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Klarinet Archive - Posting 000033.txt from 2002/04

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] Shocking
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 00:19:46 -0500

There's a tension between those people who are shocked by the use of
'vulgar' language and those others who sometimes use such language in
order to shock them; and it's never really going to go away.

It's a tension that you can find in other forms throughout the history
of art, too. The initially shocking effect of the poetry of Rimbaud and
the music-theatre of Wagner comes to mind, and you can think of lots
more examples in painting and theatre. The crucial thing is that the
tension is continually maintained by both sides, though what is
'shocking' itself changes with time.

In saying that, I'm not wanting to claim artistic merit for most uses of
'bad' language. But I do think, given the ubiquity of shock, that it's
worth while wondering which camp you want yourself and your children to
be in, with regard to one small part of it.

Do you want to be in the camp that's automatically shocked by the use of
one of perhaps a dozen words? Or, do you want to be one of those in
control of your response? (That need not mean that you yourself ever
choose to shock by using those words -- though of course, you may, if
you want.)

Essentially, do you want to be the slave or the master of these dozen
words?

Unconscious collusion is involved in this, I suggest. Shockable people
are shocked by the use of vulgar words because the shockers intend that
to happen; but funnily enough, the shockees intend that too! So, of
course they're shocked!

I even know what that feels like, because I sometimes deliberately put
myself in the position of possibly being shocked -- in the theatre, say
-- by someone I know may try to shock me into seeing things in a
different way.

One thing that's certain is that there isn't a moral high ground,
though shockable people often pretend that there is. Someone who is
shockable isn't 'better' than someone who isn't. On the contrary, you
tend to find that people who are righteous about being shocked by
trivialities like single words are often less trustworthy in other
regards.

If swearing were the worst thing out there, we'd be laughing.

In this context, I have to say that I find it amusing that someone
mentioned a multi-national company, perhaps even suggesting that their
practices (automatic censorship) constitute an enlightened attitude
towards the use of vulgar language. I'm not suggesting that his
particular company has anything wrong with it, but it's an odd place to
look for high morality in these times.

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
tel/fax 01865 553339

.... After we pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is NOT our friend!

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