Swearing

Well, puck me with a fitchfork. The F-word is apparently an acceptable part of Australian speech.

That’s the only conclusion you can draw after the trade mark examiner gave two thucking fumbs up to a soon-to-be-released product called “Nuckin Futs”.

After the initial trade mark application was rejected, a savvy lawyer argued that the f-bomb is an everyday part of Australian speech. And he won. The product is on its way, with the only caveat being it can’t be marketed to minors.

Continue reading "No wuckin forries. These nuckin futs are tuckin fops" »

With the election running faster than a ‘roo on the hot desert’, the Australian slang and euphemisms have been coming thick and fast. For a politician it is clearly a calculated move: during the recent televised debate, Tony Abbott dropped the term ‘fair dinkum’ four times before Gillard started using it back in an ironic sense.

Even Kevin Rudd made his return to the campaign trail claiming that ‘I actually don’t think Mr Abbott is fair dinkum.’ But really, are any of us buying this usage? How many Australians can listen to politicians using slang terms, and find it natural and believable?

For many Australians, slang is a part of every day life. It’s a useful way of shortening our sentences, has created a sense of camaraderie, and done wonders for defining the Australian image. But much about Australian slang comes from its casual delivery, and it’s association with a relaxed atmosphere. Neither of which are terms used to describe politics.

Continue reading "Fair Dinkum pollies, enough with the slang" »

Oscar Wilde, the famous 19th century Irish poet once said: “The expletive is the refuge of the semi-literate”.  In other words; swearing is for dumb heads.

Well, all I can say is, if the ‘refuge’ was an actual place, it would be packed to the rafters—considering the number of foul-mouthed ‘dumb heads’ around these days.  And yes, okay, I might be among their number too at times, I admit.  (Before anyone starts calling me a hypocrite because they’ve heard me say naughty words).  Yes, we 21st century folk certainly say lots of words that would’ve made our Victorian ancestors’ hair curl.

As a kid, while I soon became aware of most swear words (mainly thanks to the neighbourhood kids who were clearly more world-wise than me) I would never dare use them.  And, even though my Dad, an ex-army pugilist and a Scotsman to boot (apparently a very bad combo for swear-ability) was always pretty careful not to swear around us kids or in public, I still, in fact, heard my first F Bomb from his own lips.

Continue reading "Foul language gone Wilde" »

Call it Humpty Dumpty jurisprudence. Australia has a new arbiter of taste in magistrate Robbie Williams, who has let a student off the hook after calling a police officer a prick.

Williams has enraged police with his ruling but at the same time shown himself in touch with the broader community’s appreciation of the finer points of swearing.

Police are outraged that his ruling appears to condone the verbal abuse of officers, but Williams’s decision explored the delicate way in which swear words change their intensity depending on context. There is also the less delicate reality that some police officers can be quite accurately described as pricks.

Continue reading "Pricking the bubble of polite conversation" »

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gave a lesson in how to manage a potential blow-up yesterday with one little Tweet.

As you might have heard, US Vice President Joe Biden got caught by an open mike after introducing President Barack Obama, who was about to announce the passage of his historic health care reforms.

“This is a big f—-ing deal,” the gaff-prone VP said in the President’s ear, loud enough to be audible on television. Gibbs’s Tweet? “And yes Mr. Vice President, you’re right…”

Continue reading "Sometimes things are a big (swearword of choice) deal" »

EDs: South Australian Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond has banned swearing in Liberal party meetings. Here she explains why.

I am somewhat surprised at the level of interest in my anti-swearing stance.

It’s not that I’m a prude – I don’t expect that people will never swear.  Indeed, I’ve been know to utter the odd expletive myself.  But in the workplace and especially in my workplace the Parliament, I take the view that it is inappropriate.

Continue reading "What’s the %&*# fuss about?" »

People behave better online than in real life, moderating their language, respecting the views of others and being selective in their choice of invective.

That’s my conclusion after completing what I am claiming is the first definitive study on the language of building workers in a confined space, otherwise known as an online discussion board.

Thinking ourselves prudent, we decided to vet online messages of support for Ark Tribe, the Adelaide building worker facing jail for refusing to answer questions to the Building Commission , before we posted them online.

Continue reading "In cyberspace everyone can hear you swear" »

Ask any marketing professional in the world today what they believe is the most potent asset in communications and they will tell you,  authenticity – and if you don’t have it, then fake it.

Watching the Prime Minister singing at the community cabinet meeting in Brisbane last week reminded me of another performer with whom Kevin Rudd has more in common than he would like to admit.

In Eddie Murphy’s film, Coming to America, Randy Watson took the stage at the Jackson Heights School Hall to perform “The Greatest Love of All”.

Continue reading "Is KRudd keepin’ it real?" »

There are two types of people in the world: people who think there are two types of people in the world, and those of us who think it’s even dumber than the zodiac to divide people arbitrarily into just two irreconcilable camps.

However, the one issue which fits this never-the-twain-shall-meet division is swearing.

People either dislike swearing to the point of loathing it - hello Mum - or are perfectly comfortable with it, swear frequently themselves, find it amusing or edifying when other people use swear words to make their point.

Continue reading "Robert Hughes and the dying art of swearing" »