Seven Words

Warning: This blog is full of vulgar language. Reader discretion is advised.

Through my email I received the following message from my blog idea group:  “Khalil Gibran once said that people will never understand one another unless language is reduced to seven words. What would your seven words be?” I don’t know about you but after reading that there were only seven words that came to mind:

Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits.

For you kids out there who think that PewDiePie or Annoying Orange (the number 1 and number 10 highest earning YouTube “stars” according to celebritynetworth.com), let me introduce you to the greatest comedic mind to ever grace this earth: Mr. George Carlin.

Yes, this is a funny bit but I believe its more than that. It is insight into what most people feel is important. I think for a lot of people the words people say can carry more meaning than the sentiment behind the words. I couldn’t disagree more. Of course there are some words that should never be said ever unless there is some sort of historical performance (movie, play, etc.) that would dictate the use. You know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the “N” word. Other than that, I say use whatever words you like but not to demean or insult others.

I curse a lot. I will use “fuck” as a comma (thanks to Lewis Black for that little bit of comedy). I say it around the kid. No, I’m not worried about her picking it up and using the word. It is just a word. A word cannot hurt someone. As the old saying goes, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

It is the sentiment behind the words that can be painful. Let us look at two sentences and compare.

Sentence 1 (said to a friend you haven’t seen in a long time): “Hey man! It’s been 10 years. How the fuck have you been?”

Sentence 2 (said to a non-friend that had an affair with your wife and you haven’t seen in a long time): “Hey, you fuck! What are you doing here? Did you get tired of fucking my wife, you fuck?”

See the difference? In the first sentence the word is just casually and playfully included. I know everyone that just read that sentence had a sort of playful, of vulgar, voice in their head. In the second sentence the word is used as a dagger and the intent is to hurt. The point is that the word didn’t do anything to anyone. It is four letters pushed together to form a sound. It is the intent behind the word that hurts.

Let’s examine another word: cunt. I’m not an avid user of this word like I am “fuck” but it has nothing to do with the word itself. I just don’t tend to use it probably because I’m not British. I know that most women in the U.S. find the word extremely offensive mainly because it is primarily used as a vulgar term for female genitalia. However, hop across the pond to Britain and you don’t find the same taboo as in the U.S. Not to say “cunt” is used in a happy go lucky way but it certainly doesn’t sound as vulgar. Sometimes it is used as a general curse, like “Fixing this car is going to be a cunt of a job”. Sometimes it is used a positive to describe someone as funny or clever, like “This stand-up comic is hilarious. What a cunt!” Again, the point is the word isn’t bad, it is the connotation the user applies to the word that can cause any negativity.

So don’t be afraid to use words. Use them often. Use them well. Use as many as you can because there is no way to narrow a language down to seven words. If we did, it would take the piss out of the whole language.