Thursday, February 16, 2006

In Defense of Swearing

(Note: This particular blog is extremely preachy. Please understand, up front, that I am fully aware that I know hardly anything and hold only a meaningless degree in an unemployable field. I already regret having written it and promise there will be no more of these in the future.)

Swearing is an important part of social interaction.

Swearing indicates a sense of less-formal, more honest and trustworthy communication.

Swearing says, "listen, now that all those fucking assholes we don't really know are out of the room, we can talk for real."

This basic social assumption is the reason George Bush referred to a reporter as a "major league asshole" to his then running-mate Dick Cheney in the early stages of the 2000 election, but only when he thought no one was listening.

It is the reason Richard Nixon's "shocking" Oval Office tapes, are, in truth, anything but.

It's the reason we laugh when we watch a South Park episode with 100 swear words in it, because we appreciate that they have cut through the ridiculous public filter that envelopes most mainstream media.

Without swearing, there would be no way for a father to tell his son that they are now speaking as men.

Without swearing, there would be no truthful way to describe the sexual indiscretions of America's 42nd President.

Without swearing, there is no way to emphasize importance, exhibit discontent, reveal irony, or fight back with verbal strength.

Without swearing, we are adrift in a sea of politeness, never sure if we are on firm enough ground to admit all sides of our uniquely human personality.

"Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain" sounds, to me, a lot more like, "I will not utilize God's name in order to propagate my own desires (i.e. to mobilize voters in order to win an election; to morally shame others and raise my community standing or make myself feel better; to extract money and/or power from an unsuspecting mass of followers).

I doubt seriously that this commandmant had much to do with a bunch of words that didn't even exist when it was written.

As for people who long for a more innocent time, in a more innocent America, where language was "clean" and values were strong...that time, if it ever existed, is over.

So fucking deal with it.

6 Comments:

At 4:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i liked this entry, keep it up

 
At 7:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Skeet skeet skeet

 
At 4:26 PM, Blogger j a k e said...

I like your style, dude. Just one thing...D'ya have to use s'many cuss words?

 
At 2:00 AM, Blogger Todd said...

What the fuck are you talkin' about?

 
At 6:24 AM, Blogger SMangat said...

what about words like 'dildohead' and 'dicksmoke'? are they cusswords?

 
At 3:39 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say good work, Toady.
Keep it up, or I'll cut off your johnson.

"I fucks you in the ass! I fucks you!"
-Nihilist #3

 

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