Last week, we got into a conversation about my decision to print the f-word in the current issue of D Magazine. A woman wrote in to say that she wasn’t much pleased when she saw the word in print. In fact, she was downright angry. So Krista sent her a link to the post explaining the thinking about the f-word decision. The woman was not impressed. She wrote back:
I’ll assume your link is going to justify it somehow some way but I am telling you now – there should be ZERO tolerance for such vulgarity. Journalists/contirbutors/sewer-heads are apparently desperate for a story and have resorted to “shock-value” much the way many mentally distressed actors/actresses/musicians, etc are — but “shock-value” = vulgarity EVERY SINGLE TIME. As a wife and a mother of four — I am sick to death of people like you and those contributing to your magazine dragging this nation thru the pits of hell with their constant immorality and indecency. Take the high road for once — take a stand for goodness and morality — and lets just see who is the better for it?
“Dragging this nation through the pits of hell”? My goodness.
49 comments
Rick Perry says using the f-word in magazines is an unconstitutional Ponzi scheme.
Morality would dictate she say “H-E-double hockey sticks.”
Or, in this case, the pits of ****. Which, I mean, make no mistake, I take a stand against. I do think Constant Immorality would be a good name for a tea.
I also kind of like Sewerheads. It would make a good name for a band of mentally distressed musicians. They’d be all singing like, “Oh, **** this, **** that, **** the other, ****ety-****-****.” It would be vulgarity EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Why are people so ****in’ touchy?
(I know this won’t make thru the filters, but still…)
It’s hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn’t rub out even half the “**** you” signs in the world. It’s impossible.
Freakin-A, man.
“Pits” plural? I knew about the rings, but I thought there was only a single pit (but I’m the product of a failing public educational system, so what do I know?).
I’m also curious to know if she was only a mother of one (and not four) if she wouldn’t be quite as sick.
‘Krista, catch u next Tuesday”
I wondered who or what was to blame for my being dragged through the pits of hell. I’m glad that is cleared up. So, stop it already !
How dare you publish a word as vile and vulgar as h-e-double-hockey-sticks on your website! Clearly this “Internet” is no place for anyone with a family! I demand you refund me for reading this trash!
I found the saddest part of this woman’s response to be that she has four children. My goodness, indeed.
I agree with Holden. Surprise! But while I understand the reader’s viewpoint and idealism, that simply isn’t the world we live in. And in journalism, there is a need to be accurate, which at times outweighs the need for decency. Oh, and by the way, I remember something happening 10 years ago yesterday was far more offensive and unavoidable than **** being printed in any magazine. Can’t erase ‘em all.
But at least I’m impressed that Ms. No-F-Word’s kids are still reading magazines. Seems almost anachronistic in this day and age.
I really think that this “dragging through the pits of hell” thing needs to be worked in to the about Frontburner section of the blog.
Lighten the **** up, lady.
Good thing she doesn’t have internet
****, ********. ********* ** **** and ****!
FrontBurner: Dragging You Daily Through the Pits of Hell
Can someone please explain to me who made her the Morality Police? You know what I am sick to death of, people trying to hijack my GOD-given right to exercise my own mental capacity and determine for myself what I think is moral, ethical and/or decent. How does not printing the f-word show the magazine has taken a stand for goodness and morality? That is a pretty low bar for goodness and morality if you ask me. All it takes is not using a word that became offensive only in the last couple centuries?
“50,000 people around the world died of hunger today. That’s bad, but what’s worse is that most of us don’t give a damn. But what’s even worse is that for many of us, it is more bothersome that I just said the word ‘damn’ than that I said 50,000 children of God died of hunger.” Tony Campolo in a sermon.
She’s got the right to that opinion, but in my view it’s misplaced outrage.
@Marcus, why did the Frontburner filters bleep out “asleep”?
Does she go on to hazard a guess as to exactly who would be the better for it? Because I tried being moral and decent once — it was April 1998 — and I didn’t get a ****in’ thing out of it.
Good for her that she only has a swear word to worry about because I am pretty sure there are some way more ****ed up **** out there that she could/should be worrying about.
Tim, shame on you! Who knows what prurient interests this impressionable young fellow will develop as a result of his exposure to your licentiously verbiaged publication. I, on the other hand, as a single no-child-having intermittent living-in-sinner, delight in the f bomb. Must be because my parents subscribed to D.
@JS, I thought it was “stranded on a deserted island”. That happened to me 3 years ago, and when I realized my predicament, all I could muster, with my shoulders slumped, was a sheepish, “****.”
Made it off eventually though! **** yeah!
Well I declare, it sounds like this woman is suffering from the vapors.
We haven’t ascertained that she’s unconcerned about the desperate poverty in developing nations. If you put to her just so — hey lady! did you know a third of all people sh1t in a brown paper sack?! — I’m sure she’d become very upset, very quickly.
I know all the “words” myself, and I use them from time to time, also (but not on publicly-available blogs, websites, press/ media, etc.).
…..
I thought the original posts last week were, by and large, cheap, sleazy and trashy. I feel the same about the above stuff today.
“dragging this nation thru the pits of hell”
I’m guessing she might know of what she speaks. I’m pretty sure Dante mentioned being near her as being one of the inner circle of, yea, hell.
Instead of “—-” I just say “m,kay.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC0MmJHFdAg
I know that pits-of-hell-lady isn’t reading this but this message is towards her and her ilk. I get that you don’t like where this world seems to be going. But do you think this world is going into the twah-let because people say f— or because they’re gay or because they have tattoos? Maybe it’s because public schools suck and fail kids, not giving them a chance to better their lives. Or, maybe it’s because the US is becoming a country, more than ever before, of haves and have nots. And the haves who have a whole lot don’t pay a whole lot of taxes and they get to run their cars, second homes and fancy vacations through their companies (I bet you know some have-a-lots like that, pits-of-hell lady.) Or maybe it’s because there’s so much hate and intolerance in this world that there are a shetload of people who feel really angry and powerless so they act out in ways that break laws and hurt people. Maybe saying uck-fway is a harmless way of venting some of that anger. Maybe you should think before you judge. Yours in Christ, DGirl
PS I view magazines like TV channels…if you dont like the content change channels. No one forced her to read the story.It is a very slippery slope to hold yourself out there as a moral authority.
DGirl, I “like” you.
Interestingly on CBS during PRIME TIME, the F Bomb was aired (not bleeped) many times during the 9/11 Then and Now special. Seriously lady…if CBS is airing it… IJS
surrender lady, the war is over
Help me out, what rhymes with ****? Maybe $$$$? Or ####?
Get this woman some valium, STAT!
So JS sees my brilliance and then someone comes in and decides to f****** delete my comment in a secondary review?
RIP Inside Corner, Jessica Jones, and the 1980 Summer.
Well f**k me
Well, with 15 other beavers — distinct beavers, I might add, distinct beavers — at your dispoasal, I should think you would be able to go **** yourself.
Oh, wait a minute — not sure how that would work. We need some advice. Hey lady!…
*disposal
Fornication was my drug.
I have to agree that the “f” word, while one of the most versatile words in the spoken English language, has no place in a publication that pretends to be “sophisticated” and representative of “the best” of Dallas. I would like to think your editorial staff and contributors have a large enough vocabulary to come up with less “lazy” words than the f’in “f word.”
Lest ye not forget that D Magazine didn’t just make up the word ****,for shets and giggles, they were quoting the subject of the interview, John Teaser. Odd to me that this lady jumps on D Magazine but doesn’t mention the fact that the guy in the article has a terrible potty mouth, makes funny of people, calls them names,and clearly has no morals. I guess you can have no morals as long as you don’t say ****. Like you can screw people around, you just can’t **** them around – did I get that right?
Her point should be taken for the way she means it which is this: Prior to the decimation of our culture by the trash in Hollyweird, we thought adults should set an example for our children. This meant holding certain standards of decorum. We didn’t say hell; we didn’t say f@@@; we didn’t use Christ’s name in vain; and we didn’t trade sex partners as though it was no more than a square dance moment. I absolutely support the vetting of swear words from all public communications. The guttering of our culture is an assault on our children. As adults, we have a responsibilty to hold to a moral code that creates a clean and decent culture for our children to live and grow in. So clean it up. now.
Prior to the decimation of our culture by Branson Missouri, adults were adults.
Billy,
In a more sane America that I recall wistfully, we didn’t assault our children by giggling while we shet. We didn’t “screw,” as you so charmingly put it, we went a-wooing. And hey, guess what, when we said “square dance,” we meant the actual dance — not ****ing with five people ****ing and one of them standing on his **** while a third one, female, *****s his ***** while ******ing it inside of the fourth one’s *****. And we never, ever took Christ’s name in vain.
Clean it up, America. For the children.
Kyrie eleison, Daniel. That’s some funny shet you got there.
You know what you call putting an email from a reader of your magazine up on this blog for your oh so enlightened and tolerant readers to make snarky comments about? Good business sense that’s what, i’m sure when word gets out that D magazine enjoys holding up their readers and subscribers for ridicule people will just flock to your publication, so keep up the good work.
@Doug – I think they lost her at f***.