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The Other Four-Letter "F" Word At Funk Fest

by Greggory Moore | No Destination | 11.11.09 |

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[Editor�s note] This column contains language that some may find offensive.

This column is a bit late in coming, preempted as it was by a couple of more time-sensitive issues on which I wanted to weigh in. But let me take you back to August 30th. It was a lovely day downtown, as a rainbow representation of the entire city came out for the Long Beach Funk Fest, including families and their children. The music was slammin', whether being jammed from the stages at either end of Pine or spun by the DJs on Broadway. Fun was had by all.

Now and again in the midst of that fun, within and between songs, were some four-letter words beginning with F. Sure, "funk" was #1, followed by "fest"; but asserting itself solidly at #3 was the Big One, the F-Bomb, the poster child of four-letter words: FUCK.

The first time I noticed it was when a DJ slapped some Michael Jackson on the turntable ("Off the Wall"�a song even I like). "Do y'all like Michael Jackson?" he asked. "Then make some fuckin' noise!" It might be appropriate to point out here that the DJ area was a stone's throw from a "Kid's Zone" tent set up by drum-accessory manufacturer Remo, where tots were hanging out banging away on an array of hand drums.

But there were kids everywhere. And so, I ask: Should we be concerned, outraged, etc., when this kind of thing happens, when "fuck" is broadcast in the presence of young children?

I'll tell you one thing: I couldn't care less. It's not that I believe some degree of sheltering children is inappropriate; I just find our puritanical strains here in the U.S. ludicrous when they bleed over into mere words. Every time I see a piece of video with someone's upward-pointing middle finger blurred out or hear Roger Daltrey's two "fuck"s in "Who Are You?" electronically dumped�something that never happened on KMET-FM or KLOS-FM when I was growing up�I cringe and lament at the misguided inanity of trying to "protect" our children from . . . what? A gesture? A word? A sound?

See, during the Funk Fest, for all the "fuck"s I heard, not one connoted sexual content, not one was used aggressively or in anger, not one was aimed to denigrate anybody. Every last "fuck" was employed with positivity, denoting excitement, emphasis, even joy.

As most anyone who knows me well can tell you (perhaps with eyes rolled), I am not shy about quoting philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein�and I'm a firm believer in his "language is use" dictum. And so I don't give a fuck about "fuck," only about the way it's used, what's actually being said. I know I wouldn't like it if someone were to say (seriously) to me, "Fuck you!" but I'd like it plenty if (s)he were to say, "I fucking love you!" The why is obvious: it's all about what's being conveyed, the meaning the words are meant to bestow in each case. Can you convey your love for me without the "fucking"? Sure�but not in just the same way. What about if you emend it to "frigging"? Okay, but isn't that a bit silly? Because in this context "frigging" is doing exactly the same thing as "fucking," exactly the same thing. It's the use, the context, that determines the meaning.

In Gone with the Wind, Rhett Butler exits with these words: "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn." Almost all of us 21st-century inhabitants chuckle at the thought, but in 1939 that was pretty risqu� stuff onscreen. Certainly, then, "fuck" at a public event would have been a scandal. But not once when the word was uttered at Funk Fest did I detect any noticeable negative reaction. The kids went on banging on their drum, the adults continued to mingle and to dance. Some might say this is do to "the coarsening of America"�a very popular phrase over the last decade or so; I rather hope it has more to do with us jettisoning some of our provinciality, or with the demystification of language, with our being better able than we once were to keep an eye on the forest of context and not get too hung up on any specific tree. The utterance of "fuck" can be about affection as much as it can be about sex or anger. And Funk Fest was all about affection, and kinship. Even when "fuck" was in the air. Maybe especially then.

Language is a powerful tool. So is the ability to harness atoms. But like any tool, it's all in how you use it. From atoms we get A-Bombs and the means for you to view these words on your computer screen. From language we get expressions of hatred and of love. Use language lovingly and you increase the likelihood to get that love coming right back to you. Let the words you hear serve to deliver the meanings intended by the speakers and you may feel that love, even when the language seems crass. And so I offer much love, y'all. Fuck yeah.

Comments

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Bored
Interesting but in no way a needed read.

Shea Shizzle
Well said! Could have been just one paragraph, but you are very right its just how you use it. Educate the youth!

Lindsey
Wonderful. You can be hurtful and offensive without ever using an actual curse word, and adoring and loving while using every one you know. The words used to convey an emotion should not be anywhere near as important as the emotion itself.

Pam
I fucking love you!

KC in LB
But it's such a "friggin'" ugly, ugly word. It looks ugly. It sounds ugly. Admit it - it is used to sound a bit confrontational or for what used to be its shock value.

Why bring it up?
Why bring up a discussion if you're going to go on a rant about what you think? When presenting at a public event on a public street that's publized as a family-welcome-event, I think it's a good idea to consider the audience and tone it down. When I read fiction or poetry at family events, I read only my G and PG work. However, I don't think that letting out some F bombs at the Funk Fest is worth making a fuss about. There are portraits and sculptures of nudes at art museums that welcome children. It's art. It's life.

!@#%$
Once again you prove your lack of class Greggory. An honorable person would never say that word in public nor write it in an article. You are just as childish and immature as the musicians and DJ's at the funk fest.

Adreana Langston
I think people visiting an event should be aware of the type of performers and audience they are likely to encounter at the event. I greatly enjoy gospel music though I do not believe in the gospel. If I attend a gospel music festival at a park or at a publicly owned college I go expecting there to be some evangelizing from the stage. I just grin and put up with it even though I find some of the prostelitizing offensive. Well I went to the funk fest fully anticipating the possibility that the performers, since they were performing funk music, might use cuss words or have sexually suggestive lyrics. At a classical music festival, not so much. People bringing small children to the funk fest should have anticipated what their children might hear.

dont sue me
tread lightly Greggory. the "arts advocates and councils" in this city dont take kindly to differing opinions. it simply is not tolerated. be warned...

Enough is enough
Absolutely not. If we allow that word at public events then it is condoning the use of the word in all areas , anywhere. We already have a real problem with that word being used so freely at our public schools and not just by young men but by females now. I used to walk by and hear the conversations of some of our young people and just be sad at how low our society has come. The girls think nothing of saying that word. If its a city event there should be rules regulating conduct and presentation by the entertainers especially if women and children will be present.

Bob
The F word shows lack of respect, and I see it as low IQ problem, one can certainly think of a more socially acceptable word to convey their thought in public. In a private intimacy situation do as you please.

Kathy Ryan
So now parents are supposed to teach their kids the 'F' word can be used in both a good and bad way. You sound like you have been holding back from using this tasteless word, so you decided to write a column in order to vent. How ludicrous.... Go back to writing something of interest!

Dennis
My first question reading this was, "does this guy have kids?" My presumption is he does not. This is a ludicrous argument, and if tongue in cheek it fails. So there should be no consideration for children in ear shot when words are used, because they are just words. What about the "n-word" is that okay to just toss out? Just a word? What about derogatory/defaming words for Hispanics, Asians, whites, gays, women? Go ahead try it and see what happens. You will have a poopstorm (see you don't need profanity) come down on your head. Why? Because words do matter and some words are very offensive to all audiences and some to specific audiences and because we are a civilized society--or are supposed to be one. You had your sophmoric use of a naughty word, congratulations. Now please don't use it in front of my children, or anyone elses. If you do you will look like the "j-word" (rhymes with work).

capster
B-shit! To "!@#%$" - you sir or madam are full of it - using words to decide who is worthy and who is not - bunk! You have not the first clue what honorable is if you're going to judge bassed on the words I use. It is what is in my heart and the actions I choose in life, and how I treat the world around me that demote honor or lack of it. I knew men in the military who cussed like crazy but demonstrated more honor in their treatment of others than the most educated, well spoken among us. Words are nothing, silly combinations of letters, which are also nothing. We made it all up from nothing, then we give it meaning, then we use it to beat each other to death with. Many if not most of the "curse" words we identify today either didn't exist or didn't have their current meaning as little as 100 years ago. And in 100 years forward, new words will have become curses and words we think cursed today will become meaningless. Greggory nailed it - let's spend more effort on who we are being in our lives and how we honor our planet and it's peoples, and less on deciding who should say what and to whom!

JR Salazar
This article was great.

John Greet
I get your message, Greggory. Truly I do..."Take personal responsibility for how you choose to view the world"..."Take personal responsibility for how you choose to allow the acts, or the words, of others to effect you". But you know, Greggory, there exist some other maxims as well, some you seem to have avoided or, at least, to be purposefully ignoring: "Take personal responsibility for what you say and how you say it"..."Don't presume to impose your values, or lack thereof, upon others" and "When in doubt as to how to behave or what to say or how to say it in public, follow the higher, more civil and more respectful path". Uttering or, in this case amplified shouting, of epithets in public is simply disrespectful of those in the area who might hear and be offended. Perhaps some shouldn't be offended but, then again, perhaps one shouldn't presume to make that decision for others -or for their children- when in a clearly public and supposedly family-oriented venue that all are sharing and simply trying to enjoy. Those who know me well, also know that I am, indeed, an occasional fan of the F-bomb and I can assure you that I am not shy about employing it, especially when no other term seems quite sufficient to express what I'm thiking or feeling (good or bad) at the moment. But I do so with circumspection. I take some responsibility. I choose to understand that such words are extremely offensive to some others and wholly inappropriate to utter, let alone shout, around children. In short, and especially in public, I try to conduct myself in a manner that is respectful of the many others I am sharing that public space with because to live together in a society there have to be some basic standards of behavior that all can agree to and abide by. Else we devolve from a civil society into nothing more than a collection of egocentric individuals who are only concerned about their own selfish preferences and entirely ignorant and uncaring of those about them. Thats's not the sort of society, or community, I care to live and raise my kids in. But that's just me.

opendna
I think I recognize "!@#%$" from one of LBC's political email lists. That's probably one of the clowns who taught me a very valuable lesson about offensive language: There are certain outspoken moralists who see nothing objectionable about advocating the murder of 30 million people because of their religion and will respectfully honor your right to say such things unopposed. If, however, you utter the "F-word" they will express the most righteous indignation at the foul content of your mouth, mind, soul and culture.

No Destination

Greggory Moore examines Long Beach in light of his belief that the most pragmatic aim of a community and its individuals is not for a terminus but simply to be better, always to be better.

Trapped within in the ironic predicament of wanting to know everything (more or less) while believing it may not be possible really to know anything at all, Greggory Moore is nonetheless dedicated to a life of study, be it of books, people, nature, or that slippery phenomenon we call the self. And from time to time he feels impelled to write a little something. He lives in a historic landmark downtown and holds down a variety of word-related jobs, from HOA minutes-taker to copy editor and contributing writer for The District Weekly.