Fact Finder
Top 20
Your post reminded me of an event that illustrates this from the real world. Some may not be aware that in NSW and a number of other states the use of offensive language in or within hearing of a public place or a school is a criminal offence punishable on conviction with up to a $660 fine up to and including this present day.This post has nothing to do with Brainchip: more my musings so feel free to skip!
A lot of our language came from shortening or joining words for example Jeep.
The most widely held theory is that the military designation GP (for Government Purposes or General Purpose) was slurred into the word Jeep in the same way that the contemporary HMMWV (for High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle) has become known as the Humvee.
My understanding of the F word is that it came from the criminal charge of: For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, e.g. being charged with sex with a minor being abbreviated to “Fuck” for short.
The word has now crept into our every day language as a means to shock and is commonplace. I know a lot of people who can’t say two sentences without including the word which is a shame as they miss out on using other excellent descriptors to make their point. As the F word is now not as shocking more people are reverting to the C word to try to place emphasis on their sentence. I don’t know what word is coming when that becomes normalised.
I think it’s also the context in which any word is used is also important. For example I’m sure if I went into my local coffee shop and asked for a “Fucking cup of coffee with 2 fucking sugars!” it would be frowned upon whereas the phrase “Fuck Putin” or “Fuck Yeah” although vulgar is however quite acceptable to most.
Respect to all is the key and we live in the world we create. We can choose to visit this forum and be pleasant to each other; or argue and call each other names; but then it turns into the other place. Our interactions are important; both how we treat each other and how we are treated affects us on a daily basis, individually and as a collective.
So my thought for the day is ”Kindness and Gratitude.”
Back a few decades now there was a push by certain free thinkers to have this offence removed as an instrument of police oppression from the Summary Offences Act in NSW. As part of this campaign a group of prominent academic lawyers and senior barristers offered their services for free to oppressed individuals to fully defend such charges.
One such matter came on for hearing at the Parramatta Court of Petty Sessions. After a protracted legal argument the Magistrate accepted the type of argument you have made out about this very same word and dismissed the charges.
I was assisting the senior police prosecutor Darcy Cluff who conducted the prosecution and the matter having concluded the Magistrate said Sergeant will you call the next matter. I started to move from my chair to call the next matter and the senior police prosecutor said no you stay I will call the matter.
He then went outside the court and he called the next matter three times as required but very loudly and then returned and as required announced to the Magistrate the result of the call was "No F ing appearance your Worship."
Everyone in the Court took a collective deep breath and the Magistrate became enraged and stormed from the Bench screaming at the Senior Police Prosecutor to see him in Chambers.
The end result was that the Magistrate took judicial notice from that day on that the use of this word could in fact be offensive and most likely would only ever be acceptable in the gutter. Context being everything.
A group of left wing academics playing at being working class at a University might find this sort of language intellectually thrilling perhaps a little titillating but a Kindergarten teacher telling an runny nosed 5 year old to remove themselves from a cupboard with the assistance of this adjective will never be acceptable to the bulk of society.
Normal human interaction starts with respect for others.
FF
AKIDA BALLISTA
)
