an interesting article on the
“mainstreaming” of the word “fuck”
:
“The decline is a matter of shifting taboos, says Jean
Aitchison, the Oxford professor of language and communication who
is married to Ayto. “In the last century, it was religious swearing
that upset people,” she says. “Then, in the mid-20th century,
sexual swearing. But these days people get far more upset about
politically incorrect language: nigger, and even mad, are quite
taboo.”
i guess one need look no further than the
fcc overlooking
bono’s use of the word
to find proof of the theory that the word that could unleash a
thousand bars of soap in the mouth is, well – you know, fscked:
“ON MONDAY, THE government agency’s Enforcement Bureau
rejected complaints by the Parents Television Council and others
that Bono’s use of the phrase “this is really, really f—ing
brilliant” failed to meet the test for indecency. The bureau ruled
that Bono’s indiscretion was so “fleeting and isolated” that it did
not run afoul of the rules.”