What's wrong with our language?
Every time I hear the word "F***", I get annoyed. I feel cheap when I see the word re-spelt and put on T-shirts and there is even a brand of watches that way. It has been only two and half-years since I have been living in a city and therefore I find it very hard to digest when this word is used for all kinds of feelings - anger, excitement, shock, dissent...
I happened to visit a literary festival yesterday in Bangalore and there was a short skit that was performed. I loved the entire skit but for the last part when the son says to his mother "F*** You" more than once. I could tolerate it only because it was a play. But, what I ask is, "Is this the way you talk to a person who gave you birth?" My son will find his skull echoing with the sound of my palm colluding his cheek, if he speaks that way to his mother.(Of course I am still 27 and un-married; I am only saying how offensive I consider it)
And then people repeatedly use the expression "WTF." It only signifies frustration and exasperation; nothing more. To me it symbolizes how happy a person is with his/her life and how often is he/she getting fed up with it. It is certainly a bad symptom.The F-word is still in the vulgar category in a dictionary. It may not be long to be moved to the colloquial category but I have already missed the bus and I will continue to get irked with this word; especially when girls use it.
Now, coming to the word shit. I have found even myself using this word and have gradually reduced its usage and am trying to completely remove it from my expressions of exclamation marks. People no more call out to their mother when they get hurt; they use this word. There is this short story where a foolish wood cutter is cutting the branch on which he is sitting. Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati are going around Earth and see this.They agree that if he uses the word "Amma", Mother Parvati would go and save him. If he uses the word "Abba," it would be Lord Shiva's turn. But the wood cutter neither says Amma nor says Abba but "Shit."(modified to suit the context) So, he falls down and dies.
Every time I hear the word "F***", I get annoyed. I feel cheap when I see the word re-spelt and put on T-shirts and there is even a brand of watches that way. It has been only two and half-years since I have been living in a city and therefore I find it very hard to digest when this word is used for all kinds of feelings - anger, excitement, shock, dissent...
I happened to visit a literary festival yesterday in Bangalore and there was a short skit that was performed. I loved the entire skit but for the last part when the son says to his mother "F*** You" more than once. I could tolerate it only because it was a play. But, what I ask is, "Is this the way you talk to a person who gave you birth?" My son will find his skull echoing with the sound of my palm colluding his cheek, if he speaks that way to his mother.(Of course I am still 27 and un-married; I am only saying how offensive I consider it)
And then people repeatedly use the expression "WTF." It only signifies frustration and exasperation; nothing more. To me it symbolizes how happy a person is with his/her life and how often is he/she getting fed up with it. It is certainly a bad symptom.The F-word is still in the vulgar category in a dictionary. It may not be long to be moved to the colloquial category but I have already missed the bus and I will continue to get irked with this word; especially when girls use it.
Now, coming to the word shit. I have found even myself using this word and have gradually reduced its usage and am trying to completely remove it from my expressions of exclamation marks. People no more call out to their mother when they get hurt; they use this word. There is this short story where a foolish wood cutter is cutting the branch on which he is sitting. Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati are going around Earth and see this.They agree that if he uses the word "Amma", Mother Parvati would go and save him. If he uses the word "Abba," it would be Lord Shiva's turn. But the wood cutter neither says Amma nor says Abba but "Shit."(modified to suit the context) So, he falls down and dies.
