There is an art to cussing, and most people do it wrong.
Cussing is best used sparingly, to add emphasis at critical points. It’s also essential to make sure word placement and grammar don’t render it into a joke.
An example of bad cussing that sticks out in my mind is from the “clasic” Dr. Dre “song” “Keep their headz ringin.” Now this is a classic bad rap song: It’s the artist talking about how cool and how down he is, how he’s so much better than everyone else (don’t tell us Dre, show us!)
But when he belts out this line:
“The motherfuckin D-R-E, will keep their motherfuckin headz ringin”
I just start cackling madly. For those who have forgotten, the slang word “motherfuckin'” actually has a definition: it refers to a man who engages in sexual intercourse with his own mother. By referring to himself as “The motherfuckin D-R-E,” Dre is unwittingly admitting to an incestuous relationship with his mother.
I heard another “good” one at a bar tonight. A man’s female companion was accusing him of flirting with the waitress, a charge he denied with the witty rejoinder “No, I know her man, she’s my fucking babysitter.”
Oh yeah. Solid defense there, guy. It was all I could do to keep the Mountain Dew from spewing out my nose.
Used properly, cussing can add force or even meaning to a sentence.Cussing every other word without thinking about what the words might mean in context just makes you look like a fucking moron.
The number of times I’ve seen cursing being used as an attempt to cover for a limited vocabulary… using it as every other word makes me laugh, too.
The slam on the song is kinda dumb man. Ever hear of poetic license?
Stop being so self-absorbed and you might learn a few things that cannot be taught in a college classroom.
John Dr:
in fact, I have heard of poetic license. That’s one of those things they taught me in college.
poetic license
n.
The liberty taken by an artist or a writer in deviating from conventional form or fact to achieve a desired effect
Now, did Dre achieve his desired effect by leading me to believe he was admitting to an incestuous relationship with his mother?
No, it would be more accurate to say that Dre adhered to a conventional form at the expense of his desired effect.
So the “poetic license” defense is out, and it’s just plain bad cussing.
Perhaps you should stop being so self-absorbed and bother to learn a few things that can be taught in a college classroom. (like the definition of “poetic license”, for example.)
Well nobody ever accused Dr Dre of having ethics or speaking with civility, although despite his education, he’s definatly intelligent; having launched more rap artists than most anyone else. André Romel Young what a name!