I do think that this emphasis on deleting certain words from our language is
ill advised. What absolutely drives me crazy is when Amy Goodman is quoting a
racist cop, but substitutes the phrase, "the N word", for the word, "nigger",
which is what the cop actually said. It's one thing to agree that using such a
word in relation to another person is unforgiveable, but it's quite another to
remove the word from the language entirely, when one is quoting another person.
This came to mind that day when I heard one of Paul Robeson's renditions of Old
Man River on Flashpoints in which the word, "nigger", appears. Robeson sang the
song as it was apparently, originally written. And that did not diminish Paul
Robeson in any way. Because I use the words "fuck" and "fucking" to myself here
in the privacy of my home every time I am massively frustrated by something or
other, I certainly can't make judgments about anyone else's use of those words
or others, that are equally emotionally expressive.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2017 12:52 PM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Which speak louder, words or actions?
Recently I received a friendly warning from a list moderator on another list,
requesting me to not use certain words. While I disagree on principle, I
agreed because he is, after all, the list moderator.
But then I got to fussing around, and I wrote a friendly(I hope) note back.
Okay, a ramble. But I decided to post it here and see what folks thought about
the subject. I did remove the moderator's name, but I left my vulgar words in
place. So, if your delicate nature is easily offended please exercise your
Delete finger.
Carl Jarvis
*****
And a Good Friday Morning to you, Moderator.
I agree to play by the rules, and will keep my f--king opinions to myself.
But, as my mother was fond of saying, "Just between you and me and the Gate
Post", I find our American fear of certain words to be another symptom of a
bigger problem, that is our unwillingness to accept one another, non
judgmentally.
By my telling you that certain words are taboo, I am not communicating with
you, I am controlling you. When I write s--t, you know good and well that I
would have said "Shit" if we had been speaking face to face. I wonder why we
come to believe that f--k is not offensive, but fuck, is?
I know, I know...I'm rambling, but the subject is interesting to me, and I
think better when I'm pecking along on my keyboard. Back when I was young and
very judgmental. and a womanizer born and bred, and a snob, which means that I
was a White Supremacist, and an elitist who believed that we educated people
were the rightful ones to run our nation. I recall making fun of the bumbling
speech of Black athletes.
Funny, these guys could do stuff my poor body could never do, and yet I judged
them by the words they spoke, and the manner in which they fractured the
language. It was years before I came to understand that how they expressed
themselves verbally, had nothing to do with their skill level. But it had
everything to do with the social climate in which we were raised.
Most of us develop our verbal skills from our parents. My buddy would drop by
and get into deep conversation with my dad. My buddy was certain he could
convert my dad to understanding the conservatives side of politics. But my
buddy was no match for Dad, either in his subject, or the way he presented it.
He couldn't say more than a few words without saying, "Shit!"(S--t!). My dad
did not seem to notice, but later told me that anyone who resorted to using
vulgar words, was verbally bankrupt. But I had been around my buddy's house
when his dad was home. He tossed out profanity like it was cotton candy. In
my home I can only recall Dad saying one vulgar phrase, he and a buddy were
singing, "You're in the Army now, not behind the plow. You'll never get rich,
you Son of a Bitch..." I stopped in my tracks and stared at these two young
men, singing at the top of their lungs. Did my dad really sing, Son of a Bitch?
And one time in all my growing up did I ever hear my mother use profanity. We
were in the kitchen of our new house, looking out the back window. "That
neighbor's house is the color of baby Shit!"
mother told me. My jaw dropped. But mother could say words like Beer, so they
sounded like swearing. She was a woman who never lost control, and believed
that drinking alcohol would cause her to lose control, so until she was in her
60's she never drank anything. Then, very suddenly, she began drinking
Blackberry Cordial and White Cadillac's.
So this ramble is a long way around the point that vulgar words were never in
my language skill, but by the same time I never found them offensive when
others used them. Oh sure, when some large drunk got in my face and shouted,
"I'm gonna smash your fucking face!", I did find such talk to be
offensive...even frightening.
But still...I understand that some folks are offended by words. As if words
ever hurt them! For me, it's the actions of others that offend me. Donald
Trump oozing at the Navajos with the portrait of Old Hickory behind. That
spoke volumes about the level of contempt Donald Trump held for American
Indians. The one president whose picture I would have turned to face the wall
during such a meeting.
And it was not Donald Trump's use of the word Pussy that made an impression on
me, I've certainly been around lockers, bars and work gangs enough to have
heard every gross word ever designed, but it was the way in which Donald Trump
said it. If the word Pussy offends some on the list, then I hope they are also
even more offended by the degrading manner in which it was delivered. There's
another four lettered word to describe Donald Trump, Scum! And poor, dumb,
silly little Billy Bush. His entire career went down the tube when he gave
that nasty little giggle. I hope he revisits that moment over and over. His
big hero, Donald Trump kicked him to the curb. Just locker room talk? No!
Donald Trump's manner was Degrading to every woman who ever lived.
Donald Trump is the incarnation of everything ugly that ever came out of our
Great White, Corporate Empire. And we're going to focus on "P---y"? I'm not
trying to convert anyone, Just going off because I am filled with rage over
where these Slick, Fancy Pants are taking the American working class. That
would include you and me.
Although I still have tons to say, and although I still have two yummy pieces
of "C's" chocolates left, and although Cathy and her sister have headed out to
feed the horses and drive into Sequim to pick up several bales of hay before
the rain returns, I suspect that I should come to an end.
Thanks for listening...if you're still reading this.
And hang in there, and keep an open mind. The world is changing so fast that
we have to work hard to stay up with it. I do feel some sorry for those folk
who are so set in cement that they are locked away in some "Let's Pretend"
world.
Carl Jarvis
***