Public Speaking, When Did The F Word Become So Mainstream Popular?
Granted I am no prude, I have lived a big life as a global adventurous citizen who has tried most everything from the Disco diva days onward into other eras, running after-hours speakeasies as a wild youth, always in tune with the style ways of the world and fashionable times. So, the following article is more of an observation of social decorum or lack thereof, am I the only one noticing this trend? For those who end up on talk shows due to a celebrity status new and old, and way too many podcasts or when speaking in print media interviews the word F--- sounds like Fuss is used so freely without thought.
What’s up with using the F word yes, I am speaking of the word F--- which as we all grew up with and know was not to be placed in any social register of good company and manners. Now the word is being used to express intensity or a common shared belief, that not everyone can pull off like a real OG gangster or the authentic nineties cool of Miss Courtney Love. Too often of late, I find myself clutching my pearls, the good ones with one strand, while I turn down or off the volume of what I thought would be an interesting conversation from someone who had some previous appeal due to their talent.
Where and when I grew up, coolness was always from within and extended outward without much effort, you just were, it was earned by living fast with no apologies, one’s wardrobe and outer style reflected this, it could not be brought at any designer luxury store or by being with the ultra cool ones by adjacent. There is a time and place for everything, and being famous for a book, a song or a life strategy does not automatically make you a wise and well-traveled soul whose wisdom and take on life need to be punched up and expressed with the word F---.
I prefer the Yiddish words of popular slang and use in many of my social interactions to inject humor and warmth, it says it all like the word Fakakis and it is not a swear word, it describes other popular Yiddish words like Mishigas or Mashugana which means crazy to some degree, yet again its flavor when expressed offers charm and worldliness as in oy vey what a day and that whole situation or person was way too much, no F word needed, but the message gets across and expressed with an energy of interest.
Most of us have no illusions for these are crazy wonky challenging post Covid onward times we are living in and sharing, we get it and I applaud all who try their best each day as I am committed to doing, to take a beat in mindfulness, breathe, find the compassion to flow forward. Have I ever used the F word to express a point, yes and usually it was when I was truly pissed, and at times it would just pop out in an upbeat conversation, not tons but enough for me to then add forgive my word usage. The point of all this social observation is just that, we are now witnessing things and people in positions of power one would never dream possible, yet I believe it is still possible to carry on public speaking without any force to be gangster cool.