Month: October 2021

I Swear

Earlier, I detailed why I’m not a huge fan of swear words [here]. In fairness, I do think there’s a time and place for vulgar language. Here are some situations where swearing seems appropriate: 

-when you’re writing dialog for a character and you want to immediately convey a hardened, street-wise tough guy. A lexicon drenched with profanity will convey that stereotype.  

-to exaggerate, for comedy. I think this technique is most effective when used sparingly. Decades ago, my brother’s friend made a prank phone call. It was about 11 o’clock on a weeknight in a small town. He dialed a random number, and a woman sleepily answered, “…hhullo?” “Jeanie!!!” the prankster yelled enthusiastically. “I just had to call and tell you! I wrote this new song and it f—ing RULES!!! It goes like this-” then he started singing in a death metal voice, but couldn’t help laughing, so he hung up. The key sentence (“I wrote this new song…”) without the swear word doesn’t have the same impact.  

-when quoting someone. Wording can reveal a person’s attitude. I admit that swearing can add color and a je ne sais quoi to the story. While talking about a neighbor’s volunteer work, my dad set the scene with, “Let’s pretend she’s been doing this s— for ten years.” 

-when people aren’t taking you seriously. In the previous post, I suggested that those who hear swearing all the time may become immune to it, but I might be wrong. I’ve been in situations where appeals to logic and sympathy went ignored, and I resorted to swearing. I honestly don’t remember if that got through or not, but it didn’t hurt to try.

There Is Such Thing as A Free Lunch

Three years ago, I was exploring Charleston, WV. I stopped in a few downtown shops, and heard shop employees telling customers at checkout counters that credit card machines were down. Sounded like it was a widespread issue. I walked to an Indian restaurant, Sitar of India, unsure if they’d be open due to the circumstances. Not only were they serving, but they persuaded customers in, assuring us not to worry about payment. “You can pay next time.” Restaurant employees did not seem concerned about being compensated. Rather, they seemed to make it their mission to take care of every person who ventured into their vicinity and treat them to the best cuisine and best service possible, especially since there was a citywide complication. They were going to be hope in the bottom of Pandora’s box. [I had some cash with me, and I wanted to make sure I paid them, since I didn’t know if I’d ever be back in the area. They rounded the price of the meal down, cutting off the change and tax.] The place seemed to buzz with a party atmosphere, and I’m sure the attitude of service with which the restaurant employees handled the situation sparked the celebratory mood. What a wonderful example of how to treat our fellow humans. I felt honored to witness it.