Brief essay: copyright © by the author, Richard C. Curry, J.D.*

This is a draft essay. I would welcome any comments, critiques, or reactions? Please send to the author, contact info. below.

WORDS ARE IMPORTANT: A plea for more interesting talk.

What are the tools of the mind?
Is it possible that words (vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.) are important tools?
With actual words you can articulate your needs and feelings. You can explain what you want. You can explain specifically what you are feeling. You can ask for (or demand!) what you really need. You may communicate with other sentient beings.

Profanity, slang, & hyperbole pervade in public. Yet they are (or have become) vague, dull, & inarticulate. They are like tasteless cardboard mixed into your food. It once seemed such words were charged with power and excitement. Now, due to extreme overuse, such words have no meaning. They are nothing. Mere puffs of air. Or they are grunts & moans of inarticulate, helpless creatures who swagger and curse. Such creatures are thinking to themselves: "I sound powerful!" when in reality: they are weak, alone, and speechless, despite making audible noises. (Pathetically isolated by their inability to communicate, or even to think clearly, they cannot articulate a coherent thought, lacking words to do so.)

"Four letter words": Once upon a time they may have been charged with power, awe, romance or humor.
Not any more. Now they are oft repeated by everyone. They have lost all meaning. No flavor. "Profanity" may be powerful, interesting, 'cool', or funny: ONLY when used rarely OR very interestingly. And even then, people will use such expressions like costume jewelry: mere baubles to decorate their speech. (To illustrate: Take a look at your typical generalissimo, gangster, drama queen, etc.. Nine times out of ten, they probably are decorated with flashy ornaments & indulge in flashy speech ornamented with endlessly repeated profanity. It is a shopworn item in our vocabulary, and has lost its shine long ago. Yet people repeat it endlessly as if it had power or meaning. Or perhaps to continue to neutralize any traces of shock value. It is a mere ornament without much value or meaning.)
Actually, I am not saying baubles or jewelry, are wrong, or unnecessary. I admire a really nice tasteful or imaginative one. My recent fave was seeing on-line (but not wearing) a 'Wrist Rock' with the slogan: "Look ma, no hands!" Turns out it is a bauble "for the gentleman too wealthy to give a cr@_ [fn1] what time it is". I believe the brand name was "Goldex"(R) and it was 154 carats. Well that was witty, I thought. So I am not totally against either profanity nor baubles, per se.

But when used constantly -- do not you think they tend to be banal*, boring and insipid* ??.
Possible solution: develop vocabulary, learn to talk.

Imaginative, interesting & funny "cussing" is a lost art form. Tatooed skin is everywhere, like the world has had an influx of sailors on leave. But they do not know how to express themselves. Even the cussing is boring. There is not even the vocabulary or knowledge to structure coherent statements or questions, in many cases.
*(If you like try starting by looking up these words in the dictionary [fn2] even if you are sure you know the definition. Sometimes it is nice to revisit words to refresh and renew your recollections. Sometimes I find I better grasp of a nuance of a word that way.)

And please remember: IF you MUST "cuss", please do so in an imaginative and interesting manner. Also, if you have a sense of humor, and make it funny, you will have friends. If you just yell at people in anger, you may be feared (or perhaps just avoided and despised) yet you will not be loved or much cared for, for obvious reasons.

Hope to talk with you soon. Sincerely, Richard C. Curry, J.D. & Bach. of Music in Voice.

*This writing Copyright © by Richard C. Curry, J.D., written in Oakland, California USA 21 June 2004.
Original page location is or was:
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[fn2] Here they include a common four letter word describing a normal bodily function, which actually should probably not be considered profane. However, some do, so I did not spell it out.

[fn2]: I believe this is pronounced "dick-shun-erry". NOTE: This is a volume from which you may find words spelled, sounded out, and defined. A big one may sometimes be better, yet a small one is easier to tote around. Nowadays, even a rather large one may fit inside a modest sized e-organizer or perhaps a 'smart' cellular phone)

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Page created the week of 20 June 2004
last updated: day after Father's Day, 21 June 2004 & dedicated to my father.
RCC:rcc