You know me and fuck. I love fuck. It's one of my favorite things to say, and (apparently) to title my blog posts with:
• what the fuck...
• I'm not going to fuck you.
• dropping the f-bomb
And those are just some of my headers. When I did a quick search on my laptop, 2,499 files come up featuring the word "fuck."
Which is probably why I was so surprised to see the reviews of Allie Brosh's fabulous Hyperbole and a Half that were focused (negatively) on her use of the word "fuck." (Her dedication even reads, "What now, fucker?")
I mean, fucking hell man, what is wrong with people? There are so many more serious issues to be aggressive about. "Fuck" is a only word. I love words. "Fuck" has a cadence, a hardness, a power. "Fuck" can't hurt you. A good fuck can make you feel like you're flying.
Granted, Hyperbole and a Half has nearly a perfect 5 star rating out of 2,000 reviews. So I'm sure Ms. Brosh's not complaining. I'm simply the person who likes to poke around and see what readers are saying on the high and low ends of things. And the problems with "fuck" baffled me:
"I was not aware of some of the language. It was offensive to me and feel there should be a warning in the description."
All right, so I'm the bastard who wishes there was a big gold warning star on the book that said: THIS BOOK CONTAINS THE WORD FUCK. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, FUCKER?
In the sake of full disclosure, I will also say, I'm obsessed. I'll admit this freely. (For instance, I know that if you type in "fuck" on Amazon, you win 69,408 results. Did you know that?) Recently, Glamour published a write-up about a Saturday Night Live player who accidentally said "fuck" on her first show. In the magazine, Glamour referred to the word as f*ck. We all know she said "fuck." Why do we need the fucking asterisk? (I always read the word as "fick" or "feck" or "fock" when there's an asterisk.)
The New Yorker uses the word "fuck." (Thank fucking god. What a brilliant article!) The New Yorker treats us like we're adults.
What are we being protected from? I guess that's my real question. Are we back to the 80s era when Tipper Gore wanted to label the Filthy 15? Why not protect us from real issues—from being denied birth control. From being denied marriage.
I know that given my occupation I may be considered jaded. But at least I know the difference between a f*ck and a fuck.
XXX,
Alison
