http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205#more-205
Insight Young Voices Blog <http://blog.insightyv.com/>| A Dalit Youth Magazine | - Home <http://blog.insightyv.com/> - About <http://blog.insightyv.com/?page_id=2> - Contact <http://blog.insightyv.com/?page_id=71> - Disclaimer <http://blog.insightyv.com/?page_id=72> Subscribe <http://blog.insightyv.com/?feed=rss2> What the fuck? There was an interesting debate developing behind the scenes of the Insight Young Voices site in general and the Round Table Blogs in particular. The debate was essentially about moderation of the comments that were expected to be posted in response to posts, both on the site as well as the blog. [image: the_gesture022]While it is unncessary for us to go into the details of the actual arguments being made, the issue soon came around to what has been described as ‘cussing’ and whether it should be allowed and if so to what extent. Of course reference was made to my previous post, the poem by Keshav Meshram, which has as its first line…One day I cursed that motherfucker God. To be very fair to all concerned it should be mentioned that no one had any objection to the poem whatsoever, in fact, one even commented on use of the expletive as being a ‘beautiful expression’. To be even fairer, no one even had a problem with cussing at all, except that it could possibly detract from the actual issue at hand and degenerate into a slinging match. However in the midst of this mushrooming debate, Anoop, being his usual self, and with a terrific sense of irony, commented, and I quote, “My earlier stand on cussing came from my shy nature, god-fearing hindu family background and missionary school teachings and I have never ever cussed anybody in my life but I am ready to learn.” Anyone who has read Anoop’s interview in Tehelka, and knows him personally,would know that cussing was and is the least of his problems…;) Yet jokes apart, there is a deep truth to what Anoop has pointed out. Cussing or the use of expletives has not been encouraged, by either the colonial missionaries with their Victorian value system or by the doyens of so called polite, elitist society. There is no wonder then that the Castor faced Brahmin is shocked out of his wits at the expletive. Yet the matter is not so simple either, if one were to question a little further, the role of power would come into the equation. Taking this into account it becomes clear that while the students of most institutions, missionary or otherwise, are taught not to be ‘foul mouthed’, the teachers and those in power can be. Of course the teacher probably would not use the word fuck, at least not in the hearing of the students, but other, and far worse abusive words for children such as ’stupid’, ‘good for nothing’, are used and have been used. Even on occasion when the words themselves are not used, the attitudes that pass on the same values prevail. Of course it should be mentioned here that Dalit and Tribal children are far greater victims of this kind of verbal and attitudinal abuse, even worse when the question of reservations comes in because then worse things are said and thought. The question then, is not about the use of the expletive or the curse word, but rather one of who can and who cannot utter it. Those in power can and those who are powerless cannot. It is no wonder then, that for the same people who want to maintain the Brahmanic purity of language, the term Madiga is a curse! The subaltern use of the expletive then is a challenge to the system, it shakes the very foundations of it (as Meshram himself noted). It questions the very basis of the equation between language and power. It becomes the very means by which the subaltern names and shames the powers that be. Therefore ‘cussing’ itself becomes not only a legitimate means of the expression of Dalit anger, but it also becomes the very act through which they name (and shame) their oppressors and their oppression. Cussing then, is empowering… I cannot but help but think of a feminist friend of mine who once told me that unless a woman can say fuck, she is not liberated!!!! It is a well known fact that we cannot articulate our experience if we do not have the words. The use of the expletive or cussing then offers us an avenue of expressing our experience. What we should remember also however, is that experience is also understood though language. Language enables us to assimilate and make connections between the various facets of our experience. It is here that the expletive has limited use, while a word like fuck can offer us a valid way of expressing pain, anger and even protest, it has limited usage in enabling us to understand the dynamics of the pain, anger and protest involved. To be honest however, in as much as language itself is the hegemony of the powerful, any word will have limited usage in this area. It is here that the onus is on us to not depend on the ‘language’ of the oppressor, but to invent new words and to use old words in new ways. Let us then not fall back on old curses but let us creatively invent new ones. There is of course another reason to invent new curses, that is of course the overtly sexist nature of most ‘cussing’. The fact that we use terms like ‘MOTHER-fucker’ says something, likewise even a term like bastard is loaded with patriarchal imagery… think of the other curses you know… it all works out the same… The point being that we need to invent new terms, new curses if you will, that will name the oppressor, but not fall into the trap of sexism. Maybe this is what Anoop wanted to learn after all… a new non-sexist, creative way of cussing! July 7th, 2009 in Language <http://blog.insightyv.com/?cat=65>, Literature<http://blog.insightyv.com/?cat=35>, Politics <http://blog.insightyv.com/?cat=46> | tags: Cussing<http://blog.insightyv.com/?tag=cussing>, morality <http://blog.insightyv.com/?tag=morality>, patriarchy<http://blog.insightyv.com/?tag=patriarchy>, victorian <http://blog.insightyv.com/?tag=victorian> 1 Comment RanjuJuly 8th, 2009 at 11:58 am hi philip i must confess that it was yesterday only I used the same sexist language against our Telugu Brahmin Assistant registrar who was playing politics against me within the School. I jokingly mumbled that even his idiotic brahmin forefathers happily leading a vedic life in the hell would have committed suicide hearing my curse and abuse. I just want to share the recently coined abusive word like “Brahminastard” (thanks to orkut discussion with my friends)…. the attempt was to tilt it against the vertical power domain. u might have noticed that most of the abusive words stereotype/ the marginalised/women/DAlits/adivasis etc… let us try to strike back by inventing our own abusive words.. after all what the fuck….!! Leave a comment Your comment Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Insight Young Voices visit Magazine Web-page Recent Posts - What the fuck? <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205> - A small fact that might interest you <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=197> - “YOU DON’T BE MY FATHER” Dalit Memories: A Video Story of Caste in Keralam <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=170> - Need to Democratise ‘Muslim’ Institutions <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=157> - Why I am Proud of the Statues <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=142> - Anoop Kumar’s Interview - Tehelka <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=137> - Canada, Casteism And Sikhism - An interview with Kamlesh Ahir <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=114> - Vienna Shoot-out - Dalit Assertion- A Revolt against Discrimination <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=102> - One Day I Cursed that Motherfucker God <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=99> Recent Comments - What the fuck? <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205> (1<http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205#> ) - Ranju <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205#comment-58> - “YOU DON’T BE MY FATHER” Dalit Memories: A Video Story of Caste in Keralam <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=170> (2<http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205#> ) - P K Ratheesh <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=170#comment-55> - anu <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=170#comment-48> - A small fact that might interest you <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=197> (2 <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205#>) - Ranju <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=197#comment-53> - Rashmi <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=197#comment-51> - Why I am Proud of the Statues <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=142> (28<http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=205#> ) - fallenmonk <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=142#comment-49> - R.Prakash,Kerala <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=142#comment-47> - Time and Us <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=142#comment-46> - sudeep <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=142#comment-45> - Ranju <http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=142#comment-44> Archives - July 2009 <http://blog.insightyv.com/?m=200907> - June 2009 <http://blog.insightyv.com/?m=200906> Copyright © 2008. 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