Why the DU vulgarity?

[LWolf]

171. My answer:

Last edited Wed Feb 4, 2015, 09:51 AM - Edit history (1)

While I listen to Baez and Dylan myself.

http://vimeo.com/24750213

A first point about free speech and censorship: a natural response to attempts to censor are to hit back with whatever is being censored. So when the word "fuck" is a "vulgar" word that isn't acceptable in public discourse, it's going to be used quite a bit outside of more formal settings. DU is not a formal setting, and I think many of us sometimes post things here to vent our anger and frustration; vulgar language fits.

As a lifelong lover of words and language, and a language arts teacher, I love the incredible variety of words we have to choose from, and the creative use of those words. For my middle school students whose natural inclination to rebel and use "adult" and "bad" words is an issue, I go to Shakespeare and his very creative curses. They love that. They delve for long, involved curses that they can use in front of anyone without getting in trouble. Of course, when someone bursts out with “You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe!” the object of the curse is more likely to grin, and those close enough to hear burst into laughter, than take offense. It's also a good defuser of adolescent angst.

Sometimes a situation calls for strong, blunt language that gets right to the point. I think it's okay to use "fuck" when the occasion calls for it. I'm not offended by it. It's not a personal attack, like some other vulgar words.

If the speaker grew up in a home that included "fuck" in their everyday vocabulary, he or she is not going to think it's vulgar.

That said, often words like "fuck" are over-used; the speaker is simply being lazy, or doesn't have a richer vocabulary, or doesn't care about communicating with elegance or creativity, or wants to offend, or any number of other reasons.