I was chatting recently with a friend of mine who now lives in Georgia about the booming business of legal marijuana in Massachusetts. He noted that while Georgia is beginning to legalize, he still has no interest in partaking — mostly due to his puritanical New England roots.
I’ve thought a lot lately about the puritanical nature of this state and how it is often at odds with characterizations of liberal, hippie Northeasterners by many outside of New England. This ongoing wrestling match between “right and wrong” gained even more notoriety last month in what I’ll describe as the great F-bomb debacle at UMass.
The decision by UMass student Nicole Parsons to post a sign in her dorm window reading “F Nazis You Are Not Welcome Here” has garnered coverage from news organizations across the country, including The Boston Globe and, more recently, Inside Higher Ed. In what was clearly an overreach, a university residence director asked the student to take down the sign because of its lack of “inclusiveness.”
The backlash in favor of free speech should have been expected, but I’m not here to bash UMass administrators. There’s been enough of that.
No, I’m here to praise the F-word.
See, I can’t even write it out!
And that’s a damn shame. Part of why I’m unable to write it is due to the puritan that is inside us all, and part of it is because of the standards of many news organizations across the country, including the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Although to their credit, many news organizations published the photo of the sign that was hanging in the dorm window.
But think about it: What else was the student supposed to say?
“I dislike Nazis?”
“I disagree with the message being put forth by Nazis and white supremacists?”
Yeah, no. “F Nazis” has a special place in the American lexicon.
Oh, and by the way, it’s protected speech. So, there’s that.
I’m reminded of the scene from the 1980 movie “The Blues Brothers” when Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Akroyd) stumble upon a public Nazi rally in Illinois. A cop walking by tells them the “Fing Nazi party” won their court case allowing the group to rally — right before the pair drives the car into the ralliers, forcing them all to dive off a bridge into the water.
The F-bomb is a word that transcends its most simple definition. As comedian George Carlin (and many others) have pointed out, context and voice intonation matter when using the F-word. He once described the F-bomb as “the one magical word (that) just by its sound can describe pain, pleasure, hate and love.”
But does it still carry any shock value?
I have frequent discussions with my 20-year-old son about how what’s acceptable in language has changed between his generation and mine. He’s got me partly convinced. But a fellow middle-aged colleague reminded me that we probably had that same discussion with our own parents.
John Matthews, a good friend and the author of several books, says the word has become socially acceptable today, thanks mainly to “cable TV and the likes of ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘House of Cards,’ etc., for adding it to the daily dialogue.”
“Used sparingly, it still has impact when from a character that isn’t prone to colorful language,” Matthews says. “On the inverse, it is a word that can define a different type of character, one who uses f as a noun, verb and adjective. You instantly know who that character is when they say it all the time.”
I try not to say it all the time. I really do.
But these are trying times.
And, to be fully transparent, I’ve been known to drop an F-bomb or two in class — especially when discussing current events. A well-timed “what the f” can have impact when discussing policies of the current administration. When I drop it, it definitely gets the attention of those listening in class — and even some who aren’t.
My guess is that’s why the UMass student, and many others, lean on “F Nazis.”
To get your attention.
Steve Fox is a senior lecturer in the University of Massachusetts Journalism Department and is the director of the Sports Journalism concentration.