description of why I made that kind of statement, are part of the discussion. Didn’t do it because of the PC nature of that site. I felt bad about having to make that choice. I think the post explained in fairly clear terms why I would call her that. Most seemed to “get” that.
Here’s my feeling about all this. Cursing has it’s place. It has a raw emotion to it. It can sometimes wake up a reader at the very point they need it to. It’s not always used for lack of a better vocabulary or unnecessary shock value. Sometimes that shock value is absolutely necessary. While I appreciate the argument that cursing devalues your message - and I understand that many people cannot get past it when reading a post (and, as a consequence, disregards your post), I still feel it is a similar discussion as the one’s people had when debating whether showing simulated sex in movies or extreme violence enhanced or detracted from certain movies. I think it depends completely on the subject and the message - and the openness one has in giving it consideration.
Profanity, at least in my case, can denote a certain trust or lack thereof. I’ve lived in New York and Los Angeles. People in New York curse more. I trust the folks in LA less. When someone tells me to go fuck myself, I know where I stand with them. When they say “have a nice day” and tell others to fuck me over, I’ll give that less credence.
Words. William F. Buckley used words like “dithyrambic” and “tergiversation” to describe the actions of other writers or those debating him. I always thought to myself he could gain more ground by saying something more gutteral, such as “You don’t have a fucking clue what you’re talking about.” It’s not that I didn’t understand him, or felt that he was not expressing himself truthfully - I just felt that his arguments could have benefitted now and again by a display of raw emotion that curse words provide. It’s okay if some members of the audience are offended. Maybe they should be.
It really comes down to Freedom and Truth - the freedom for a writer to say whatever it is he wants to say, be it loving, hateful, smart or stupid - and the truth to not pussy-foot around what it is he’s trying to say with language that cloaks it. While I may not agree with a typical hate-filled rant, I am reminded of the value of freedom of speech and how recently we’ve had people in office who didn’t attach the same value I did to it. When I see a writer curse, I don’t ask whether the word offends me but whether it’s “supposed” to offend me and if it fits the discussion. A poster named The Eyewitness Muse had a recent article titled “f*ck, f*ck, F*ck.” Many posted about their distaste of the title. I read the article and found it to be completely justified. It was about the emotion and frustration he was feeling in firing an employee. Should he have censored himself and titled it something like “Oh, Beans!”? Don’t think so. Others might disagree. Doesn’t mean they’re right.
Sometimes it’s necessary to curse. When I refer to George Bush and Dick Cheney as “pieces of shit” it is justified. They are murderers. Someone needs to get angry about that and say something that resonates. Words have power. Curse words, used skillfully (and sometimes not so skillfully), have extraordinary power.
John Boehner, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are “scumbags.” Sarah Palin is “gutter trash”. Those who spew racism are “human garbage.” Michelle Bachmann is a “bitch” and Richard Shelby is a “prick.” Granted, some of these people give speeches and rants that might not use profanity (well, with the exception of Boehner), but their rhetoric is hurtful, divisive, ugly, and many times racist - hidden under the cloak of a smile and a few “kind” words.
Personally, I’d rather they tell me to go fuck myself. At least I’d know where I stand.
