WHEREAS i have only recently caught on to the "battlestar galactica" (the new one) thing; and
WHEREAS i cannot always use the F word with impunity; and
WHEREAS i often need to use the F word in what turns out to be inappropriate situations in order to convey some level of intensity, absurdity or to get people's attention; and
WHEREAS "battlestar galactica" has very smart and interesting meditations on sex, gender, space, politics, religion, robots, etc., etc., and is also very sexy, dramatic, suspenseful and attractive; and
WHEREAS "battlestar galactica" has innovated the swear word "frack" in order to convey intensity, absurdity or get people's attention within bounds of FCC rules; and
WHEREAS i already have very little dignity or really anything to prove or hide, and therefore have really very little to lose should people look askance at my using nerdy TV show-generated terms; and
WHEREAS i work at a place that prides itself on its nerdiness;
BE IT RESOLVED that from now on i will use "frack" in place of the F word.
10 comments:
fucking cool, E.
Wait one second. You think "very smart and interesting meditations on ... space ... robots, etc., etc.," are "sexy ... and attractive" AND you "work at a place that prides itself on its nerdiness." Weird.
If you want to mix it up a little, Douglas Adams has proposed "Belgium" as the worst obscenity in the universe.
yops: very funny.
priscian: you just, like, quadrupled the nerd ante.
blk: ha! which reminds me, here are some examples:
you better fracking chill out.
what the frack is going on here?!
frack!
that fracking shithead asshole just cut me off!
did that cunt just fracking laugh at me for having a small house? what the frack?
Of course, Norman Mailer was way ahead of Battlestar Galactica.…
You know, I do swear in the classroom, occasionally, but usually it's conscious and even calculated. Just last week, though, I said something to my first-semester freshmen along the lines of, ". . . and I bet you'd be really fucking angry if that happened to someone you knew."
I didn't realize I'd said it until three jocks in the back of the room said "WOAH!" almost in unison.
Clearly, I need some frack in my life.
frakkin A.
ah shucks and gosh darn it!
One time, I let out a big loud 'fiddle sticks' (classic momma mazz style) in front of other people and golly gee, did I get laughed at.
It's probably a good thing you had some dork protection riders on your proclamation (although quoting BSG is not as bad as SG-1)
flavia, i agree that a little jolt of actual adult convo, even if or esp if it includes a "fuck" or whatever, is sometimes good for students. i'm not sure you were making a value judgement w/ your story about the students' response, but i will.
and, argh: about 10 years ago, i was called into the Comp Director's office because a student had complained about my cursing. now, when i curse in the classroom, it's a very rare "shit" and hardly ever a "fuck." mostly "shit." or "bullshit," which is so often applicable to discussing poor writing or dumb tactics to get out of doing actual writing. anyhow. the whole thing disgusted me.
now, i work in Utah. i should probably never cuss, knowing my students (many are Mormon), but this makes me want to cuss even more. oy. sometimes i apologize if one slips out. or we laugh. or sometimes i will announce that it's coming . . . like in a whole group discussion where things get complicated and some dumb current event or whatever just compels me toward it . . . so i'll say "i'm going to have to cuss here . . . "
lordy. i rememeber when my professors SMOKED in the classroom. ha!
This reminds me of when I was totally into Buffy and decided that instead of stewing about mean jerks I would take a page from the slayer and pop a stake through their chests. Hear me: the frack thing will end badly. Not as badly, but badly. You're just storing up the real word, and it will pulse away in your heart and it will work feverishly to come out. In two years, on Christmas Day, you'll scream it at little Cindy Lou Who in front of everyone in Whoville. Don't learn the hard way like I did!
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