Friday, February 18, 2011

Keeping Frak A Four-Letter Word

Longtime followers may have noticed I tend not to use foul language.  I possess a wide enough vocabulary to get my message across without the need to curse.  I do, however, toss out an F-bomb every now and again.  Sparingly, of course.  But frak!  Sometimes no other word will do.  So it was with great concern I saw this story on CNN, Hollywood fights to end 'fracking.'  Don't bother clicking the link.  It's completely boring.  But I was left wondering...

Is my favorite expletive under assualt?

Thankfully not.  Apparently 'fracking' with a 'c' refers to drilling for natural gas.  Really?  Drilling?  How anyone could misappropriate such a delightful malediction to refer to something with such obvious sexual undertones is beyond me.  That's frakked up.

The letter 'c' notwithstanding, I fear this may be the beginning of a more widespread and sinister attack.  With so much of the world illiterate it is not unthinkable this is a veiled attempt to remove frak from the vernacular of polite society.  If we learned one thing from Battlestar Galactica, it is that all of this has happened before.  All of it will happen again. 

My good friend Jeanne Krause wrote a post about all the things she did as a kid, yet somehow survived.  Things like drinking water from the hose, riding a bike without a helmet, and spending a night in jail because her parents sided with The Law!  You think today's kids have ever done any of that?  Society has taken away anything with just a hint of danger.  Frak has started to appear on mainstream TV as an acceptable alternative to the unsayable.  As a word, it is both harmless and fun.  But I fear this halting of 'fracking' may be the next assault. 

I'm not frakked in the head here.  Hollywood first brought frak to the mainstream.  If they turn against it, where will it lead?  The newspapers?  In schools?  On the playgrounds?

So, my friends, I beseech you.  Don't let them turn frak into a five-letter word.  When you feel the need to curse, instead say frak. You could cause the ripple that turns the tide.

21 comments:

Susanna Leonard Hill said...

What a great post. I laughed out loud at your comment about not bothering to read the link!

I am a fellow crusader, stopping by to say hi and follow, and looking forward to future entertaining posts from you :)

And I totally agree about every hint of danger being removed from today's world - I too rode a bike without a helmet, drank out of the hose, climbed tall trees, rode horses, and shared a single can of soda with my sister, all without ill effect... I think.... :)

Travener said...

Frakking A! (Though fracking with a "c" is a bad thing. As you know, it means to fracture underlying rock to get at natural gas. All too often this leaves behind tainted water tables.)

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I was impressed with BSG's alternate use of the swear word as opposed to not using one at all.

Margo Benson said...

What a great post - Hi fellow crusader! Look forward to getting to know you better on the crusade.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, MC,

I hopped over from Rach's list to introduce myself and follow.

Today's the first challenge was posted.... YAH!

Michael

February 18, 2011 2:40 PM

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, MC,

I hopped over from Rach's list to introduce myself and follow.

Today's the first challenge was posted.... YAH!

Michael

February 18, 2011 2:40 PM

Tara Tyler said...

I thought it was frick? No frickin way! I like freak, myself. But my boys came up with their own censorship:
http://taratylertalks.blogspot.com/2010/12/censor-speak.html

And I'm sure you heard what they are doing to Huck Finn...
http://taratylertalks.blogspot.com/2011/01/mark-twain-say-what.html

Raquel Byrnes said...

I though it was a bad word in the series Battle Star Galactica?
By the way, just dropping by to introduce myself as a fellow crusader and new follower. I'm off to tackle challenge #1 now. =)

Susan Fields said...

Hello fellow crusader!

Funny post, I'll do what I can to help turn the tide. :)

Tanya Reimer said...

I must live in a hole because that's the first time I heard frak used this way.
"We started a new frack job." Is a common saying in our neck of the words, but it really does mean drilling! We say frik around here. But I might try it out tomorrow, see what type of strange looks I get. Frak, that might be funny.
Welcome to the crusade

Regina said...

They just can't leave things alone. Thanks for the post. Fellow crusader and new follower stopping by. :)

Samantha Vérant said...

Freaking is a good one! Waves to a group two crusader! HI!

Margo Berendsen said...

Nicole Duclerior recently hosted a blogfest with interview questions, one of them was "what's your favorite swear word?" I discovered a lot of great swear word alternatives! I use Frik myself on occasion. Going to try "bugger" or "bullocks" for a bit, pretend I'm a brit :)

Crusader here, but yay I think I am alread a follower. It's just been a while since i visited

Donea Lee said...

Hi - just popped over from the group#2 crusaders! I love BSG and I've seen "Frak" used on other popular tv shows. I'd hate to think "they'd" make it taboo....

Margo Kelly said...

Fellow crusader and new follower - nice to meet you!

Faith said...

*nods sagely*

So say we all.

(Hi, Crusader group member!)

G Blechman said...

Haha. Magnificent. All hail the continuence of frak!

<3 Gina Blechman (fellow crusader)

Unknown said...

Did you pick up frak in the 80s, cause that's when I did. Though, I don't think it's quite as special to me as it is to you.
I'm stopping by to meet you. I'm in your crusade group (32) I believe.
Best,
Lois

Zan Marie said...

LOL! I hadn't connected frak with frack! Totally funny. I'm a crusader following the croud. See you around.

Alison Miller said...

HAHA - LOVE this! I was a huge Battlestar Galactica fan growing up!

Nice to meet you fellow crusader!

Alison Pearce Stevens said...

My five-year-old pulled out the f-bomb today, incorporating it into a little song to see if I'd notice. Starts young, these days, doesn't it?

I have an award for you at my blog.