Don't know exactly why this has stuck in my craw enough to make me want to do a diary on it, and I'm sure I'll see my share of troll ratings for this, but here goes. A few days ago I read a diary by Armando
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/5/1468/92518 , in which he refers to Alberto Gonzales in the first sentence as a "piece of shit", and goes on later to say "Can you fucking imagine that"?
I am not at all a prude, and profanity in the right context does have an impact, however, this usage seemed to me wholly unnecessary, especially on a front page diary. I was bothered enough about it write Markos a short email.
I've been a Dkos member since about July and this is the first time I feel compelled to write directly to you.
I'm not a prude, but can't we really do without sentences such as "How can this piece of shit be the next attorney general" and "can you fucking imagine that" on front page diaries?
I expect and don't really mind seeing profanity in the comments, but your front pagers are supposed to be your best and brightest. Surely they can find ways to say what they mean without the 4 letter words?
Does "Can you FUCKING imagine that" really say that much more than "can you imagine that".
With the visibility and quotability of Dkos growing leaps and bounds, doesn't it make sense that front pagers should be making reasoned and well thought out arguments rather than just quoting sources and
swearing? Just asking.
Here is Markos' reply:
Honestly, I use profanity when warranted. I don't mind when others use it. I won't change the formula that made the site successful simply because more people read it.
Let me say that first of all, I would have written Armando directly if I had his email. His diary page does not display it. I did not want to enter the discussion on the diary itself, because I did not want to take away from the Gonzales discussion.
Secondly, I really appreciate the fact that Markos took the time to reply to me at all, but it made me wonder, is front page profanity really part of the formula that has "made the site successful?".
I enter this discussion knowing full well that the issue of profanity on democratic blogs has been used as an attack point by freepers and religious nuts. I assure you I am neither (just read any of my diaries or comments), but unrestrained profanity still bothers me for a few reasons:
- I do know many good people who are turned off by the usage of profanity. It gets in the way of their absorbing an otherwise intelligent argument.
- Precisely because it is a "weakness" easily exploited by the right. How easy it is for them to ignore an argument and debunk the "potty mouth"
- To me personally, profanity is symbolically the language of violence. When that 4 letter word pops into my head, it is sometimes more challenging for me to find a way to avoid its usage. In my own mind, it is a small example of a culture that is becoming more and more fascinated by violence. Many people in the past decade have pooh-poohed the impact of violence on TV, in the movies, in music, and in video games, yet here we are, in a violent war culture, that only seems to be escalating. The video games are more violent than ever, the movies are more graphic than ever, and we are as ignorant of the violent mayhem we are causing and enabling in the world as we've ever been.
- It shows an extreme lack of respect for the humanity of the person it is directed at. It objectifies that person as one less than human. One of the thing that makes the Ali G show so sarcastically funny is how he talks about all his bitches and ho's and then ends each interview with "respect". To me, the casual use of profanity shows a lack of respect for the person it is directed to and also the self. The ability to objectify people is how things like Abu Gharaib can happen. To call someone a "fucking piece of shit" is to make that person the less-than-human object of your anger. (I recall the scene in Farenheit 9/11 when the soldier sings along to the song lyrics "Burn motherfucker, Burn". This was one of the creepiest moments in the movie and to me is a prime example of how violence and profanity are intertwined.) To say instead, "Your behavior makes me feel very angry", is taking responsibility for your own anger, and criticizing the behavior, not the person. Maybe that's too twelve-steppish for some of you, but I personally think it's healthier.