On the Matter of Cussing
My Mother just told me that a man with so good a vocabulary as mine shouldn't have to reduce himself to the use of profanity in his writings. Well, I am genuinely sorry for any offense that I give her with my cussing, but I like to use all the words I know. People cuss naturally, casually. If they're raised right, they'll usually know when and where it's not appropriate to use certain words, but, otherwise, cussing is a perfectly acceptable part of our natural speech. The thing is, though, I don't like censorship ---and not using the "F-word" (as my Mother puts it) when the only thing that will work is the F-word is extremely annoying and unnatural.

This question extends itself to racial, ethnic, and class slurs: when do they get used? That is, I ain't no Mark Fuhrman: when the defense attorney asks me if I've ever used the "N-word," I'm not going to be able to deny it. If, like Fuhrman, I do deny it, everyone will know that I am a liar ---and that is a hateful thing to bear. That's far more hateful, in fact, than striving to have never used the "N-word" at all. Why? Because if a black guy makes me mad (e.g., by driving recklessly and endangering my life), why wouldn't I use the ugliest, most hateful term I can think of? Am I a passionless robot, programmed by my betters to rein in my heart and tongue and personality at all costs? No one who lives is above being chewed out or hated or denigrated or praised or loved or exalted. Niceties are sterile; inoffensiveness as an end is the end of human being: don't ask me for that; don't want that for me.