You know I was gonna say “I tell stories too and have no idea what you’re talking about” but then I read it more carefully and you kinda have a point. Words do have power, the vernacular you use can subtly prime the reader to expect certain things or imply those things directly. Also, words can be overused; hell, English often feels like every word has a cooldown where one needs to wait a while before using it. Scarcity lends value.
That said, I actually disagree with your conclusion. I’m sick to death of people being so uncomfortable around words like fuck or shit or death. Policing words polices thought, and prudish shit like policing curse words only leads to either awkwardly bumbling around it or coming up with creative ways to evoke the same emotion anyways; simply take a look at digital censorship workarounds (unalive, for example). And regardless, there can still weight to the word itself, even if it becomes used excessively. It’s a matter of tone and circumstance: saying fuck after every sentence doesn’t diminish the weight behind it when said after a heated argument in which one is left with no other words to express the intensity of their emotion with.
oh i don’t mean “vilify” as in “should be policed” i meant “vilify” as in “beware of the spicy words, say them only on special occasions”. i would like to encourage using curse words less to give them more of a punch, not censor them forcefully
and to reply to your example - of saying fuck after an argument - i disagree. i feel like if my sailor-tongued friend stormed out of a room and said “fuck!” i’d think dang, has he forgotten his lunch again? coffee too cold? i mean that’s his usual reaction to pretty much any inconvenience. but if my quiet and soft spoken friend stormed out a room and said “fuck!” i’d be petrified, what could’ve possibly happened to cause him enough distress to need to let it out like that? if it doesn’t take much to push you to use bad words, then the bad words don’t really carry weight. i personally do my best to avoid using the fucks and the shits as much as i can, so that when i do say them - those who know me can feel the weight behind my word choice
You know I was gonna say “I tell stories too and have no idea what you’re talking about” but then I read it more carefully and you kinda have a point. Words do have power, the vernacular you use can subtly prime the reader to expect certain things or imply those things directly. Also, words can be overused; hell, English often feels like every word has a cooldown where one needs to wait a while before using it. Scarcity lends value.
That said, I actually disagree with your conclusion. I’m sick to death of people being so uncomfortable around words like fuck or shit or death. Policing words polices thought, and prudish shit like policing curse words only leads to either awkwardly bumbling around it or coming up with creative ways to evoke the same emotion anyways; simply take a look at digital censorship workarounds (unalive, for example). And regardless, there can still weight to the word itself, even if it becomes used excessively. It’s a matter of tone and circumstance: saying fuck after every sentence doesn’t diminish the weight behind it when said after a heated argument in which one is left with no other words to express the intensity of their emotion with.
oh i don’t mean “vilify” as in “should be policed” i meant “vilify” as in “beware of the spicy words, say them only on special occasions”. i would like to encourage using curse words less to give them more of a punch, not censor them forcefully
and to reply to your example - of saying fuck after an argument - i disagree. i feel like if my sailor-tongued friend stormed out of a room and said “fuck!” i’d think dang, has he forgotten his lunch again? coffee too cold? i mean that’s his usual reaction to pretty much any inconvenience. but if my quiet and soft spoken friend stormed out a room and said “fuck!” i’d be petrified, what could’ve possibly happened to cause him enough distress to need to let it out like that? if it doesn’t take much to push you to use bad words, then the bad words don’t really carry weight. i personally do my best to avoid using the fucks and the shits as much as i can, so that when i do say them - those who know me can feel the weight behind my word choice
Yeah honestly I think we just fundamentally disagree on this and that’s ok. Agree to disagree?
yeah sure! in the end, there is no right way to tell a story