What Are Words For?

What are words for? When no one listens anymore?  Remember that song?  Kudos to the DNA Store for the image at left - I liked it mainly because the word "Wilkins" appears in it (thanks, Maurice Wilkins, scientist), and as you probably know, that's going to be my last name soon.

Had an interesting discussion with a colleague today about words, particularly about words that offend.  A word was mentioned that is usually used to derogatorily describe a private part of a woman's anatomy, and can also be used as a noun to describe somebody, as in, "That person is a pretentious ****."  It's a four-letter word.  My colleague expressed his displeasure with this certain word, and asked me if there weren't any words that I found offensive.  I said no.  Why?  Because words are tools.  Even so-called offensive words.  They have their place.  My colleague's response was basically that any writer who uses that word, and doesn't come up with a different word, isn't creative.  Well, I had to call bullshit on that one. Numerous authors have used the word in question successfully and pitch-perfectly, including James Hynes, Will Self, Hunter S. Thompson, Henry Miller (thanks, Budd, for clueing me in on that one).  Offensive as it may be to some people, it has a place where it can be used, and in fact, demands to be used.  (That's what free speech is all about, anyway, right?)

Lenny Bruce, in his famous bit "How to Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties," used to deliberately employ the infamous "N" word in order to leech it of its shock value.  Now, I'm not saying that one should go around deliberately trying to be offensive - there have been times when I've critiqued writing and suggested other word choices based on the audience who will be reading it.  And there are times when I've said "Leave this in" to something that could offend because it fit the story or piece and made it more than it was without a particular word or phrase. 

I wasn't real pleased when Don Imus made his now-legendary remark about the Rutgers women's basketball team, but I've never been a big Imus fan anyway, and he's made enough money to be pretty happy for the rest of his life.  And I've been hurt by words before myself.  I'm a big woman.  REALLY big.  I remember one time, in Harris Teeter, this little girl and her mother came in as I was walking out with my mother, and the little girl stared at me in awe (and probably disgust) and said, very loudly, "What a FAT LADY!" and I immediately retorted "What a RUDE CHILD!"  Her mother looked at me sheepishly and apologized.  I was proud of myself for the quick response, and for making her mother understand that she had instilled those values and that language in her child. 

I'm not saying we should all be reduced to name-calling.  I'm just saying that, in my opinion, to proclaim that certain words have no place or are too "base" to be used, particularly in literature (or to describe Ann Coulter), is just beyond my comprehension. 

I'm going to sing now, so this post will be over.