Comments on: Discussion: Country Cussing

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:24:57 +0000

Hey JR, I definitely was not offended by your comments. Technically, I wasn’t even offended by gagirl’s comment either. I just disagreed with some of her points.

To be honest, I have no problem with people who swear or people who choose not to swear. I just think that people who try to make others who choose not to do it feel like losers are just as wrong as people who try to police it.

However, beyond that, this whole issue is pretty insignificant to me.:)

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:41:49 +0000

I didn’t mean to imply your are one of the police, Leeann. And I certainly didn’t mean to offend you if I did …

Actually, I was more responding to gagirl’s comment again. Yes, her comment is on the extreme side, and I rarely go to the extreme on either side of any argument. But I gotta say, if I had to choose the extreme here, I’d pick gagirl’s extreme to the ‘I don’t ever use cuss words’ side. That’s all.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:30:49 +0000

JR, I was referring to the comment above yours.

gagirl62,

I just feel that while I understand that it can feel oppressive if people police language, it’s not necessary to rebel against those people. We’re adults now. It’s not like it’s the cool thing to swear now that we’re not in high school. So what? We can do it. Awesome! There are plenty of things that I can do that I choose not to take to an extreme. Saying that you would gladly take your kid to a concert where someone swears to the extreme so that he/she can see freedom of speech in action simply seems more reactionary than rational.
I suppose my problem isn’t your champion of cussing, it’s the extremeness that bothers me. When people are extreme with their arguments, it’s way too easy to dismiss the argument altogether, thereby negating the good points within.

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:08:51 +0000

Nor am I, Leeann. It’s those who feel the need to keep everybody else’s language clean that bother me …

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:41:05 +0000

PS. Just because we have the freedom to say just about whatever we want to say, it doesn’t mean that we’re required to say it.

I’m certainly not above using many 4-letter words, but I most definitely don’t feel the need to denigrate those who do choose to keep their language clean.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:35:17 +0000

Wow! There are too many generalizations to even get into here. You’re really assuming a lot about people who choose not to cuss.

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:24:14 +0000

gagirl62 wrote ” Esp. if said words PISS OFF the oh-so-proper b*tch you’re cussin’ AT! We all know the type; all they say is “Dadgum” and “Oh Fudge!” and maybe they don’t party (which is everyone’s right, at which point they have the ‘right’ to walk out my door!)”

Will you marry me?

By: gagirl62

gagirl62 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:36:59 +0000

Any kid who is old enough to go to a Toby Keith concert and hear the “F” word is, imo, one lucky kid, as he/she gets to see freedom of speech at work. I LOVE to cuss and I’ll never stop, and of course i don’t go cussing in front of kids I DON”T KNOW; the ones I know, if I have to cuss in front of or at them,(and I love kids;it’s just that I taught English for 13 yrs. and I love to “play” w/words/language..) Any kid over 3 has heard/heard of “bad words,” esp. if they have older sibs or parents who choose to use REAL curse words when necessary- and sometimes it IS necessary!! Esp. if said words PISS OFF the oh-so-proper b*tch you’re cussin’ AT! We all know the type; all they say is “Dadgum” and “Oh Fudge!” and maybe they don’t party (which is everyone’s right, at which point they have the ‘right’ to walk out my door!), but some of these women are the BIGGEST hypocrites/gossips/control freaks/passive-aggressive B’s you’ll ever know. I have 2 sons, one 20 yrs. in college, one 10 in elem. school, and they were raised knowing that language- a la’ George Carlin- can be creative, fun, funny,subversive, etc. What do you think an AP English teacher looks for in his/her students? Idiots who write “love poetry” that RHYMES? Hell no. An educated person is supposed to recognize satire, sarcasm, irony, etc. AND they read plenty of gay (Whitman, Oscar Wilde, zillions more…)writers’ works and also the works of BRILLIANT writers who also happened to be drug addicts
and alcoholics,and on and on. TOBY KEITH knew EXACTLY what he was doing at that concert;as an artist, he made a choice. Anyone offended should not have been there; the world is not always G-rated; kids know this; why don’t their parents?? That’s when you talk to your kids and it’s FINE if you don’t condone any “bad words” w/in your family… just know that, when they get out of your sight, your “G-rated” kids will snicker and either say bad words themselves when w/their friends, play doctor, spit, hit, lie, etc. They will adapt to the “social code” of their peer groups, and I don’t care if said groups are church / Christian related. The first time I ever visited a Baptist Youth Group at 14, they had a cookout and we snuck out on the dock (we were all well trusted!) and those teens got me knee-walkin’ wasted. And some couples kissed or more. By the teen years, the ‘F’ word is going to be the least of a parent’s worries… your child won’t remember (or care) that you took them to a Toby Keith concert where they heard the ‘F’ word; hell, this is one of the reasons they love you! No, they will just remember that you took them somewhere and they had fun. WITH YOU!! Cussing is OK, just use sense (and avoid GD) … The rap/r&b group Outkast have a song called “Roses”-singing about a horrible woman, a tramp and a user- and one of the lyrics goes: “Caroline… she’s the reason for the word B*TCH.” Well said…on the radio, it’s changed to “witch,” and it just sounds stupid.

By: Bobbeanne Whitney

Bobbeanne Whitney — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:39:34 +0000

I do not like the cussing nor do I like the spitting on the stage that Toby is doing more of. I’ve been a fan and gone to concerts for over four years and he is only recently doing this. It’s not necessary and detracts from his music.

By: Chris D.

Chris D. — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:41:06 +0000

I personally hate cussing, for religious reasons. I just think most of the time it’s not necessary and the same point and emotion can be brought using words that won’t offend anyone. Most of the time I won’t buy an album or listen to a song if it has too many cusswords in it.