It’s a hot, lazy weekend. Well, maybe not lazy; but the kind of weekend more suited to chopping blackberry canes out of the camellia bushes than to sitting at the computer.
So here are a few random ruminations that have crossed my mind while I’ve been out in the yard this weekend.
Doubleplusungoodspeak
Tolerance = bigotry
Diversity = sameness
Rights = privileges provided by the many to the few
Racism = people of pale persuasion believing they have rights, too
Freedom = the ability to intimidate and silence opponents
And we all carry around our personal telescreens to make sure we’re practicing rightspeak.
The appropriateness of f-bombs
And on the subject of rightspeak … the question comes up occasionally about whether it’s okay to drop the f-bomb in a comment here at the blog.
Despite the fact that we’re rotting our brains and degrading public discourse with over-reliance on the f-word, the short answer is yes, it’s okay to use That Word. Judiciously.
When this blog was at BHM, I’d delete any use of the f-word in comments and either wouldn’t link to cussing articles or would post an NSFW warning. That was because we were operating on the Duffys’ property. Here things are looser.
Still, when I posted a graphical funny the other day, I blacked out That Word because it seemed the courteous thing to do. I don’t want more conservative people feeling they can’t come here (or let their children come here) without finding vulgarities on the front page. In comments, it’s less problematic. Just don’t go overboard.
That said, I’ve been known — perhaps more than once or twice — to explode f-bombs around the house. Don’t tell anybody.
Post-doctor hangover
I’ve felt icky since seeing that negligent doctor Wednesday morning.
Not icky physically. But … sullied, I suppose you’d call it.
My feelings aren’t necessarily rational; but they’re my feelings. On one hand, I feel betrayed. On the other, culpable.
Betrayed because I put my trust in someone who couldn’t even be bothered to do the basics of her job when my health was at stake. Culpable because I should have seen that coming. It’s rather as if I fell for a con artist despite seeing danger signs — as if hope or greed or (in this particular case) a desire to place myself in the hands of an “expert” blinded me.
Of course, getting a reminder that authority figures are mostly not either authoritative or benevolent isn’t a bad thing.
It’s just a reminder I shouldn’t have needed. Sigh.
I kind of like to go to places where the writers don’t use F-Bombs, even though I make habitual use of that word daily in my job. When I use it, it sounds emphatic. When I hear a 20-something young lady use it, it sounds crass. Maybe I ought to put the shoe on the other foot.
Jerry Seinfeld was once asked why he didn’t use profanity in his act. He said it was because the only reason to use it was for shock value, and stand-up comedians who are constantly dropping the Bomb are not doing a good job crafting their jokes. Then he went on to demonstrate an extemporaneous joke, evolving from a simple statement, to a curious observation, to a funny commentary. No profanity was needed. His point was that the joke wouldn’t be as funny with gratuitous profanity.
The F-Bomb is too easy. Used in rare circumstances it can help drive home a point with an apathetic listener. Used too often, it is just crude. That said, I effing guarantee you I will eff this and eff that tomorrow morning when the weekly reports come out. Hopefully I can keep it in my office, door closed.
Just a note: Typofix in title: “general”
This double speak has come up in my social circle more than once, most notably with:
Antifa = Fascists (Do exactly as we say, so we can tell everyone exactly how to think and live and what is acceptable, or we will burn your cars, smash your windows, and call the police on you. Never mind how WE act, do what we tell you!)
Liberal = extremely controlling and divisive political group that wants to take away everyone’s rights and money for the safety of the lowest common denominator. Formerly civil rights activists, but no more.
Conservative = extremely controlling and divisive political group that wants to take away everyone’s rights and money to advance big business and hope it pays us back in the form of better jobs and benefits. Formerly Bill of Rights supporters, but now busy with agendas.
Typo fixed — thank you, ~Qjay. And good (sad) additions to the newspeak dictionary.
And Ron Johnson — You (and Jerry Seinfeld) hit it exactly. The occasional f-bomb for shock value is one thing. When the word starts turning up routinely in articles or conversation, it’s intellectual laziness + cultural rot.
When to use the f-bomb? I just use it like a comma.
Claire, do you cover Ava’s ears before you explode the F-bomb?
As one commenter said last year, “my favorite quote for this subject is from Jack London’s ‘Goboto Night.'”
“A good curse, rightly used and rarely, is an efficient thing. Too many curses spoil the cursing. Note: A curse cannot change a card sequence nor cause the wind to blow.”
From “Scientific American” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-we-swear/ via Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/5hx6df/til_saying_curse_words_when_youre_in_pain/
Overuse of the F-word devalues it to the level of “uh,” “okay,” “like,” and so forth. As in “Like it’s time to like start like a revolution and like do away with like corporations and profit.”
Occupy _____ = People who can tell you everything there is to know about how to run the world, but can’t manage a decent campsite.
I have noticed that physicians, particularly newer ones, have difficulty articulating the “I don’t know what’s wrong” answer.
Whoooo hoo … We get to curse? … shiny! … bombs away!
At the emergency food pantry where I volunteered for the last 25 years, we volunteers are almost all “older” women and you’d be surprised how often the F-bomb turns up in one form or another. And it’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes a situation requires a resounding Effin- A! 😉
“Claire, do you cover Ava’s ears before you explode the F-bomb?”
LOL. Given that she’s nearly 90 in dog years, I figure she’s old enough to handle it. (But really, she’s such a sensitive little thing, I probably should either cover her ears or profusely apologize with treats afterward.)
I was watching Joe Rogan,great interviewer.But then he drops a bomb here,an excrement there and my opinion of him dropped thru the floor.Im thru with him.I was taught that using expletives was just a sign of ignorance.
OK,I do use them at times,I slip,but I watch my mouth,especially when Im out of the house.
Any comedian who has to fall back on that,I have no use for.Use it as general conversation,every sentence, I dont want you around.Sorry,its rude,crude,crass,no manners at all and disrespectful.Not welcome in my life.
One man’s opinion on the subject. https://markmanson.net/potty-mouth?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=social-posts&utm_medium=social&utm_content=2018-03-08
Somehow, “sensitive little thing” and “Ava” just don’t seem to go together.
People with intelligent, talkative parrots either learn NOT to drop the F-bomb (or Carlin’s other Big Six, for that matter), or suffer a bird that sounds like a belligerent teenager forever.
I read a fascinating article years ago that describes why, and makes the point. When normal people curse (“OWwww! F…! Smashed my thumb with the hammer!!!!”) it’s usually done for drama, exclamation, sometimes surprise. Just the kind of thing that makes a VERY dramatic impression on a studious parrot. Turns out that the article referenced common linguistic clues among curses in almost every human language. They have fricatives, staccato sounds, with hard consonants, often monosyllables, and start with sounds like “f”, “sh”, “p”, etc, and often end with t’s or k’s, and so on.
Parrots (like humans) find such sounds fascinating, and MUCH more fun to practice, than other less dramatic-sounding words. And they often get great reactions, too.
Our African Grey, Gizmo (now in his upper-20’s) has only said the F-word briefly, and that turns out to have been a mistake, long since corrected. (Another story). On the few occasions he’s been treated to a bombing run, we’ve learned to try to “de-emphasize” the drama reward…
If I cuss, you’d better be running.
There are ways of saying things that the word ain’t what’s important but how you are using that word too. Not to say that there are words out there that are best avoided.
In my own personal speech the F bomb is rarely used except within my ears and then it is sometimes in a positive way too.
But my plead is guilty to linking to it being used, and the delete G*D if needed is understandable. For example it is hard to find anything John Mosby writes that doesn’t have a fair spattering of F bombs but his insights are valuable IMHO.
Also the stoic in me tries to find a good lesson out of anything that is bad that I am involved in.