Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Crap!
Back in 1972, George Carlin first performed his signature skit "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." It was a milestone at the time, because it formally expressed which words there were; and especially the thinking that there were only seven.
What were these taboo words? Shit, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, piss, and tits. These are still the deplorable seven; but may be further revised to only five.
It's notable what didn't make the cut on George's list: dick, suck, boob, dork, and so forth.
And crap.
I can remember when it was a no-no word.
Never mind the popularity of the game of craps. This dice game was called craps originally because it was played by the French in old Louisiana. The French were, you see, called frogs. So it became Johnny Crapaud's game. Or simply craps.
Anyway, Bernard de Marigny developed a faubourg in New Orleans in the early 1800's; and one of the street names was Rue du Craps.
Transfer to a later time: 1968. The summer after the Summer of Love.
I was then employed as a counselor in a therapeutic summer camp for children with behavioral problems. I was one of the counselors for the smallest group of boys.
One issue that came up in group discussion was the promiscuous use of profanity by group members, including the counselors. To quote one eight-year-old: "Yeah, we use cuss words; but Big Jerry and Big Don use them a lot; Big Merry does too. And Big Ed uses them most of all!"
Busted!
Anyway, we had a discussion which lasted maybe a half-hour; and we unanimously decided that certain words were not to be used: shit and damn being the most notorious. Another prominent word, crap, was unanimously voted non-profane.
Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, would have been proud.
Or maybe not. Somehow, a former minister (one of the counselors) telling one and all that he needed some peace in the john so he could take a crap may not have been impressive.
But I will say that the fucks and damns stopped.
[I wonder if Prohibition would have been more successful if they continued to allow the consumption of beer.]
What were these taboo words? Shit, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, piss, and tits. These are still the deplorable seven; but may be further revised to only five.
It's notable what didn't make the cut on George's list: dick, suck, boob, dork, and so forth.
And crap.
I can remember when it was a no-no word.
Never mind the popularity of the game of craps. This dice game was called craps originally because it was played by the French in old Louisiana. The French were, you see, called frogs. So it became Johnny Crapaud's game. Or simply craps.
Anyway, Bernard de Marigny developed a faubourg in New Orleans in the early 1800's; and one of the street names was Rue du Craps.
Transfer to a later time: 1968. The summer after the Summer of Love.
I was then employed as a counselor in a therapeutic summer camp for children with behavioral problems. I was one of the counselors for the smallest group of boys.
One issue that came up in group discussion was the promiscuous use of profanity by group members, including the counselors. To quote one eight-year-old: "Yeah, we use cuss words; but Big Jerry and Big Don use them a lot; Big Merry does too. And Big Ed uses them most of all!"
Busted!
Anyway, we had a discussion which lasted maybe a half-hour; and we unanimously decided that certain words were not to be used: shit and damn being the most notorious. Another prominent word, crap, was unanimously voted non-profane.
Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, would have been proud.
Or maybe not. Somehow, a former minister (one of the counselors) telling one and all that he needed some peace in the john so he could take a crap may not have been impressive.
But I will say that the fucks and damns stopped.
[I wonder if Prohibition would have been more successful if they continued to allow the consumption of beer.]
Friday, July 1, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Why Anthony Weiner Had to Do It
Why did Rep. Anthony Weiner send pictures of his crotch and chest to various women? There are many possibilities.
One possible reason is that he felt jealousy towards Vladimir Putin, and wished to flaunt his physique as the Russian did.
But possibly he simply had to try harder. To quote P. J. O'Rourke:
(Give War a Chance: Eyewitness Accounts of Mankind's Struggle Against Tyranny, Injustice, and Alcohol-Free Beer)
One possible reason is that he felt jealousy towards Vladimir Putin, and wished to flaunt his physique as the Russian did.
But possibly he simply had to try harder. To quote P. J. O'Rourke:
"No one has ever had a fantasy about being tied to a bed and sexually ravished by someone dressed as a liberal"
(Give War a Chance: Eyewitness Accounts of Mankind's Struggle Against Tyranny, Injustice, and Alcohol-Free Beer)
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