Skip to main content

“Swear Words” are Bullsh*t

One of the most common yet least permitted languages is constituted of swear words. Children are scolded, women are judged, and less wealthy users are labeled as unrefined for swearing. Why? Do we not hold distinct visions of wealthy businessmen yelling and cursing at business constituents through the phone? One of the few exceptions for such crude language is reserved for the rich, powerful, white man. Yet of all people, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a black woman, gets away with describing a "friend who you don't need to explain sh*t to" powerfully. In a novel? How unprofessional.

As a true curious soul, I would like to analyze and discuss the flaws and inconsistencies of the taboo on swearing. (What, for me? A sixteen-year-old Asian female? Don't worry, I am not making this point to justify starting swearing; I would never.)

To break it down, most swear words belong in three main categories: excretion (sh*t/a**hole), deity (oh my god), and sexually based (the worst of all—the f bomb!). The linguistic background is so complex! Yet rarely does anyone use such casual words with their definitions in mind. In fact euphemisms like shoot, oh my goodness, and frick are nearly sanctified in substitution for their meaningless vulgar counterparts. 

The origins of a string of letters imply something gross and insulting. Luckily such common people, like you and me, barely give these words power to mean anything. After all what’s more offensive—when your friend flips you off or when your successful white-collar boss tells you your work is a piece of 💩?


*For the sake of analysis, please excuse my crude language. I would never mean to offend anyone with my shoddy diction. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Fiction of Eye Contact

This picture makes me so  uncomfortable.  While it's eye-opening to find reason behind the normalities of point of view in film, the eye-level shot appears far from normal in my eyes. Is it the purple suit? The hands crossed? Or the specific positioning of the viewer on a table that makes me so uneasy? It's probably a combination of my suspicions, but I've decided that to its core, it's the eye contact that creates my discomfort. Most of these types of shots never reach the extent of eye contact. Instead, the similarity in levels creates a feeling of similarity shared by the character and viewer. There is no power disparity, no difference in viewpoint. Look at Forrest Gump and this eye-level shot (note that he's not looking at you). But once eye contact comes into play, the connection is too strong. Of course, any good producer will aim to form a connection for an audience to a film. However, there's comfort in a screen lying between a film and its viewer. It...
Post a Comment
Read more

The War

Despite the countless pieces of legislation passed under Roosevelt, what got America out of the depression was World War II. After World War I, America was actually very Isolationist. So as Roosevelt approached the war, he gradually promoted an Interventionist mindset. I mean, if Germany's going to intervene with everyone, why can't the U.S.?  So Roosevelt started getting involved with revising neutrality acts to allow for a cash-and-carry policy and later the Lend-Lease act so that the U.S. could provide arms and aid to the French and UK. And then, Pearl Harbor happened, so we all know what came next. Actual war. He was pretty much priming the U.S. for war so that when war actually happened, everyone wouldn't be in shock. Although FDR didn't live to see the end of the war he brought his country into, according to my AP Gov breakout rooms, he was deemed the most worthy of all the remaining Presidents to be carved into Mt. Rushmore. Both for the democratic party and demo...
Post a Comment
Read more

F*** It

After years of calculative thinking and cautiousness, in 2020, I started living a little more in accordance to the f*** it mantra. Quite obviously, senior year is the year of worry, and the pandemic has not been of help; but recently I've taken the mindset of not caring so much and not doting on what I can't control. (It could also be because of my avoidant personality type, but for now, I'll take it as a good thing.) It's easy to be positive when things go your way, and I've had the privilege of being able to be positive for my whole life. Amidst aspects of my life that suddenly went wrong this year, I have deviated slightly from my typical upbeat self at times; but more and more, I see how beneficial it is to think f*** it  (with consciousness, of course). As much as everyone suggests looking on the bright side of things, when you don't want to, it really sucks. And while I can't say I actively tried to look on the bright side everyone spoke of, I did seek...
Post a Comment
Read more