Less Swearing On The Blog
Less of this. Photo by Geoff George.
Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but for I think over a month now, I haven’t cursed on this blog. No F, S or other bombs. Nothing fecal or fornicatory. This was Shru’s idea and I tried it out. It seems fine. I don’t think not swearing has limited my range much at all.
For me the crucial break, originally, was to write how I talk and think. That is, to get rid of artifice and focus on communicating. When I speak I do swear, as most members of my generation do. One measure of this is the amount of swearing in music. In University Linguistics I actually did a paper on the increase in profanity in music from 1980 to 2002. It was called ‘Fuck Linguistics‘, a word I include here only cause it is the title. The use of the f-bomb has gone up dramatically in American music, driven largely by producer Dr. Dre. So, I and people I was writing for/with did use casual curses, so I felt like it’d be disingenuous to exclude them from my writing. Plus, using these words can be fun, and can take you to the actual depths of feeling rather than their casual analysis.
As I get older, however, I’m finding that I need these particular words less and less. I can actually express myself quite fine without. It is actually possible to express myself without bits of shrapnel and to perhaps save those words for when they’re really warranted. I mean, the amount I used to say the f-word was completely disproportional to the gravity of situations I was experiencing.
On the blog it’s a much clearer choice. As much as I try to emulate the spoken word there is a difference and a value to that difference, to reading, editing, rethinking as needs be. I have rarely found a curse that couldn’t be improved by less vituperative language, with the possible exception of ‘bullshit‘, which I can’t find a suitable replacement for.
So, now there’s less swearing on the blog. Not zero, cause you need a bit here and there, but I’m trying to be judicious. I don’t think it’s damaged the writing at all, on the contrary, I think it may be making my writing a wee bit better.
Posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012 in blogging, SocioLinguistics.
Mohsin Hamid, author of How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia, has a nice 
I’m happy to be featured in Echelon magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature, profiling young people who contribute to the economy in some way, mainly in business but also in terms of innovation and thought leadership. It’s an interesting article not just in that I’m in it (mainly for work on indi.ca and 
I won’t add too much commentary, but just read I guess. The youngest Rajapaksa, Rohitha (Chi Chi) has given an amazing interview to the 
In 2009 this strange character appeared on the Sri Lankan Internet scene, getting angry, flaming, trolling whatever. Then he started naming anonymous bloggers, posting comments as people’s kids, nasty stuff, for which I removed him from 
“And how is one made pure in four ways by verbal action?
“There is the case where a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty, if he is asked as a witness, ‘Come & tell, good man, what you know’: If he doesn’t know, he says, ‘I don’t know.’ If he does know, he says, ‘I know.’ If he hasn’t seen, he says, ‘I haven’t seen.’ If he has seen, he says, ‘I have seen.’ Thus he doesn’t consciously tell a lie for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of any reward. Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world.
“Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord.
“Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing & pleasing to people at large.
“Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, & the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal.
“This is how one is made pure in four ways by verbal action.”
— AN 10.176
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/index.html
[The Buddha speaks to his son, Rahula:]
“Whenever you want to perform a verbal act, you should reflect on it: ‘This verbal act I want to perform — would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful verbal act, with painful consequences, painful results?’ If, on reflection, you know that it would lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it would be an unskillful verbal act with painful consequences, painful results, then any verbal act of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do. But if on reflection you know that it would not cause affliction… it would be a skillful verbal action with happy consequences, happy results, then any verbal act of that sort is fit for you to do.
“While you are performing a verbal act, you should reflect on it: ‘This verbal act I am doing — is it leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful verbal act, with painful consequences, painful results?’ If, on reflection, you know that it is leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both… you should give it up. But if on reflection you know that it is not… you may continue with it.
“Having performed a verbal act, you should reflect on it… If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it was an unskillful verbal act with painful consequences, painful results, then you should confess it, reveal it, lay it open to the Teacher or to a knowledgeable companion in the holy life. Having confessed it… you should exercise restraint in the future. But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction… it was a skillful verbal action with happy consequences, happy results, then you should stay mentally refreshed and joyful, training day and night in skillful mental qualities.”
— MN 61
I had read this ( and found it absolutely hilarious)
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its-decorative-gourd-season-motherfuckers
and then I read your entry.