Some things just catch your eye.
When The Rocky Mountain Collegian, the student newspaper at Colorado State University, ran an editorial in their Sept. 21 issue, several people took notice. The piece was short and to the point with the headline: “Taser this” and the large-print (120-point font?) “F*CK B*SH … This is the view of the Collegian editorial board.”
In the article, there were no astericks in the “f” word or the “B” word.
After the publication, there was a little bit of a commotion. Well, a lot of commotion with some protests on the side. Many people called, e-mailed and informed the newspaper and its editor to f*ck off, f*ck off and die, and to go … well, let’s not bring his mother into it.
In all seriousness, he had to have known what firestorm was to follow.
In “Inherit the Wind,” there is a famous scene in which Spencer Tracy plays lawyer Henry Drummond, and he explains the proper use of specific language: “I don’t swear for the hell of it. Language is a poor enough means of communication. We’ve got to use all the words we’ve got. Besides, there are damn few words anybody understands.”
I agree.
As a writer, I have been told to intentionally dumb down my writing. This amazes me as the journalism instructor told me that the average reader of newspapers reads on a third grade level. When I talk and people have a hard time comprehending, I usually do the old gag of talking … really … really … slowly.
But with regard to the use of rough language, coarse language and foul language, I am at a crossroads. As a rebellious writer and fan of stand-up comedy, I don’t mind performers that go “blue.” As a writer, I enjoy reading Rolling Stone as opposed to The Christian Science Monitor. Both have value and are OK for their audiences, but, to me, one seems more real to everyday life.
Maybe it’s the people I hang with. (Did I just say, “hang?”)
In the days after the editorial ran, there were protests and a publications board meeting in which people spoke for and against the firing of the editor-in-chief. One student said in a 1998 interview with T*cker Carlson, then Texas governor George W. B*sh dropped the “f” bomb three times – in the first paragraph.
The student then suggested not holding the editor-in-chief to a higher standard than the president.
Several students and media law critics have defended the use of the word.
I remember Eddie Murphy’s routine in “Raw” when he got chastised by Bill Cosby for his language. When he called Richard Pryor to ask his advice, Pryor told Murphy if people laughed he was doing his job. Then he told Murphy to call Cosby back and tell him “to have a Coke and a smile and shut the f*ck up.”
Some have suggested the editor could have gone another route, perhaps using a different phrasing or words. What other words could he have used that carried the same meaning?
It’s not quite like “smurf,” although it can be an adjective, noun, verb or adverb. It’s the lexical crescent wrench – good for any job. Children in elementary school learn to say it before they can multiply.
Someone asked me, “Why not use ‘Buck Fush?'” Because it carries a different connotation. It makes you think it’s less serious and might have something to do with college football.
I asked several friends and faculty for their opinions. They were gung-ho for my using the word. The column below defends its use by precedent.
But to me, the “f” word is not the one that offends me. The one that offends me is the one that has taken away freedoms from Americans, lied to justify a war that has cost U.S. lives and let people drown in New Orleans. (And by the way, I do support the troops, and I do believe the U.S. has a vital interest in the region. Just don’t feed me a line about why we went to war.)
A city councilman from New Orleans told me the worst four-letter word he knew was FEMA. Although I understand his reasoning, I disagree. The worst four-letter word is B*sh.