Self-censored poems hurt everyone

[scottwoods]

Something else I hate to see poets do, rant #115:

Self-censored curse words.

What I mean:

I'm listening to the new Les Nubians album*, Echos: Chapter One: "Nubian Voyager", which is a divergence from previous records in that it's not them singing so much as them featuring poets over music. Naturally, once I was made aware of this, I was drawn

Comments

[ebonygoddess9]

Did you ever say how you got sick?

Doesn't matter--guess it's not the point here.

I agree with you about making a concrete choice when using curse words...I also feel I'd rather a person didn't that did, just because often some poets do it just to be sensational, when they really could have just said something else. As an example from my own poem, I had originally used "two pillows, one for breast and for ass". After I wrote it, I realized that it didn't take all that to make the point, because "ass" wasn't my point. I was able to make a change that was just as descriptive, that didn't take away from the original point, and that didn't make it seem like I was trying to evoke more response than was necessary.

Don't get me wrong--I do believe that there are times when curse words add to the emotion or the...life of a piece, but I also tend to agree with my old English teacher (who was an Oberlin grad, btw) who said that profanity is a crutch for those who lack vocabulary...or something similar to that.

[dahled]

i don't buy the lack of vocabulary argument. i know too many uber-articulate poets (and regular people) who curse. a lot.

[scottwoods]

HEar hear.

Would you buy lazy?

[ebonygoddess9]

I could, because sometimes I think it folk can curse just because it's so much easier to be profane then to actually think about something more...uncommon to say.

Then again like I said, I can see that it depends on what point you're trying to make, because editing isn't quite a good idea if you're trying to evoke the image of one who uses profanity in everyday language, or even talking to someone who's more comfortable to using and hearing profanity in their exchanges with folk. But often times I don't think most folk are looking at it like that--it's like we're trying to either shock folk with how..."violent" or passionate we can be about a subject, or we can't think of something else to say about the subject, so we go there.

I should be fair and say too that a lot of how I've been looking at this is generally directed at most contemporary rap lyrics, but I think it can be somewhat brought over to poetry as well in some cases, particularly in slam.

sometimes.... but not necessarily

[dahled]

how about not overly concerned with the normal conventions of language?

and where does "voilent" come in? what's the connection there between that and passion? personally I curse a lot in normal grownfolks conversation with other normal grownfolk. If i'm watching the niece and nephew then i censor. if i'm doing workshops in schools then i censor (see the above mentioned thred). but i see that as the exception rather than the rule - these are just words that express ideas, and often do so in a way that other, less passionate words don't - like Scott's example below.

Re: sometimes.... but not necessarily

[ebonygoddess9]

how about not overly concerned with the normal conventions of language?

Okay, I can see that...I wouldn't consider it a catch-all, but I can see that.

And when I say violent, I just meant perceivably, which is why I used quotation marks. I do believe that some folk in our society tend to equate use of profanity with violence, such as in the case of rap music, or even just in general. I could be wrong, but I tend to think that when most folk think of profanity, or even when they use heavy profanity, it's during times when there's high anger, or the potential for the use of violence, thereby equating profanity with violence (e.g., Scott's example below). It's a very mainstream (an potentially elitist) way of looking at things, I know...I'm simply speaking of inclination.

[scottwoods]

I think there are certainly plenty of cases where the use of profanity in a poem was largely unnecessary to make the point that some of the poets who use it in these examples are trying to make.

At the same time, I'm with Dahled: I swear a LOT, and it isn't because I'm dumb. It's because the phrase:

"Move your car!"

...is not the same as:

"Motherfucker, move your goddamn shitty car out of the fucking road!"

[ebonygoddess9]

"Move your car!"

...is not the same as:

"Motherfucker, move your goddamn shitty car out of the fucking road!"

Meh, I guess for me it depends on how you say it. I can say "Move Your Car" with the same amount of venom as the other statement, IMO. Ironically though, I'd also probably use "Move your fucking car out of the fucking street" if I were in regular conversation (with myself, that is. :o).