What's in a word...?
It never ceases to annoy, amuse and befuddle me how crazy some
religious nuts can get. I suggest if you're highly religious, or take
offense easily to your religion (namely in this case Christianity) that
you not read the following.
Ah Target night shift. How I love thee. I despise, however, plannogram team who has come to work with us since the end of halloween until now. Flow team generally stocks the entire store up until around this time of year because the trucks get more frequent and definitely more full. So plannogram team (who normally determine the layout of the store) comes in to help Flow team (that's all of night shift who ISN'T Backroom team--they backstock everything we don't put out). This keeps Target from having to hire so many seasonal employees and gives plannogram team a chance to keep their pay somewhat steady.
Now, in recent events it has come to my attention that most (if not all) of plannogram team are heavily Christian and LOVE to listen to the "music of the lord." Which plays on some R&B station after midnight or so I think. They tend to blast this station on the radio up in electronics (which is nary one aisle away from the aisle I normally work--shampoo). Other than being awfully freaking loud, the songs themselves tend to, well-how to put it nicely-suck ass. When the damned song repeats the same fucking lyrics 20 FREAKING TIMES I think that qualifies as badly written music. Not to mention badly sung by some gospel singers who can't hold the same note for 5 seconds so they jump all around the musical scale in an attempt to keep their audience's interest and to distract them from their lack of talent and technique.
A particular favorite of mine was when one song kept singing (VERY joyously) "He is dead! He is dead! He is deeeaaaaddd!!!" ....now don't get me wrong but uh, aren't Christians supposed to CELEBRATE the BIRTH and REBIRTH of Christ as opposed to the death? I'm pretty sure that's the part Christians are supposed to mourn. Perhaps I'm wrong, but uh, singing a song claiming that "He is dead" so very rapturously seems very close to the opposite of Christianity. Just a thought.
So anyway, I was out sick last night at work so I didn't get to see this first hand but Alessandra (co-worker and friend) pretty much told plannogram team that it was offensive not only in volume but in subject matter.--For those of you wondering, Alessandra is Christian. She grew up Catholic but I'm not sure what particular denomination she is now other than Christian.--So plannogram team gets offended and starts talking about how they hear curse words all the time and how Backroom team plays offensive music but they never say anything. So Ken does what any good manager would do. .....he follows protocol.
Target protocol is that no music shall be played at all. Much less cursing allowed on the floor. So basically everyone has to suffer because plannogram team seems to have a stick shoved up it's arse. I think Flow team is FINE without music but I feel sorry for Backroom team because not only were they NOT INVOLVED in ANY way, but their job is horribly boring in the backroom there and I can understand where music would actually HELP their performance (but let's COMPLETELY ignore the fact that you can't HEAR Backroom team's music unless you're on G47 which is the aisle right NEXT to the door to backroom)
So my eternal question is, what defines a curse word and why does it matter so much to people? Is it really that offensive or are we just looking for words to blame hideous behavior on. I realize that some people must see me as a foul mouthed little freak but how many of them know I have a vocabulary larger than theirs and the ability to spell and use those words correctly? I find it infinitely puzzling as to why some words are offensive and others aren't. Two good examples are "nigger" and "cunt".
Now if a black person were to call another black person "nigger" it's okay. But anyone from any other race dare to call a black person "nigger" and well, they'd best run for their life. The word "cunt" can be used by women to describe their genitals or (as my friends and I do) in a joking manner, but if a guy even dare use the word to describe a woman that way (be it calling her that as a name or describing her anatomy) he's branded as a woman hater and misogynist.
Now the second example I have more problems dealing with than the first. Seeing as how I'm not black, I do not have to deal with the word "nigger" very often. The most I can ever remember me even coming into contact with that word was when I was very young and still having to break my grandmother of that habit (she's 83 years old, give her a break). However, being a woman I DO have to deal with the word "cunt". I can say "Yes I have a cunt" or "shut up you stupid cunt" (to my friend Cat or Lilly mainly) but if a GUY ever came close to saying those things? Well to be honest I think I'd punch him, if not worse. It's quite strange how that reversal comes around.
...oh and if any of you can think of a derogatory term that a woman can call a guy, that the guy actually takes OFFENSE at if being called that by a woman (not a man), let me know. I don't think there is a single word that's like that. Kinda makes me wish I were a guy sometimes (other than the obvious easy wanking accessibility :p).
Words only have the power that you give them.
I find this statement somewhat true. Some words are automatically imbued with power simply because we are taught that way as we grow up. So why do words like "shit," "damn," "hell," "bastard," "fuck," and "bitch" and the like get people all stirred up into arms? All of those words have another meaning other than the curse that they are known for, so why not a word like "apple?" or "kick?" or something like that? I just wish I knew.
...but more importantly, why whenever I try to talk with someone about this (like say, an overly christian/religious/"moral" person) they don't understand or they won't hear of it? Are people really just happy to accept things like "that's wrong" just because someone "says so" and they don't need to know "why."
I'm a person that needs to know why.
Ah Target night shift. How I love thee. I despise, however, plannogram team who has come to work with us since the end of halloween until now. Flow team generally stocks the entire store up until around this time of year because the trucks get more frequent and definitely more full. So plannogram team (who normally determine the layout of the store) comes in to help Flow team (that's all of night shift who ISN'T Backroom team--they backstock everything we don't put out). This keeps Target from having to hire so many seasonal employees and gives plannogram team a chance to keep their pay somewhat steady.
Now, in recent events it has come to my attention that most (if not all) of plannogram team are heavily Christian and LOVE to listen to the "music of the lord." Which plays on some R&B station after midnight or so I think. They tend to blast this station on the radio up in electronics (which is nary one aisle away from the aisle I normally work--shampoo). Other than being awfully freaking loud, the songs themselves tend to, well-how to put it nicely-suck ass. When the damned song repeats the same fucking lyrics 20 FREAKING TIMES I think that qualifies as badly written music. Not to mention badly sung by some gospel singers who can't hold the same note for 5 seconds so they jump all around the musical scale in an attempt to keep their audience's interest and to distract them from their lack of talent and technique.
A particular favorite of mine was when one song kept singing (VERY joyously) "He is dead! He is dead! He is deeeaaaaddd!!!" ....now don't get me wrong but uh, aren't Christians supposed to CELEBRATE the BIRTH and REBIRTH of Christ as opposed to the death? I'm pretty sure that's the part Christians are supposed to mourn. Perhaps I'm wrong, but uh, singing a song claiming that "He is dead" so very rapturously seems very close to the opposite of Christianity. Just a thought.
So anyway, I was out sick last night at work so I didn't get to see this first hand but Alessandra (co-worker and friend) pretty much told plannogram team that it was offensive not only in volume but in subject matter.--For those of you wondering, Alessandra is Christian. She grew up Catholic but I'm not sure what particular denomination she is now other than Christian.--So plannogram team gets offended and starts talking about how they hear curse words all the time and how Backroom team plays offensive music but they never say anything. So Ken does what any good manager would do. .....he follows protocol.
Target protocol is that no music shall be played at all. Much less cursing allowed on the floor. So basically everyone has to suffer because plannogram team seems to have a stick shoved up it's arse. I think Flow team is FINE without music but I feel sorry for Backroom team because not only were they NOT INVOLVED in ANY way, but their job is horribly boring in the backroom there and I can understand where music would actually HELP their performance (but let's COMPLETELY ignore the fact that you can't HEAR Backroom team's music unless you're on G47 which is the aisle right NEXT to the door to backroom)
So my eternal question is, what defines a curse word and why does it matter so much to people? Is it really that offensive or are we just looking for words to blame hideous behavior on. I realize that some people must see me as a foul mouthed little freak but how many of them know I have a vocabulary larger than theirs and the ability to spell and use those words correctly? I find it infinitely puzzling as to why some words are offensive and others aren't. Two good examples are "nigger" and "cunt".
Now if a black person were to call another black person "nigger" it's okay. But anyone from any other race dare to call a black person "nigger" and well, they'd best run for their life. The word "cunt" can be used by women to describe their genitals or (as my friends and I do) in a joking manner, but if a guy even dare use the word to describe a woman that way (be it calling her that as a name or describing her anatomy) he's branded as a woman hater and misogynist.
Now the second example I have more problems dealing with than the first. Seeing as how I'm not black, I do not have to deal with the word "nigger" very often. The most I can ever remember me even coming into contact with that word was when I was very young and still having to break my grandmother of that habit (she's 83 years old, give her a break). However, being a woman I DO have to deal with the word "cunt". I can say "Yes I have a cunt" or "shut up you stupid cunt" (to my friend Cat or Lilly mainly) but if a GUY ever came close to saying those things? Well to be honest I think I'd punch him, if not worse. It's quite strange how that reversal comes around.
...oh and if any of you can think of a derogatory term that a woman can call a guy, that the guy actually takes OFFENSE at if being called that by a woman (not a man), let me know. I don't think there is a single word that's like that. Kinda makes me wish I were a guy sometimes (other than the obvious easy wanking accessibility :p).
Words only have the power that you give them.
I find this statement somewhat true. Some words are automatically imbued with power simply because we are taught that way as we grow up. So why do words like "shit," "damn," "hell," "bastard," "fuck," and "bitch" and the like get people all stirred up into arms? All of those words have another meaning other than the curse that they are known for, so why not a word like "apple?" or "kick?" or something like that? I just wish I knew.
...but more importantly, why whenever I try to talk with someone about this (like say, an overly christian/religious/"moral" person) they don't understand or they won't hear of it? Are people really just happy to accept things like "that's wrong" just because someone "says so" and they don't need to know "why."
I'm a person that needs to know why.