My mom, Magi, would have thoroughly enjoyed this. She said "fuck" a lot. She informed the family that fuck was originally an English word that approximated the sound of planting a seed in wet soil. She was a wordsmith, philosopher, radical feminist and raging granny.
Oh thank you for this Patty! Your mom sounds amazing. Cool info about the word fuck, I didn't know that. But I did know about studies of people who cuss being more honest, ect. However, I try to keep my pieces around 400 words, so I didn't include that. It's great you put it here. Thank you! 💕
Oh, my pleasure! I wanted to bring my mom in on this, too, (postumously, LOL) because I know how much she would have enjoyed your writing and this entire Substack platform.
It was quite a gauntlet for women to run in those days. Puritanism has been deeply ingrained in our society. Maybe that's why my mom decided to call her book "The Ungluing." (I found her unpublished manuscript after she passed away. It's quite amazing.)
My mom, a mother of six, came to a serious mental health point in her life where she just had to "retire" as a mother. You'll see what led her to that moment, and what happened after.... I think this book is amazing, and still relevant, 50 years later. Those issues are still relevant. Do you think KDP is a good idea?
Patty, you just took my breath away. My mom also had us six kids, she started at age 16. If you need any support in publishing independently please email me directly at Levanoff@yahoo.com. Yes, I think KDP is great.
Fuckin A right! I raised two boys. The F word was only now and then but once they grew up and over 18 - up until now - the F Bomb flies every day! The C word has not yet done so, but I do not look down at those who use it.
So proud of you and your boys Pamela! I think they probably have great control and use it sparingly. At this point, my nerves are so frayed I've given up on decorum😩
I think I have used it one time in my life - it just felt weird 😂 Me the one who would make sailors blush - feeling weird saying the C word 😂 but yes tRUMP IS a damned good example of a C!
Lovely colorful writing with barely a cuss, brava Gloria! This study was really for myself, it's so frustrating to always feel shamed. It was kind of a release to write it. Hugs!!🥰
I exactly what you mean. My family has always been in the military, and I distinctly remember when I made the mistake of not knowing my mother was standing right behind me when I explained this to military lingo to a younger cousin:
Charlie Foxtrot: the military phonetic alphabet to represent "Cluster F**k," which is a vulgar term for a chaotic or disastrous situation.
Gloria! You're one of my characters IRL! My new book has a character who speaks in Alexandrine. I was afraid it was a little too out there. But you just saved it for me!
Oh my GAWD! We were just sitting around the kitchen getting shit ready for dinner when I said: "Alexa, Play some George Carlin comedy". We were laughing so hard. I said, hey remember when this first came out? It was "Class Clown."
Swear on! This is nothing, they’re only words! You’re not harming anyone, most people who would shame you are hypocrites anyway , they might not cuss, but are hypocrites who do much worse things than swear.
Hear, hear!!! Thank you for bringing George Carlin into the conversation, one of my all-time favorite comedians; his material is still 100% relevant today.
I did not realize untaken paid vacations were in the billions of dollars now, but I'm not surprised. I work for a global company and here in the US, we are required to put our mobile numbers on our OOO messages in case someone needs us while we're on our paid vacation; most of the time I answer work emails daily while on vacation as well. It's a horrible pattern that's been ingrained in Americans. Those weeks are when my profanity reaches
annual all time highs! Meanwhile, my European counterparts have an OOO that states "I'm out until such a date. I'll get back to you when I return." I hate that Global employers like mine knows they can easily wring wage theft out of Americans.
Yes that NPR piece was really eye-opening for me, if you have the chance to listen to it.
Agreed, even when I'm on vacation I have my computer and work. One time during vacation I went three whole days without working. It was awesome! But it's really hard for me to do that. But I'm lucky, my employer lets me work whenever as long as I get my work done. So it all works out. That's the only way I can do a day job.
I say fuck, or some other expression that incorporates the word fuck, all the time. Cursing is expressive, especially these days when thinking about the state of the world.
When my daughter was four years old she told me “I know these curses fuck, shit, goddam it and dummy.” While I tried to retain my composure She then said “but you don’t have to worry. I know when I use them.”
This was a fun read. =) I came to cussin' late in life, like everything else. I didn't have my first cigarette, go to a club and drink alcohol, or cuss until after my first divorce. I figured I'd burn in hell anyway, so I might as well enjoy it all. And, I did. But cussin' -- that was hard for me. I was raised to be a "lady." Sit just so. Speak just so. Even saying "gosh" was too much like "god" for my puritanical step-mom so that got a mouth washed out. At 27, newly minted from my divorce, a single mom, I began the cussin' journey. I moved into a new home about five years later, and I still hadn't managed an F-bomb even when alone. My new neighbor, who would become my best friend, had a marvelous command of expletives and always dropped F-bombs. I mentioned how jarring it was to hear it to her and invited her to try other words. I even suggested that using cuss words showed a lack of imagination. (I wince thinking of this now.) Well. Thankfully she had a great sense of humor. She took my comment as a challenge. She began walking around me, flapping her arms like a chicken and clucking. Except instead of saying "cluck" she said "fuck fuck fuck FUUUUUCK" repeatedly until I was laughing so hard I fell on the floor. We became friends I think right then and there. Eventually, I learned to swear as well as any sailor under her tutelage and laughed often while doing so. That's the real bonus. Plus, I hear cussin' is a great way to relieve pain.
TIZZ!! Oh what a delightful comment, LOL! Honestly, I admire you for having been raised not to cuss. It's the hardest habit to break. Amazing that you made the transition to cussing but I'm sure it opened up all kinds of new forms of release, which as you pointed out, is apparently a benefit of cussing. What a great story, thank you for sharing this!💕
My mom, Magi, would have thoroughly enjoyed this. She said "fuck" a lot. She informed the family that fuck was originally an English word that approximated the sound of planting a seed in wet soil. She was a wordsmith, philosopher, radical feminist and raging granny.
Also, I wanted to let you know that this study is pretty interesting. It finds that people who swear are actually more honest and intelligent. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/health/swearing-benefits-wellness/index.html#:~:text=The%20study%20found%20those%20who,at%20generating%20a%20swearing%20vocabulary.%E2%80%9D
Oh thank you for this Patty! Your mom sounds amazing. Cool info about the word fuck, I didn't know that. But I did know about studies of people who cuss being more honest, ect. However, I try to keep my pieces around 400 words, so I didn't include that. It's great you put it here. Thank you! 💕
Oh, my pleasure! I wanted to bring my mom in on this, too, (postumously, LOL) because I know how much she would have enjoyed your writing and this entire Substack platform.
That makes my day, I know she's up there smiling down on us🥰
Substack is a haven for readers and writers covering virtually every topic imaginable. It feels like I've discovered paradise on Earth.
It's so true. As I have stated before, it's the BEST thing to come out of Muck taking over Twitter.com.
If only my sainted Mother could’ve read this study. I was constantly in Helllfire trouble with her over swearing.
Gloria! I should have known, we come from similar salt of the earth!💕
We do!
It was quite a gauntlet for women to run in those days. Puritanism has been deeply ingrained in our society. Maybe that's why my mom decided to call her book "The Ungluing." (I found her unpublished manuscript after she passed away. It's quite amazing.)
OMG! Are you considering publishing it, Patty? Maybe on KDP? It sounds amazing. The title is awesome!
I published the first two chapters here on A Diary Left Open.....
https://adiaryleftopen.substack.com/p/the-ungluing-chapter-one
Just read and watched your doc. Amazing. Anyway, feel free to email me Patty. No rush. But I'm happy to offer my advice. Levanoff@yahoo.com 💕
Thank you! It means a lot to me.
https://adiaryleftopen.substack.com/p/the-ungluing-chapter-two
And..... https://vimeo.com/748227387?share=copy
Wow. What a gift to find this after she passed! It looks like it would be a fascinating book
I'm intrigued by the title! Could you share some details about the manuscript? It's really piqued my curiosity.
Ditto
My mom, a mother of six, came to a serious mental health point in her life where she just had to "retire" as a mother. You'll see what led her to that moment, and what happened after.... I think this book is amazing, and still relevant, 50 years later. Those issues are still relevant. Do you think KDP is a good idea?
Patty, you just took my breath away. My mom also had us six kids, she started at age 16. If you need any support in publishing independently please email me directly at Levanoff@yahoo.com. Yes, I think KDP is great.
Fascinating synchronicity here between you and Patty! ❤️🙏
It is every woman’s story. Do whatever you have to do, but this book must be published and the story behind it.
Patty I agreed with Gloria. After watching your movie, you should publish it.
Thanks Patty, will be sharing w my kids who bitch about my vulgar language.
The censorship of books and language seems to stem from puritanism which is so three centuries ago......
Yes! Exactly, today's Christian right are definitely an extension of this.
Fighting for their right to NOT party...
And imposing their dictum on everyone else. Absurd.
Being so judgmental is the least Christian thing there is.
Ha ha! "So three centuries ago..." Brilliant!
🤣 Lorraine - I just read your bio. You can actually say “Pardon my French” and it would work!
And I say it often!
Mon dieu!
Quelle horreur!
Fuckin A right! I raised two boys. The F word was only now and then but once they grew up and over 18 - up until now - the F Bomb flies every day! The C word has not yet done so, but I do not look down at those who use it.
So proud of you and your boys Pamela! I think they probably have great control and use it sparingly. At this point, my nerves are so frayed I've given up on decorum😩
😂 uh sure sparingly uh huh 😂
Let’s just say they know when NOT to say it 😂
I don’t know when not to say anything anymore 😩
😂 I’m really good at the f word so that is probably why! It can improve any other word!
Write a Substack please, I need more words!
😂 well I guess I can add a tutorial!! Since I had planned on writing about RA which causes me to use a myriad of plenty of “cuss words” !
I tend to save the C word for the worst of the worst.
So did I. Until tRump and the GOPDomesticTerrorists.💔
I think I have used it one time in my life - it just felt weird 😂 Me the one who would make sailors blush - feeling weird saying the C word 😂 but yes tRUMP IS a damned good example of a C!
Ha ha! Yes it’s amazing the c-word is now my go-to. 😭😭
The C-word is like Mr. Miagi’s Crane Technique. “If do right, no can defend.” 😂
Ha! Love that, Rooster!
Oh hell yeah my friend!!
Good one, Lorraine!!!
Thanks so much lovely E. Jean. 💕
Oh, Lorraine, I am on your team, girl!
In England, France, or the US of A,
Each has swears, in their own way.
"Wanker", "muppet", or the famed "sod",
In Britain they chuckle, give a nod.
Across the Channel, they'll exclaim "sacré bleu!",
Or perhaps a muttered "zut" or two.
Back in the States, they've their own fair share,
But it's the intent, not the word, that should scare.
Yet why do folks look so askance?
When I let out a "bloody" in a dance.
Or perhaps a “flipping” or "nom de Dieu",
It’s just language, evolving and new.
I wear my curses like a badge of art,
Each one, a piece, a work of heart.
So judge me not, for the words I pick,
For in each, there's truth, and a flame that'll stick.
Language is vast, colorful, and wild,
Why limit its range, like a sheltered child?
Embrace each term, every phrase, every yell,
For in them, our truest emotions dwell.
Lovely colorful writing with barely a cuss, brava Gloria! This study was really for myself, it's so frustrating to always feel shamed. It was kind of a release to write it. Hugs!!🥰
I exactly what you mean. My family has always been in the military, and I distinctly remember when I made the mistake of not knowing my mother was standing right behind me when I explained this to military lingo to a younger cousin:
Charlie Foxtrot: the military phonetic alphabet to represent "Cluster F**k," which is a vulgar term for a chaotic or disastrous situation.
It was definitely a clusterfuck moment for me.
Clusterfuck is one of my favorites terms.
Agreed. French kiss!
Wow wow wow!! I've heard Charlie Foxtrot in movies but really didn't pick up on that. May I borrow this? Full credit of course!
Fantastic! Did you write it?
Yes. I seem to always hear language in poetry form. It’s a blessing and a Curse.
That's all blessing to my ears, Gloria. I've never heard of that. It's really cool.
You can toggle it "on" and "off," right?
;)
Yes, thank God! Well ...
In whispers of "yes" and shouts of "no,"
I hear one thing but say another, it's a curious show.
Caught in a dance, a rhythm so tight,
You can toggle it "on" and "off," right?
Mixed signals sent, in a digital age,
Lost in translation, like words on a page.
Emojis conceal, with playful delight,
But what lies beneath, the surface so light?
The wink and the nudge, the ;) in disguise,
Masks the true feelings, hidden from eyes.
Yet, amidst all the chaos, one truth remains so,
Sometimes we hear "yes" when the world tells us "no."
Gloria! You're one of my characters IRL! My new book has a character who speaks in Alexandrine. I was afraid it was a little too out there. But you just saved it for me!
Derived from a poem about Alexander the Great! I can’t wait.
I'm rather fond of the term, "bellend," myself. 🤣
Nice one. TIL😁
Oh my GAWD! We were just sitting around the kitchen getting shit ready for dinner when I said: "Alexa, Play some George Carlin comedy". We were laughing so hard. I said, hey remember when this first came out? It was "Class Clown."
That's awesome! Did it include the 7 Dirty Words skit? I'll have to look up "Class Clown" again!
It certainly did!
Amazing! Classic.
You’re funny as shit! 😂😂😂 and absolutely right about Europeans! Love it!
😘😘😘
I’m slowly but surely discovering my tribe. Thank you.
Yes Neely!
Fucking thank you!
Fuck yeah!
ROFLMAO!!!!!
Ah, sisters from a different mother!
It seems!
Swear on! This is nothing, they’re only words! You’re not harming anyone, most people who would shame you are hypocrites anyway , they might not cuss, but are hypocrites who do much worse things than swear.
Hell yes, thanks Sharon!
Hear, hear!!! Thank you for bringing George Carlin into the conversation, one of my all-time favorite comedians; his material is still 100% relevant today.
I did not realize untaken paid vacations were in the billions of dollars now, but I'm not surprised. I work for a global company and here in the US, we are required to put our mobile numbers on our OOO messages in case someone needs us while we're on our paid vacation; most of the time I answer work emails daily while on vacation as well. It's a horrible pattern that's been ingrained in Americans. Those weeks are when my profanity reaches
annual all time highs! Meanwhile, my European counterparts have an OOO that states "I'm out until such a date. I'll get back to you when I return." I hate that Global employers like mine knows they can easily wring wage theft out of Americans.
Thanks for the great comment, Melody!
Yes that NPR piece was really eye-opening for me, if you have the chance to listen to it.
Agreed, even when I'm on vacation I have my computer and work. One time during vacation I went three whole days without working. It was awesome! But it's really hard for me to do that. But I'm lucky, my employer lets me work whenever as long as I get my work done. So it all works out. That's the only way I can do a day job.
Love this.
I say fuck, or some other expression that incorporates the word fuck, all the time. Cursing is expressive, especially these days when thinking about the state of the world.
Yep. I'm running out of dirty words, Morgan!
Fuckin A!
Finally someone said it, Larry!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I think I like you. You got ballz (not one of the 7)
Ha! Like you too Larry. Good point, I guess ballz are okay😄
When my daughter was four years old she told me “I know these curses fuck, shit, goddam it and dummy.” While I tried to retain my composure She then said “but you don’t have to worry. I know when I use them.”
Oh wow! How in the world did she learn "dummy"?😆 Kids are the best.
I have no idea. But she looked so damned cute web she told me this. A very wise and serious look on her face.
This was a fun read. =) I came to cussin' late in life, like everything else. I didn't have my first cigarette, go to a club and drink alcohol, or cuss until after my first divorce. I figured I'd burn in hell anyway, so I might as well enjoy it all. And, I did. But cussin' -- that was hard for me. I was raised to be a "lady." Sit just so. Speak just so. Even saying "gosh" was too much like "god" for my puritanical step-mom so that got a mouth washed out. At 27, newly minted from my divorce, a single mom, I began the cussin' journey. I moved into a new home about five years later, and I still hadn't managed an F-bomb even when alone. My new neighbor, who would become my best friend, had a marvelous command of expletives and always dropped F-bombs. I mentioned how jarring it was to hear it to her and invited her to try other words. I even suggested that using cuss words showed a lack of imagination. (I wince thinking of this now.) Well. Thankfully she had a great sense of humor. She took my comment as a challenge. She began walking around me, flapping her arms like a chicken and clucking. Except instead of saying "cluck" she said "fuck fuck fuck FUUUUUCK" repeatedly until I was laughing so hard I fell on the floor. We became friends I think right then and there. Eventually, I learned to swear as well as any sailor under her tutelage and laughed often while doing so. That's the real bonus. Plus, I hear cussin' is a great way to relieve pain.
TIZZ!! Oh what a delightful comment, LOL! Honestly, I admire you for having been raised not to cuss. It's the hardest habit to break. Amazing that you made the transition to cussing but I'm sure it opened up all kinds of new forms of release, which as you pointed out, is apparently a benefit of cussing. What a great story, thank you for sharing this!💕
It was my pleasure. =) ♥
💕
Love this. Ta fucking da, to those panty-twisted uptight religious nut cases.
Ha! "Ta fucking da" I love it!