Quote:
Originally Posted by frasnow
Many people clearly find his language offensive. I doubt most parents or teachers would agree 'The "f-bomb" label is not applicable to every use of the "f-word".'
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I think the argument that was made is that applying this label in all situations is incorrect, not that it is common for people to use critical thinking skills to judge whether or not it is an "f-bomb" versus just a use of the "f-word".
As an example of using this critical thinking, in my AP Language class in high school I was asked to read and analyze George S. Patton's speech to the Third Army. If you haven't read it, it include many words that would be considered obscene in a majority of contexts. If you take it for what it is though, which is a speech to soldiers on the day before D-Day, the swearing becomes less of an affront and more of a tool for emphasis. It's hard to communicate the same passion through a toned-down phrase when you consider the original version of "We're going to murder those lousy Hun *censored* by the bushel-*censored*-basket." (that sentence actually takes the cake for the most colorful sentence I've ever included in an academic paper)
Likewise it becomes difficult for someone in the position of will-i-am to make a statement that carries the same weight if he toned it down to, "This stuff is dope" or, "I find this very interesting". His passion for what the teams are doing carries over into the phrasing that he chose, and that he very likely chose very carefully beforehand for maximum effect.
Some people may view it as inappropriate in an event that is billed as family friendly, but the honest truth is that I can guarantee every high school student in that building has heard far worse than that every day of their high school career. They've heard those same words, directed at others with intent to hurt and wound. They've heard every racial slur in the book, along with euphemisms for every possible sexual orientation, used to attack and demean their classmates. This is not one of those cases. will-i-am is not using these words in a negative connotation. Quite the opposite is true, because he is actually using them to provide emphasis for the high regard in which he hold the program.
Perhaps it wasn't the best venue for his statement (because there are many younger children I'm sure who attend these matches), but it isn't anything hateful or aggressive that should be reacted to in a negative manner. Those young children will grow up and hear those words used every day as soon as they reach middle school, and they'll learn that there are appropriate uses of swearing (to provide emphasis to a passionate positive statement) and inappropriate uses of swearing (to provide emphasis to a negative statement or to attack/demean/belittle others). I'm confident that when they reach an age of maturity they will be able to look back upon will-i-am's statement and realize that it is an example of an appropriate use of swearing that came at a possibly less-than-ideal time.
To me the bottom line is this: If you compare will-i-am's use of "This *censored* is mother*censored* dope" to the daily usage of and exposure to those same words that a vast majority of high school students experience on a daily basis, it's downright tame. He's not attacking anyone. He's not belittling or demeaning others. He's complimenting something he is passionate for in a sincere manner, in that he isn't trying to carefully phrase it to avoid offending people who cannot look beyond the words to find the meaning.