When I was a lad, there existed a strict hierarchy of words in the English language that were considered outrageously vulgar and an affront to all sensitivity. These words were considered unspeakable in polite society. They could not be printed or broadcast without breaching enforceable legal standards of offensive behaviour.
At the top of the tree there had to be the big “C”. If you were stuck, then there was always fuck. One could also compose a bit, with shit. But one of my favorites which combined the maternal, with eternal dread, and pucker was, “mother fucker”. One could fall into farce with the threat of licking your arse. Sometimes they would say JD Watt, you are such a twat. (pronounced t-w-o-t!)
An obscure but hardly demure melodious rap was “baby let me kiss your piss flap.” A prankster in school, with a sense of humour as heavy as an anchor, was outed, as a wanker. After eating my midday tucker I would stand in awe of the cocksucker.
I remember fondly, memories of adolescent boys exercising this new sense of outrageousness. They would draw from their arsenal of obscenity sentences rich with an array of the taboo. Knowing that the articulation of one of those words was a rite of passage into adulthood, they would dare not repeat any of these words in the presence of a responsible authority figure. To do so would result in chastisement, punishment and some form of social disgrace.
This world has gone.
Like the debasement of currency, the debasement of language has resulted in a new dialect emerging out of the sewer pit of subculture and into mainstream circulation. It is now considered cute to film a precocious 3 year old mouthing the F word and posting the clip on YouTube. Our community sense of inappropriateness has been anesthetized. We should hardly be surprised when expletive driven rap music plumbs new lows almost daily evidencing the paucity of language and bankruptcy in expression. But at least there is some attempt to modify and adapt for example take the word fuck. An idiot is a dumb fuck, a smart person is as smart as fuck. Fuck-wit, fuck-tool, fuck-head, good fuck, bad fuck, just fuck, fuck, fuck... and as an adjective there are endless opportunities.
Modern comedic technique has in recent times fostered the development of this new tribal language. Its hallmark being shock and outrage. To achieve this, these new comic heroes assault the audience with a never ending cacophony of obscenity hoping for reaction based on its outrageous shock value. Popular streaming and digital media (somehow escaping the vice of conventional censorship) now churn the airwaves and cyberspace with movies, dramas and sitcoms, where scriptwriters are given wholesale license to pepper the dialogue with vulgarity and profanity.
I am personally fascinated with the fall of the last great taboo word, cunt. It would appear that there is a rich literary history to the development of that word, including references found in Chaucer and Shakespeare.
The women's movement asserting equality for all women freely submit to the potty mouth club. I recently dated a women who asked rhetorically, “Why do I always end up dating fucking cunts and arseholes?” I looked gobsmacked and my inner man concluded this was not attractive.
With every social media channel, such as YouTube, podcasts, TikToc, Instagram the language of the common man (and woman) has never been more “common”. Even celebrated luxury designer Tom Ford has launched a new fragrance called ‘Fucking Fabulous’ available in every prestigious department store around the world.
The new norm is taboo and, as my friend Zac correctly stated the new taboo is political correctness.
As you ponder the above, let me leave you with this one thought. “Taboo or not taboo, that is the question.”
Never give up on love
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D Watt, author of the book “BURNT”; the shocking true story of a woman’s deception and a man’s broken heart, is a divorced, devastatingly handsome, affluent single 51-year-old professional. He lives in the wealthy Eastern Suburbs of Sydney Australia. He is also a blogger giving his advice on love, relationships, sex and dating from the perspective of a middle-aged guy having learnt so much from his decade long search for “the one”.
Intelligent, established, sophisticated, cultured, honest, kind, loving, generous, tall and handsome, JD is every woman’s dream.
He offers advice on relationships and how to read the signs so you never get “BURNT”. JD believes in love and so should you. BURNT by JD Watt is available on Amazon, Kindle and on online Booksellers globally. Download or buy your copy today.
JD Watt is not a psychologist or therapist, he bases his advice and opinions on his own life experience.
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