Why Would I Want to Do That? ( #IWSG )

 

      Before I begin the order of this day, let me express my gratitude to all of you who have subscribed to my granddaughter Marley Lego's YouTube channel.  We didn't get her to 100 by her birthday, but she was close.   And now she's at 100!   

       If you haven't subscribed yet then rush on over to Marley Lego's YouTube channel right now and subscribe.  This busy 13 year old is showing a lot of ambition in her musical pursuits and can always use encouragement as well as fans.  And please share with others!  Now let's aim for 1000 subscribers!

      Here's the latest video she's posted:

 

       And now let's move on to...

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 

The co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!

October 6 question - In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

          The last time I attempted National Novel Writing Month was in 2011.  My story idea ironically was about a pandemic.  It was very dark and evil and it didn't take me long to back away from the idea and just shelve the project.  That was about the time when I decided to avoid writing about any such topics.

          Since I was a kid I've loved horror and sci-fi genres--the scarier, the better.  These days, while there is still much that is interesting, so much has gone beyond the pale in my view.  I avoid many horror films these days because they just don't sit right with me.  I'd prefer to be elevated rather than cast into a pit of dark introspection and fear.  

         Don't let me mislead you because I do still watch and read some rather dark stuff.  Just not like I used to.  What I have been avoiding though is the consideration of writing my own dark works of fiction.  It's just not the place where I want my thoughts to dwell these days.  Especially in our current times.  

        Likewise this would apply to the use of profanity in my writing.  In my everyday speech I've never been one to use profanity other than in extreme circumstances of mishap or anger and I try to stay measured in those times as well.  It's not that I'm a prude or a holier-than-thou type, but profanity was never part of my upbringing and I never really heard much of this type of language until the 70's when it became more commonplace in movies.  Profane language still seems a bit alien to me from my own speaking perspective and it makes me cringe a bit when I hear it.

          Years ago during an early Blogging from A to Z April Challenge I got into a protracted debate with some other bloggers about the subject of profanity or coarse language in blog posts.   If the language in a blogger's post gets a bit too much for me and there's not enough return in value in reading the post then I will tend not to read as often if ever again.  And as for me writing in that type of language  is like me saying,  "I'm hip. I'm cool. And I can talk like a fool." 

        However, I occasionally use a profanity for greater impact, but I try to avoid any gratuitous use even if it is a matter of trying to achieve more "realism." Using expletives as my main adjectives, verbs, or nouns is not my thing.

        I'm sure many of you have similar or thoughts otherwise.  You might have even commented in my post years ago.  If you have any thoughts you like to share about this then bring them up in the comments.

     Also:  Visit my Battle of the Bands and cast your vote!

    

         

If You've Got Something to Say, Should You Say It? (#IWSG)

Should I have said it?  (photo by Betty)

       If you really thought that I wouldn't be posting on my birthday then maybe you didn't get your wish when you blew out your last birthday cake candles.  For some of you, my blog posts might be like the proverbial bad nickel (it used to be a penny, but, you know, inflation and all).   Hard to keep a blowhard blogger quiet when there's always something to say even if it is my birthday.   And if you're wondering about my age then I'll just say it's a palindromic number that is one numeral shy of being the favorite number of those who don't particularly like the Christian ideology.

       And that is the lead-in for the topic of not only my next Battle of the Bands post coming on Wednesday, but also my topic for my February edition of...

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

         Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 

     

       This month I'll address the same question that others of you will be discussing along with some expanded thoughts:

How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

          About the same time I became a more serious reader back in the mid-sixties when I was in middle school, I also began to experiment more with writing.  As the years of schooling progressed, more writing was required in many of the classes I took and more reading was required as well.  The curriculum required the reading and study of certain classics and we were encouraged to read according to our interests.  Book reports, essay writing, and research for required projects entailed reading and more writing, none of which bothered me much since I enjoyed doing both.   For me, reading good writing makes me want to write, maybe something as good as what I've read, or maybe just write whatever fulfills me the most written in the best way I can manage writing it.

        Certainly, reading is a means of escape for me, however I want to read things that I would like to have written.  Fantasy as well as fantastical science fiction is not where my writing interests lie any longer so therefore I don't read much in those genres.  Most of my fiction writing throughout the years has been feet-on-the-ground types of stories to which I can relate.  More often than not, the reading that inspires me most is in non-fiction genres.  My reading experiences now will be escapes into the realities that others have experienced which in turn adds to my own life experience.   

         Good fiction can also do this for me, but I want to believe what I read while at the same time to not be distracted by such nonsense as explicitly written sex scenes or profuse profanity.  Sure, those things are part of real life experience, but rarely does elaborating on any of this actually enhance the value of a story being told.  This is not what I would write and likewise not something I care to read any more than I'd want to read intensely accurate descriptions of any bodily functions or extended passages of small talk that goes far beyond character development or whatever literary device is being attempted.

         Call me a prude or whatever, unnecessary description or dialog of a prurient nature is offensively distracting to me.  If I'm going to be offended then I want to be offended with ideas that rouse my mind to work in higher levels of reasoning and counterargument.  Light reading has its place for any of us, but profanity for me is not lighthearted fun or escapism.   The vilest and most frightening characters in literature scare us more with their intellect than their stupidity and their baseness.  Reading my favorite authors like Flannery O'Connor or Cormac McCarthy has introduced me to some of the creepiest folks around and they spoke nary a profane word.  

         Writing profanity or explicit sex scenes is not something with which I feel comfortable and this attitude goes hand in hand with my reading.  If I'm out to offend people--and this is not something that I necessarily strive to do--then I can write about topical political themes that upset readers or discuss religious and ideological concepts that can absolutely rile those who bitterly reject such things. Of late, I've apparently been doing this as I see certain of my posts with a decline in the number of comments. I do have a consolation in more thoughtful comments and some lengthier ongoing discussion so there is a trade off in that respect.    Should I ever consider writing fiction along these thematic lines?   I have, but then also nothing I have written has been published nor have I tried to get them published--at least not since the short stories that I submitted to publications in my college days many years ago which all got rejected.  Must have been at least partly something I said.

         Truth is that just like I don't particularly read content that offends or distracts me to no good purpose, certain readers may not want to read many of the things I want to say.  I know my writing does have an audience, but it also will have its detractors.  The question arises of how can I get a point across effectively if I'm only preaching to the choir while arguing with the rear ends of horses as they run away from me.

           Okay, so I posted this Insecure Writer's Support Group post a couple days early.  It's my birthday and it's my blog so I can kind of do what I want.  Besides, I didn't want my next post on Wednesday to be overly long because it probably will be so anyway.  I'll continue in a sense with this current post as I present a Battle of the Bands song that will be so offensive to some that I won't even name it in my post's title like I normally would.  After all, a lot of people these days are mighty touchy--irrationally touchy even.   

           If you want to hear more about what I'm talking about then be sure to come back for Wednesday's post.   And if not, I hope you at least come back to listen with an open mind to a song with a style that some of you probably won't like much and about a topic that might be a turn off to others.  After a lot of my recent posts the song was just something that came to my mind so I felt like maybe I should say it.

           Besides bad writing, what are some things that will make you less likely to finish a book that you've started reading?    Can you think of any superior quality up-lifting or mind enriching literature that relies heavily on profanity or explicit sex scenes?   How old do you think I am based on my clue provided in the opening statement?

Related articles

• Sufjan Stevens Wants You To Remember The Ten Commandments
• Racist Class Disgustingly Mocks Christian God - And Look Who's Teaching It
• Understanding the Hillbilly Shakespeare
• 20 Ways to Get Yourself Out There as a Writer
• Romance...
• When a writer reads another, it can sometimes be love (and envy) at first sight
• Living a Better Story
• Q of the Week: What Books Inform Your Daily Life?

What's So Funny About Swearing?

George Carlin  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         This post concludes my series on blue language or swearing.  If you did not catch the first two installments you can find them here and here.  There are many fine comments that are worth reading through on both posts.  In this post I will be looking at the humorous side of profanity and the right to swear.

Introduction:

         So far I haven't gotten many solid answers to my questions about swearing.  Maybe there are none.  I will somewhat concede that the utterance of a profanity can carry some impact in conveying emotion or emphasizing a point.  I'm not totally convinced about that.  A friend told me that in a former job in the security business he was instructed to use profanity when he was dealing with certain types of people since this would give him more credibility as an authority figure.  I'm still not totally sold.

         Other folks who defend the use of profanity said they use it because they want to--it's their right and they're going to use (abuse) it.   Sounds like a spoiled child syndrome to me.  This still doesn't sound like a convincing argument to swear.   Then there are those who just think swearing is absolutely hilarious.   This brings us to my next question:

What's So Funny About Swearing?

         Here we will look at the following aspects of blue language:

• The humorous aspect
• Devaluation of the impact of words
• Degradation of the language
• First amendment defense of swearing

The humor of swearing:

The words sound funny or create humorous images--To some at least.  It''s almost in an adolescent mindset of doing something naughty and getting away with it.  There can sometimes be a certain amount of  humor in this but mostly it's immaturity.

Delivery-- Granted that sometimes the way something is said can be funny.  It might even be funny for a few to several times.  But when the delivery loses its novelty it can get old and boring.

Element of surprise -- Humor is sometimes achieved by the unexpected or the shock value of the profanity introduced in an unlikely context.  Once again this might be funny to some, while in other cases it can be totally inappropriate.  Often the user will feed upon the first laugh response and run the joke into the ground. Excess is often the result of receiving the attention for doing something with no actual value.

Making others squirm -- Some people delight in knowing that others are uncomfortable.   Initially some might  feel it is wrong to do this, but if others are laughing then it must be okay.  Let's embarrass the church ladies, the conservative Christians, the prudes and then we can all laugh at them.  Maybe the bad words aren't really that funny but it's a real hoot to know that someone else is bothered by it.

Intellectual incongruity --When swearing is analyzed in an almost intellectual perspective there can be some genuine humor at play.  Comics like George Carlin could be very good at this.  Occasionally someone might make a crude observation or tell a dirty joke that is funny in a smart sense.  Context and company must be considered in order for this to be effective.

 Devaluation of the impact of the profanities:

The problem with profuse casual use of swear words or obscenities is that too much of anything causes dilution.  For those who like to use swear words for color, impact, humor, or to express that which they think cannot be adequately explained in other language, overuse of the crudities diminishes their value.  

Degradation of the language:

Blue language is not universally accepted or appreciated.  If this language pervades everyday speech we may have brought vocabulary down another notch.  There are enough dumb people in the populace who don't speak well.  Funny in one sense perhaps, but in reality I'm not sure it's truly funny.

The Right to Swear:

The First Amendment is often referred to as a freedom to swear:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Here's another more modern take on this right:

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, states that:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

       So much has been written and can be written about the issue of swearing and first amendment rights.  I'm no legal expert and won't even attempt to go into the issue of the right to swear.  It would take many blog posts and probably an entire second blog to expound upon this subject. What I will do is offer a couple of things to think about. 

        For one, I would suggest that the strong proponents of swearing are often as hypocritical and self-righteous as those they suggest are that way.  Many of you who swear would be offended by someone else using epithets directed toward race, nationality, gender, or some other hurtful language.   But they're all just words aren't they? 

        Lets face it. Words can be heavily charged to offend and disturb others.  Are all words acceptable?  Is it always okay to say whatever we want when we feel like it just because we want to?  Should everybody just get over all of it?  If you can swear, can others throw things in your face that might offend you?

       Words.  Actions.  Images.  Who has the right to offend?   And what is truly offensive?

        We think of those who died for our right to live in a free society with the rights that most of us are fortunate enough to experience.  When the founding fathers of the United States drew up that first amendment, do you think they were thinking about things like swearing, obscenity, and pornography?  Yet isn't that what it's come to?

       Would you be willing to give your life or sacrifice the life of one you loved so that others could swear?

Related articles

• Study: Ohioans swear a lot, not friendly
• The swear jar must be empty in Washington
• Sunday Stand Up: George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words"
• The Trouble with Cussing Christians

Why Do You Swear?

swearing in cartoon Suomi: Kiroileva sarjakuvahahmo Nederlands: Schelden en vloeken in strips (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

          This is the second of a series that began with my May 6th post.   If you missed that first post, you might want to start there to get an overview of the topic.  The comments are well worth reading through so if you did not see those you may also want to go back to read them.  Thank you to all of you who participated in that excellent discussion.

   Introduction

       In my previous post I asked the question "Why is swearing important?"   Of course, I asked this question with tongue in cheek since I do not see any reason why swearing is important.  And from the answers I received, the best answer I got was to make speech a bit more colorful.  Isn't that what adjectives, synonyms, metaphors, and other poetic and linguistic devices are for?   I've yet to get an answer that I find absolutely suitable and I doubt that I will.   What can be communicated through crass language that offends can be achieved equally or better through creative and intelligent use of language.

       However, accepting the fact that many people use blue language in their everyday conversation or for other means of expression and don't have a problem with it, and recognizing that others who might not use the language have no problem hearing others who do,  I would like to understand the reasoning behind use of blue language.  I will present my opinions about this and then listen to your thoughts in the comments.
     
Why Do People Swear?

      I will be approaching this question from the following perspectives:

• Intent of the action
• Background of the users
• The language filter depending on circumstances
• The effect on society

Intent of the action 

1. One of the most common reasons cited for using profanity is venting after an event that causes anger, frustration, or pain.  This is often a isolated reaction that does not reflect the typical speech of the user.  "Keele University researchers Stephens, Atkins, and Kingston found that swearing relieves the effects of physical pain. Stephens said "I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear". However, the overuse of swear words tends to diminish this effect." (Wikipedia)    There might be better ways to deal with these situations than using profanity.               

     2.  To appear cool, bad, or naughty.  Profanity is prevalent in rap and other forms of modern music as well as in movies and other entertainment media.  Users can identify with thug or gangster life or certain celebrities.  Using obscene language will make the users seem less like nerds, religious followers, or boring types.  The incessant attitude that others should "just get over it" and accept their language exhibits a selfishness that is similar to the spoiled child syndrome.

     3.  To intimidate or offend others.   There are probably some sort of psychological roots to this one.  Does the user of the blue language have some unresolved inner anger about their own lives or in feelings toward others?   There could be any number of reasons an individual would deliberately want to upset others by using certain language.   The causal roots may stem back to a young age or be something that has developed in a latter stage of life. 

     4.  To be funny.  Once again there could be some psychological implications to this reason.  I will explore this one further in my next post.

     5.  Because others in their peer group do it.   This is one of those jumping on the bandwagon things where a user of profanity wants to be accepted as part of their group.  If everyone else swears, the user will be doing it too.

     6.  It seems like the liberated liberal thing to do.  This is probably mostly the case with the more educated and higher income swearers.  The swearing by these individuals probably also can be connected with some of the above reasons.

     7.  Habit.  After starting the swearing for one of the previously cited reasons, eventually the mode of speaking becomes ingrained in the user's speech and often they don't even notice they are doing it. 

Background of the users

   1. Upbringing -- The blue language was commonly used in the users family.

    2.  Cultural influence -- Certain groups of people, especially in urban areas and certain occupational settings, accept the blue language as part of the culture.

   3. Psychological issues-- This would be related to some of the issues listed in the category of "Intent".   This might involve trauma at some stage of life, depression, anger, fear, or any number of other situations that might influence a user to resort to blue language as a means to attempt to express their inner emotions or to gain attention.

The language filter depending on circumstances

       Most users of profanity are able to circumstantially control their use of the language depending on the time, place, and audience.   Typically they would not use profanity in a situation where its use could be problematic for them such as a job interview or an appearance in court.   Fortunately, most casual users of blue language will respect the company they are in and filter out obscenities so as not to offend.  They swear when they are in company that accepts the language or if they intend on offending or upsetting others.

The effect on society

      During the 1960's profanity in public became common in demonstrations such as those against the Viet Nam War.   "Liberated" groups and movements often incorporated profanity into their protests against societal institutions.   As the swearing become more common and less scandalous, the language became more common in movies, music, and other forms of entertainment and expression.  Now more people swear because it seems to be more the norm having less repercussions for the user.  

Where Do You Fit In?

       Now take an honest look inside of yourself.   If you are a casual user of profanity in your typical conversation, why do you do it based on the above assessments?  Or do you disagree with the analysis I have presented?   If you disagree with what I've said here, on which points do you disagree, why, and what is your alternative analysis?   Is there a truly good reason that you infuse profanity into your speech?   
       

Related articles

• Why the **** do we swear all the time? WARNING: This post contains naughty words
• Nine Things You Probably Didn't Know About Swear Words
• The modern history of swearing: Where all the dirtiest words come from
• Does swearing in the workplace benefit morale?

Why Is Swearing Important?

English: "No Swearing" sign along Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    Now that we've got the A to Z Challenge out of the way, we can settle back into the regular routine.  In case you are new to Tossing It Out, the typical Monday post concerns matters that might be considered controversial.   For me they are things that have crossed my mind and I'd like to get some other thoughts about them.  I may have already drawn my own conclusions or I could be trying to come up with an answer. I'm not trying to start a fight, but an intelligent discussion.  I'm tossing some ideas out to you and hoping you'll be willing to engage in some mental juggling.

The Topic of Swearing

      The topic of using "blue language" as it pertains to ones writing has been tackled previously on Tossing It Out in a guest post from Bridget Straub and a post of my own.   I've also seen other blogs address the topic.  There are varying opinions on this, but the most common defense is that profanity is most often used in writing in order to create realistic characters.  I won't argue the point again and if you're interested in knowing my views you can click on the above links.

       In this first of three posts concerning swearing on a personal level in everyday life, I basically want to get  your thoughts on the subject.  I will be asking a few questions for you to answer in the comments.  My response will be low to none for the comments for this post as I will be addressing the ideas you bring up here in my next two posts.

       For those who may be wondering what happened with the series about gun control and violence that we left off with back in March, this mini-series will be actually related to that one in a sense and will be connected later on.  For those who dislike my debate features on Mondays, you can also let me know in the comments.

Terms of Debate

         If you're wondering why I'm discussing this particular topic now, I will explain.   During the A to Z there was some concern about the AC (Adult Content) labeling of certain blogs.  I was not thrilled about labeling, but after some complaints last year there was a general agreement among the majority of the A to Z Team members that a warning was needed if a blog could be deemed particularly offensive due to language or content.   Some bloggers felt that this was unfair and they should be able to write what they wanted without labels.   Now I'd like to get some feedback concerning this and the use of language that might be deemed offensive.

         The language that I'm dealing with includes blasphemy (offensive to a religion), vulgarity (crude language), cursing/swearing (oaths of a traditionally offensive nature),  profanity (cuss words), and obscenity (unscientific words of a sexual or scatological nature).  Generally speaking this will be what might be called bad words or foul language.

         In the next two Monday posts I want to look at a few aspects of the everyday use of blue language on an individual basis.   Some of the questions I plan to address:

Why Do People Swear?

• Intent of the action
• Background of the users
• The language filter depending on circumstances
• The effect on society

What's So Funny About Swearing?

• The humorous aspect
• Devaluation of the impact of words
• Degradation of the language
• First amendment defense of swearing

Today's questions for you in regard to your daily life:

Do you swear?    To what extent?

If swearing bothers you, why?

Should there be an age limit on swearing?

Is swearing constructive or useful in any way?

Why do you think swearing is important?

         I hope you will help me with this so I can get better clarification for my upcoming posts and to find the best solutions for the content labeling issues for Blogging from A to Z.

Related articles

• Watch your f - -ing language
• Justified swearing
• Nine Things You Probably Didn't Know About Swear Words
• To swear or not to swear

When Is Profanity Necessary in Writing?

Cartoon of a person waving fist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Not in this House!

        In the early 1970's when I was still in college, my dad found a book that I had purchased at the University of Tennessee bookstore and being greatly offended by that book he promptly tore it to shreds, leaving the pieces strewn about our rec room so I would be sure to find them.  That book, The Anatomy of Dirty Words by Edward Sagarin, was a scholarly examination of the meanings, origins, and etymology of various words that are typically considered to be profane, obscene, or unacceptable.

         Profanity was necessary in this book because the words were the subject matter.  What I learned from the book in the short time I was able to access it is that dirty words are just words that in many cases had perfectly legitimate beginnings in English or another language and over time had become offensive in one way or another.  The words are only words, but the associations can arouse strong feelings in others.  The offense might stem from the way the words are spoken or in the context they are used.  They have become words that are intended to shock, embarrass, or anger others.

         I am probably a bit more open-minded than my father was, but I also went through that era of rebellion and radical change where profanity came more into common use in the arts, media, and everyday conversation.  Not that I approve of this usage.  I don't blush when I hear offensive language, but I don't encourage it either and rarely use it in my own speaking or writing.  Frankly, my dear reader, I don't think it's necessary in most cases.

Do You Want to Talk Dirty?

         In a recent Tossing It Out guest post,  Profanity: Where Do You Draw the Line?, Bridget Straub discussed how she approaches this issue in her writing and in her life.  The ensuing conversation in the comment section offered some interesting and radically different points of view.  As promised in those comments I am here with my thoughts on the use of offensive language in writing.

         I avoid most use of language that I deem offensive because I think there can be better ways of saying things.   Personally, I find profanity to be very distracting, often coming across as an author's attempt to be edgy, gritty, or "realistic".   But is this worth the possibility of losing a potential portion of a reading audience?  And is a larger sector of audience going to be gained because an author uses profanity.   To my thinking, excellent writing can convey grittiness and realistic characters in such a way that the fact there is no profanity would go unnoticed to the average reader.

          In my opinion the reader who is looking for obscenity in writing and titillated by it is puerile and unsophisticated.   They are not looking for literature, but just dirty writing.   Quality writing should not stoop to that level in hopes of better suiting it to modern tastes.   Writers who are trying to deliver that experience are not being especially creative or original.

Let's Look for the Nasty Parts

          An example from cinema that I always think of is the Oliver Stone Viet Nam film Platoon.  When I first saw this in the theater I was so distracted by the use of profanity in the film that this aspect was what I remembered most.  I disliked the film after that first viewing.  Some time later I saw the film again on television in a censored version where the most obscene things were the commercial breaks.  Without the distraction of profanity I was able to pay more attention to the characters and thematic elements of the story. I enjoyed the film much more in this second viewing.   I realized that the profanity had hindered in many ways and helped in virtually none.

        In literature I will cite Catcher in the Rye for two aspects of the use of profanity.  Firstly I was annoyed and offended by the ongoing using of the Lord's name in vain by Holden Caulfield.  There is some suggestion that Holden's casual use of "goddam" throughout the book helps establish his character, but I would argue that there are plenty of other things that the character says and does to show his rebellious and belligerent spirit.

         The second use of profanity in Catcher in the Rye is probably necessary because it is an integral part of the story and it is not used in a gratuitous way.  When Holden discovers the "Fuck You" graffiti scrawled on the walls he is shocked and angry because of the possibility of children seeing the words that are offensive even to him.  Since the theme of the book has to do with protecting the innocence of childhood, the shock of seeing the words symbolizes the loss of that innocence.   The argument that could be made as justification for Holden's use of profanity is that it illustrates the same kind of phoniness that he disdains in other people.  Profanity is in a sense central to the theme of the novel.

        However, in nearly every other case of profanity used in written work, that profanity is unneeded.  I will probably always shy away from the use of offensive language because I strongly feel that there are other ways to deal with what an author is trying to convey by using it.   I won't commit myself to this, but this is my intent as I see it now.

          How else can a writer depict bad people without using bad words?   Do you notice when obscene language is not used for characters who might use it in real life?   Do you miss the language when it's not there?   Would you like to hear offensive language used regularly in network television programming?  If so, why?


     

Related articles

• Profanity: Where Do You Draw the Line? (A Guest Post from Author Bridget Straub)
• Choose Your Own Appropriate Language
• So Long, Holden

Profanity: Where Do You Draw the Line? (A Guest Post from Author Bridget Straub)

swearing in cartoon Suomi: Kiroileva sarjakuvahahmo Nederlands: Schelden en vloeken in strips  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        In this installment of Tossing It Out I welcome the return of  Bridget Straub who blogs at  bridgetstraub: Author, Artist, Mom.  .  Some of you may recall Bridget's Hijack! post "Life Is a Maze".  Bridget's third novel in a year's time is now out.  In this post she discusses a dilemma you may have faced in your own writing.  The topic of profanity in writing is one that I've been planning to address and will probably do so in the future.  In her most recent release, The Salacious Marny Ottwiler, Bridget had to deal with this issue and now tells her reasoning concerning using profanity in ones writing.

Where Do You Draw the Line?

Is it just me, or do people swear now more than ever? It feels as though, particularly in the past several years, the sensor button has been turned off and pretty much anything goes. I have to admit I am as guilty as anyone. I don’t allow my kids to swear and yet I catch myself doing it more often than I should.

Well, “should” is an odd choice of word. Should we ever swear? Probably not, but I find even my church attending Christian friends swear, and to be honest it always makes me laugh. As someone who went through Catholic school, this is so daring and wrong that it almost delights me. Not appropriate, I know.

Here is where I draw the line (and sometimes it is literally in a line): it is when I am around young children or anyone older than me. In both of those situations it feels disrespectful. Those of us in the middle, however, have been raised on cable television, nudity in movies and that whole sexual revolution. This is not to say I would swear with a relative stranger or walk up to someone and ask how the bleep they are. That would be crass.

This has come up in my writing as well. I don’t ever want to scare away readers, and at the same time, I pride myself on creating characters that are real and relatable. I would never throw in profanity just for the sake of being edgy. At the same time, there are some situations where a person and/or character would not respond with a “Golly gee”, and right or wrong, certain words have much more force. When I write, I rarely know what is going to happen next, let alone what is liable to come out of a character’s mouth. It is one of the things I enjoy most about writing. Even now, I am totally winging this post. Still, at the finish of a novel I read through the manuscript and worry that an entire body of work will be judged by a few words. It’s a conundrum.

Bridget Straub is the author of three novels: “Searching for My Wand”, “On a Hot August Afternoon” and “The Salacious Marny Ottwiler”. All are available on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Bridget-Straub/e/B006KEG0KE

                How do you think is the best way to deal with profanity in writing when it  seems appropriate to your characters?    Does an author's use of profanity in a work bother you?     What do you think is the best way to avoid profanity in writing or do you think doing so lessens the integrity of the credibility of the writing?