Saturday, January 26, 2013

The power of negative words

Have you ever stopped and thought what a powerful word the word fuck is? No, really, think about it. It can mean dozens of different things. Add it onto another word and it can mean even more things. It can be both a negative word and a humorous one. Fuck a duck. Fuck wit. Fucking A. That's fucked!

It is labelled as one of the most unacceptable swear words and yet it is probably the most common word in the English language. Isn't that strange? That a word that is the most common can also be the most unforgivable? Fuck doesn't offend me that much. I hear more often in causal conversion then I do in moments of anger or violence. It's really made me immune to it. Cunt, though, I don't like. It's a lot harsher sounding and can only be used for one thing only: to degrade a woman.

What about the word nigger? That's another powerful word.

Should writers be able to use these words in fiction? I think so. Words cannot hurt you. They are just words. Censorship is wrong. In a free society writers should be able to write whatever they want - as long as they are not breaking the law! And by that I mean have not plagiarized another work or portrayed a real life person in a negative light.

I always find it funny when movies and TV shows blur out an actor's mouth when the script calls for them to swear in addition to beeping out the word. What is the point of blurring their mouth? Oh god forbid we see their lips shape the word "Fuck"

Somebody think of the children!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Anti-vaccination children's book removed from sale

An anti-vaccination children's book called "Melanie's Marvellous Measles" has been removed from sale from an online store after outrage from the public. The book is about Melanie who gets measles. A mother in the book claims that it is great for most children to get measles, encourages her daughter to catch it, and claims that carrot juice will help Melanie get better.

Carrot juice. Yeah. You heard me.

I almost would not have a problem with this book if it wasn't for the carrot juice bit. If they said "Take some antibiotics..." I might have been okay with it. It is risky as hell to deliberately encourage a child to contract an illness but I can understand their reasoning. Most of the time once a child gets a common childhood illness like measles they will never get it again. But once they get it they could also die.

Big gamble. I don't get how some parents would rather their child get sick and risk death or brain damage then give them the vaccination.

But...that's me. We all have different opinions. Just because I do not agree with something does not mean I should try and convince other people to think the same way that I do. I hate it when people try to do that to me. Live and let live. We should be able to raise our children without judgement from others.

At the same time though...this book is a little dangerous. I have no problem with it being on sale but perhaps it should come with a warning at the front saying that it is anti-vaccination? That way it will not confuse children and other parents. Because claiming that measles, a disease that can kill, can be cured with carrot juice is dangerously stupid advice.