Thursday, December 15, 2011

F-Bombs and N-Words

"Cuss words just let 'em know, ------- ----, God ---- --- ---, Cuss word just don't quit ------- you ------ ------ -----,"  a verse from Too Short's  "Cuss words".  Sometimes I wonder if TV and radio execs think that we are so dumb that we can't figure out what word they just changed to protect us.  A lot of time, it's just plain silly what they change it to or edit out.  If the above song was played on the radio, there would be a lot of bleeps or a lot of silence.  Either way I would be very annoyed at that.  Sometimes they take it way too far.  Take for example this line from Green Day's "American Idiot" "maybe I'm the ------ America, I'm not part of a redneck agenda."  Uhhh the bleep or whatever they call the edit of silence, ruined the line.  What kind of America?  The line is  "maybe I'm the faggot America, I'm not part of a redneck agenda."  the word edited out isn't there to be a gay slur, it's there to prove a point.  If the executives did some research they would know that Green Day is very pro gay rights and even had Pansy Division, an openly gay punk band, be their opening act on several occasions.  Changing the lines is like putting a loin cloth over Michelangelo's "David".  You can cover it up, but you know it's there.

The other day.Me and my boy, Eron, were quoting lines form the movie "House Party"   It's probably the funniest movie made in the 1990's.  One line he mentioned from the TV edit is absolutely absurd.  It goes like this "I guess we would smell like sissies, to a bunch of jerks.'  Ughh.  The real line,... well you'll just have to watch the movie.  Anyway, back to the executives.  What purpose does it serve to change the line of a song or a movie?  Are they afraid that they are going to offend someone with a word like "asshole."  Really?  'Cause last time I checked we all have one.  Writing this, I had to check on "Carlin's 7 Dirty Words."  Yup, they're dirty all right and I pretty sure I have used them all at some point in my life.  So, yeah, you're not going to offend me by letting a shit or piss slip out.  By the way and off topic, but it is kind of funny when I watch Gordon Ramsey on BBC.  Almost everything that gets bleeped out here, plays over there.

I am an advocate for vocabulary.  I would like for people to be able to explain things to me without ----- this and ----- that.  How can one word used as a noun, adjective, verb, and adverb all in one sentence.  And yet, after all of the swearing I still don't know exactly what his or her problem is.  Use real words and try to sound intelligent.  It will get you much farther than a cussing fit that makes you look like a dumb inbred hick.

Now, on to radio edited Rap music. "Straight outta Compton, it's a crazy brother named Ice Cube From the stupid- dope gang with an attitude."  Ummmm.  No.  Come on fellas. Really?  Gansta rap was born from inner city anger and we get "stupid- dope gang with and attitude"?   It's actually "From the gang called Niggaz With Attitudes"  That is the name of the group.  Why are they protecting us for the harshness of their words?  Give it to me straight and let me choose how I'm going to do it.  Once again we are censoring an art form.  Yes, you may not like it and you can choose not to listen.  But give me that choice.

Writers and artist, you can help as well.  I wonder what Eminem was thinking when we wrote "Will Smith don't got to cuss in his raps to sell records,  well I do so ---- him and ---- you too."  Uh? Okay.  So, you have to cuss?  There are no other words to use ?  There is a dictionary of words that you can attempt to use.  How about a thesaurus?  You're going to dis someone because they choose to write a different way?  Come on Marshall, let's play nice.

The whole vocabulary issue can be blamed on the school system.  Our schools teach kids to do well on standardized test but don't teach kids how to think.  So they learn from what they hear on TV and music. Both of which will not give a poetic image of a woman's face glistening in the candle light, her eyes ever so soft, as her and her lover's lips gently come together, as knees buckle and tiny hairsrise on the back of their necks as hearts race from the passion felt between them .  Nope we get stripper poles and direct uninteresting body part slang words and what they are going to savagely do with those parts.
In summary, I have never heard someone use the word "fargin" in my life.  Don't treat me like an idiot and put in a TV edited movie.  I can read lips pretty well.   And awkward silences should be saved for ill timed words in open conversations with mixed parties.  Writers, use poetic words to provoke thought and images.  You don't have to be so blunt and vulgar.  With all of that said, a well placed cuss word can bring a good laugh but be smart about it. 

2 comments:

  1. I get what you are saying. I have to say I have the right to go anywhere I choose and not have to hear some moron drop the F bomb in front of my kids. I choose to keep my kids young as long as possible and I do not think its okay to expose them to as much as the world has to offer because they are going to hear it eventually anyway. Give morons the right to say what ever they want and they want to push the envelope and express themselves. We get idiots like the ones occupying Wall Street. Yes they are morons. I am an intelligent woman, and there is no way to change my mind about that. I don't know if that is a stretch as a comparison but it makes sense to me. Give them and inch.... I appreciate Eminem is angry, I've been pretty mad myself. I know if I carried on like him people would just think I was trash and not throw millions of dollars my way. Opening up with Too Short was strange he was just an idiot. That was music to listen to when you were being rebellious and certainly not listened to in front of your parents. Its not necessarily the school system that is screwing with our kids. A lot of parents have the idea that its the teachers responsibility to teach kids morals and values. I agree to that to a point but you really can't begin to teach that at 5. They have to be exposed to it by their families. Yes its okay to express yourself but others have a right to walk through Wal-Mart or, for example, sit at Popcorn Pete's without having your four year old ask what does fuck mean. It is not funny it hurts to hear a child say it. They hear it from trash who, as far as I am concerned, can just stay home if they can't act like respectable citizens.
    K.Ellis

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