They're Just Fucking Words!


Articles Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine Other Authors Contact Us! Letter to the Editor Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine	They're Just Fucking Words! Thomas Paine In the last week, I have overheard or been told by many that The Subterranean should not be swearing if it wishes to be regarded as a respectable publication. As one responsible for many of the "dirty words," and since this is a topic about which I feel strongly, I am thus compelled to respond to the concerns personally. My answer to said criticisms can best be summed up in two words: Fuck that! Allow me to elucidate. "Fuck," just like its "profane" counterparts, is merely a word. It fits in my dictionary under "F" just as scores of other words do. Unfortunately for we practitioners of logic and reason, the word "fuck," not to mention its other four-lettered friends, has been regarded as taboo for quite some time. Society, as a whole, has condemned use of so-called "obscene language" for hundreds of years, and as they are mere WORDS, there is an obvious question: why fear them? Perhaps certain "profanities" carry meanings and connotations that conjure up images which many would rather not see. Fuck is a word generally associated with sex, stemming from early Germanic roots meaning "to thrust." Woohoo. It is still just a word. I find it upsetting that people fear saying "fuck," but easily say things like "the boss is going to kill me." Kill. People joke about killing, but we cannot joke about thrusting, because it is a "dirty word?" Why not learn to take words for what they are -- groups of letters intended to convey thoughts. "Shit" is similar. It's a bodily function. We all do it (except me, of course. I'm perfect)…so shit, what's the big fucking deal? There shouldn't be one, huh? The long and short of it: the only reason words like "fuck," and "shit" are defined as "bad words" is that WE LET THEM BECOME bad words. And I am not talking about saying "Fuck you," or calling someone a "piece of shit." That is not cool because it attacks people. You see, dear reader, it is the MESSAGE that matters, not the WORDS used to convey it. I can easily use "fuck," with no sexual connotations and "shit" with no excremental suggestions. "Shit, I am fucking tired." Is that offensive? I should say not. The only reason one would EVER feel it was offensive is if he/she completely bought into the societal norms that have been commanding us throughout history. If there is one message that I have, it is this: don't feed into the bullshit that the system hands you. Some of the system is good. Take the good…but don't do it blindly, like sheep being led to slaughter. Question your world, because one day high school will end and there will be nobody there to question it for you! The only reason that "shit," "fuck," etc. are bad words is because we let them be. We let our words OWN US when we should OWN THEM. The system tells us that four-letter words are offensive. But they're just fucking words - words that can be used to strengthen a statement, in fact. "Bad words" emphasize things. Recall, if you will, last week's RandomRants: Shit that Pisses us Off: "Rolly backpacks. Fuckin' hate them." Now, can you imagine having conveyed the message in any better terms? "Fuckin'" merely emphasized the point. And that's part of the beauty of swearing: shock value. I don't hate the backpacks…I "Fuckin' hate them!" Words, people. This article is not intended, by any means, to make swearing sound cooler than it is, as there is a time and place to use more formal language. And, ladies and gentlemen, if I see a drastic increase in people fighting due to your telling the guy next to you to go fuck himself, I will be sorely disappointed. I merely want to stave off criticism of this fine publication while heightening awareness of the world around us. There is one, in case you didn't get the memo - and in this world, there are people who want to control the words YOU say, the thoughts YOU think, and the things YOU do. Wonder, people. It's fun.	Archive Back Issues Why? Cartoons Poetry Random Rants Disclaimers Losers and Kudos of the Week Letters to the Editor Editor's Notes Picture of the Week
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Thomas Paine

In the last week, I have overheard or been told by many that The Subterranean should not be swearing if it wishes to be regarded as a respectable publication. As one responsible for many of the "dirty words," and since this is a topic about which I feel strongly, I am thus compelled to respond to the concerns personally. My answer to said criticisms can best be summed up in two words: Fuck that!

Allow me to elucidate. "Fuck," just like its "profane" counterparts, is merely a word. It fits in my dictionary under "F" just as scores of other words do. Unfortunately for we practitioners of logic and reason, the word "fuck," not to mention its other four-lettered friends, has been regarded as taboo for quite some time. Society, as a whole, has condemned use of so-called "obscene language" for hundreds of years, and as they are mere WORDS, there is an obvious question: why fear them?

Perhaps certain "profanities" carry meanings and connotations that conjure up images which many would rather not see. Fuck is a word generally associated with sex, stemming from early Germanic roots meaning "to thrust." Woohoo. It is still just a word. I find it upsetting that people fear saying "fuck," but easily say things like "the boss is going to kill me." Kill. People joke about killing, but we cannot joke about thrusting, because it is a "dirty word?" Why not learn to take words for what they are -- groups of letters intended to convey thoughts. "Shit" is similar. It's a bodily function. We all do it (except me, of course. I'm perfect)…so shit, what's the big fucking deal? There shouldn't be one, huh?

The long and short of it: the only reason words like "fuck," and "shit" are defined as "bad words" is that WE LET THEM BECOME bad words. And I am not talking about saying "Fuck you," or calling someone a "piece of shit." That is not cool because it attacks people. You see, dear reader, it is the MESSAGE that matters, not the WORDS used to convey it. I can easily use "fuck," with no sexual connotations and "shit" with no excremental suggestions. "Shit, I am fucking tired." Is that offensive? I should say not. The only reason one would EVER feel it was offensive is if he/she completely bought into the societal norms that have been commanding us throughout history. If there is one message that I have, it is this: don't feed into the bullshit that the system hands you. Some of the system is good. Take the good…but don't do it blindly, like sheep being led to slaughter. Question your world, because one day high school will end and there will be nobody there to question it for you! The only reason that "shit," "fuck," etc. are bad words is because we let them be. We let our words OWN US when we should OWN THEM. The system tells us that four-letter words are offensive. But they're just fucking words - words that can be used to strengthen a statement, in fact. "Bad words" emphasize things. Recall, if you will, last week's RandomRants: Shit that Pisses us Off: "Rolly backpacks. Fuckin' hate them." Now, can you imagine having conveyed the message in any better terms? "Fuckin'" merely emphasized the point. And that's part of the beauty of swearing: shock value. I don't hate the backpacks…I "Fuckin' hate them!" Words, people.

This article is not intended, by any means, to make swearing sound cooler than it is, as there is a time and place to use more formal language. And, ladies and gentlemen, if I see a drastic increase in people fighting due to your telling the guy next to you to go fuck himself, I will be sorely disappointed. I merely want to stave off criticism of this fine publication while heightening awareness of the world around us. There is one, in case you didn't get the memo - and in this world, there are people who want to control the words YOU say, the thoughts YOU think, and the things YOU do. Wonder, people. It's fun.