Comments on: The Power Of The Expletive

By: This Eclectic Life » The Joys of Home Ownership Are Highly Over-rated

This Eclectic Life » The Joys of Home Ownership Are Highly Over-rated — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:16:18 +0000

[...] It’s me! I’m shrieking like a banshee. Some of you might remember that I posted about profanity a few days ago. Well, all that is “gone with the wind.” I’m totally wild right [...]

By: SusieJ

SusieJ — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:06:57 +0000

I don’t know how I missed this post! Great one. And, I agree with your Mamma. It’s a lazy way to express yourself. You can find the right word if you try, and expose yourself to the dictionary. And sometimes the act of finding the right word — the search, can really help disperse your anger. It can make you feel right with the world that at least, you can understand yourself.

Yep. If you keep from letting out your anger for a minute, it usually subsides~skt

By: Arkie Mama

Arkie Mama — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:12:18 +0000

Good post. I’ve wondered how other bloggers handle/address this.

I struggle with this issue — at home, that is, not at work, where cussing is part of everyday conversation. (It’s a newsroom. We are proficient in profanity.) When at home, however, I don’t swear in front of the kids. (Unless I’ve just stubbed a toe or pulled some little-used muscle.)

As for my blog, I try not to use too many expletives. If I do include one, it’s usually because I feel really strongly about something and I hesitate to change it because … well, it’s how I felt when I was writing it.

… if that makes any sense … ? My brain is mush today.

No, you make perfect sense to me. But, then MY brain is mush most day Again, I believe that sometimes only a cuss word will do, but most of the time, it’s unnecessary. Thanks for visiting. I loved your post about why you need a date~ Priceless.~skt

By: Mo

Mo — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:18:45 +0000

Just another one here that agrees 100%…I never cuss on this box, and try very hard not to in RL, but having been married to two squids, I *can* ‘cuss like a sailor’ for sure! So, I make a point to vary my word selections as much as possible – I agree w/ you; it only proves one’s lack of creativity, limited vocabulary and bad breeding.

Woo Hoo! I bet you can turn the air blue! I like that you don’t do that all the time! It’s nice to have the ability and then refrain from using it ~skt

By: JAM

JAM — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:42:08 +0000

I don’t use them, but I cannot say I never have. So I don’t get upset when folks cuss, either in person or in writing, but I’ll avoid it if I can.

This was a really good, thought provoking post. I regularly read a couple of blogs whose owners tend to cuss, but only those with something to say that I want to hear. Does that make sense?

Makes perfect sense to me. I will put up with some of it. I’ll put up with more in an actual conversation. But, with so many blogs to read, I don’t like wasting a lot of time on writers who didn’t respect their readers enough to use imaginative language.~skt

By: Freelance Cynic

Freelance Cynic — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:22:25 +0000

Since moving to Bristol the culture of expletives seems to have drained somemore into my speech. But I would still never use them in my writing, unless they were neccesary for character or mood.

Simon, a lot of what you write lends itself to that, so I can forgive it when it happens. Your writing is so funny, I could almost forgive anything! ~skt

By: subarctic mama

subarctic mama — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:03:50 +0000

Great thoughtful post. It sounds like that “PS” was one of the moments an expletive had power. Thanks for sharing the story of that hilarious letter.

I don’t know if my son will thank me ! That “PS” definitely packed some punch.~skt