Fuck

I wish I could remember the first time I heard the word fuck. What I do remember is the first couple of times the word meant something to me. I grew up in a Spanish speaking country where the most sufficing way to hear the English language was to watch movies. The first time the word fuck hit me was in the opening line of one of my favorite comedies of all time, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I walked into the theater, the picture faded in and I heard "fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, mother mother fuck, mother mother fuck fuck, mother fuck, mother fuck, noise noise noise". It was an amazing wordplay that went on for a couple of minutes, which made me think how open American culture really is. I had never heard the use of profanity in that way. Another example of an experience I had with the word fuck was watching the movie Casino. The word fuck and it's derivatives is used 398 times, in a 178 minute movie. Who could ever hate this word? And how it became such a taboo in America really intrigues me.

Fuck, in my opinion, is the most diverse word in the English language, but it's also one of the most profane ones. Out of all the words in the English dictionary that start with the letter f, fuck is the only word referred as the "F-word". To fuck, in it's original definition, means to have sexual intercourse, but by itself, it's just an exclamation, indicating pain, anger, surprise or disappointment. The range of this word is very wide, and can be used in many forms. It can be a verb (Let's fuck), it can be noun (Kristen is a terrific fuck) or it can be an adverb (I fucking love this!). It can also be used as an adjective (Amanda is fucking beautiful), or as an interjection (Fuck! I'm late). Aside from it's sexual connotations, this incredible word can be used in many situations. As an aggression (Fuck you!), in greetings (How the fuck are you?), and in disbelief (UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE!). It can even be used in political conversations (Fuck Dick Cheney). You can even create a sentence using only the word fuck and it's derivatives (Fuck the fucking fuckers). People argue that the use of fuck and it's derivatives in a sentence automatically makes a sentence a negative one, but I believe this to be wrong. Fuck can be used to show extreme affection (I fucking love you), or as a compliment (You're one smart fucker). If used in slang, this word can mean anything, so it's hard for me to think of something the word fuck doesn't mean.

When I first came to the United States of America, fuck was a word I used very often, because the prolific usage of fuck in entertainment (music and film), de-vulgarized it for me. It took me a couple of months to really understand that the word fuck remains a taboo in this country, and that under no circumstances this word should be used in front of anybody who you respect, even children or women. I think that tells you a lot about mainstream entertainment in America, and the image they're putting out there for the world to see. When I was a teenager, I grew to believe that a movie sucked if it didn't include nudity, profanity, and at least one explosion. That's what really turned me into an american culture junkie.

Fuck has been censored in most English speaking countries on television and radio. It's no wonder why this word has become what it is. To me, fuck is just another word. It's the uneducated fuck who uses this motherfucking word in certain fucking situations who should get fucking censored from speaking. Now that's fucking brilliant.

This article was inspired by the marvelous minds of the Monty Python Members.

✞✞✞ALEX✞✞✞