Who made me laugh by saying that she'd found it very startling to read my post about face fucking... Because, you know, "Jz said "Fuck"… !!!!!!!!!!! "
Of course, she's not the only one who gets surprised when I drop an f-bomb. 'Most everyone who knows me will go slightly bug-eyed when that happens - and then sidle away quickly, because they know it means I'm very upset… and things will probably start flying at any minute… (Except for the one bold soul who informed me, "I don't worry when your vocabulary slips, it's when your grammar starts going that *I* hit the deck!")
However, as I've said before, I avoid using "fuck" not because it offends me, but because I think it is a powerful word -- one that should only be used deliberately and with intent -- not casually in an unthinking manner.
This makes it pretty clear that the user has really thought about what they mean to say. ;-)
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| And it makes me laugh, too. :-D |
4 comments:
Stephen Fry can grow stale quickly, at least on me, but he did have a fairly informative program on the 'word' a couple of years ago. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03b0sl9) I don't think it's 'available' (freely) anymore - unless it's on repeats on Radio 4 Extra. (There is a small clip at the bottom of that page, though.)
I'd be interested to know why you think the word so powerful, Jz - particularly in this day and age where, in some parts of the country, its existence in parts per million competes with oxygen atoms! Is it the Germanic sounding, digraphic ending - perhaps suggesting some sort of finality or done deed? Or is it the shortness of the word which stands in for such a complicated act. Not necessarily physically complicated, but all of the emotional baggage which cultures have thrown around it?
I used to have the same aversion for it based on the latter, cultural point. Then, as time lapsed, my babies came and grew, other kids (and goats, calves, puppies, and perennial flowers, etc.) developed and 'f-ed' and had little units of their own, I realized nature was 'f-ing' all of the time, everywhere, and generally at the first chance! Why should human copulation be so shrouded?
Anyway, my long 2¢.
Btw, the etymology of the word, re: the Carmelite friars of Cambridge is a fun read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuck#Etymology
D-
You sure aren't kidding about the parts per million!
(and yes, that is a VERY fun read!)
It's an interesting exercise to pick apart why I think the word is so powerful… Maybe that's not the best choice of descriptors. I may need to wiggle around your question a bit, not because I'm trying to avoid an answer but simply to formulate my thoughts.
I have NO objection to the word fuck as a descriptor of the act. Fuck is a grand word for a grand thing. You're right about the Germanic sound of it - meaning aside, really, there are few words that feel more satisfying to say, based purely on how they feel in the mouth.
I don't even flinch at hearing the word used as adjective or expletive… as long as it's used mindfully. It doesn't necessarily make sense to me that when a person gets really upset, they decide to announce that fact through use of a word that's nearly everyone's favorite activity, but that's one of those inexplicable quirks of nature that I am willing to bracket. (It's most likely that satisfying feel to the word.)
What I don't like, however, when "fuck" is used as a verbal tic. I don't like to see people trivialize the word. (And perhaps by extension, the act?) I suppose that's a failing of my old-fashioned sensibilities. I know many, many people who shrug and say that sex "is just fucking…"
Maybe the real issue is that I don't "just fuck"? Sex may not have to be a declaration of love for me, but it's also never, ever simply scratching an itch. (And I loathe being forced into the role of back scratcher, as well.)
To me, the act has to have meaning -- maybe I just think the word for it should, too…?
This hasn't been a very definitive answer, has it?
(LONG, but not necessarily definitive.)
Close enough, tho?
That's almost the exact answer I've gotten when the topic comes up with fairer sex! (Take that last adjective on face value, e.g., prettier, etc.!)
And y'all have a fair point. Eating, when done properly, can be almost as intimate, but you don't see it, or its variations, used as a throw away word. Bathroom activities get used a good deal, but, since everyone does them everyday without the need of another person, they don't have the same force.
Personally, I think its a male/female biological thing. Males use it like they do sex. Do it as often with as many.... It's a wholly different ball of wax on y'all's side of the fence!
Parenthetically, and just my opinion/observation, people who is use it with every other breath, generally aren't doing it much or at all. It's a cry of help. ;)
Here I am playing damp blanket again. I've inked all over what was intended as pithy analog to the frequent use of the word.
No more wheelchairs, though. Ice cream and amusement parks....
D-
I can't say I think you're off-base with the gender argument but I also think a lot of it is that people simply become deaf to the word when they are habitual users and honestly don't realize that they have become incapable of making it through a single sentence without profanity. (Much like trying to give up "like"… which I still struggle with to this day!)
(and I'm glad you've put away your wheelchairs for the joys of summer!)
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