Praise of Cussing: Argument Analysis

¶ … Praise of Cussing: Argument Analysis

In Christopher Lochhead's article, In Praise of Cussing, he argues that the there is an appropriate time and place for the use of swear words. He views such language as a satisfying and powerful form of self-expression which can accurately portray intense feelings such as love, joy, hate, frustration and determinism. He also views the use of swear words as a rebellious act which, in the right situation, can appeal to all types of people. He then gives several examples of highly successful people, such as business men, politicians, and television personalities, who use swear words to get their points across, and do so successfully. That being said, he does caution that the over-use of such words can have a reverse effect and make the speaker come across as weak or appear as though he/she is "trying to compensate for some deficiency" (Lochhead, 2009, par 10). He ends his argument by stating that he is more worried about people who never swear. He sees these people as ticking time bombs, with all their repressed emotions waiting to explode.

2. Discussion

Lochhead's article was a quick and easy read. He used simple language and humour to argue his point while integrating factual statements and personal, popular, and hypothetical examples. Based on the way his argument is written, it would appear as though his intended audience is your everyday North American citizen. Lochhead himself is a strategy advisor and former technology executive who has worked in the business industry for many years. He used personal examples and those of powerful people he has encountered who swear quite frequently to defend his stance. Constraints to Lochhead's argument include popular opinion and values (that one should never swear) and the length of his article. He was probably restricted by his allowed word count and this did not give him enough space to discuss his supporting evidence in great length. Ultimately, he presents his argument to counter the popularly held belief that it is never appropriate to swear and that people who do are looked down upon or portray themselves in a negative light.

3. Analysis

As previously stated, Lochhead claims in his article is that there is an appropriate time and place for the use of swear words, and that such language can be a satisfying, powerful, and productive form of self-expression. He presents some evidence in support of these claims. For example, he states, "You'll find many of the most successful people in the world using salty descriptions to get their points across" (Lochhead, 2009, par. 4). He then goes on to give examples and states that almost all of the great executives he has worked with throughout his business career used swear words. Lochhead also mentioned that a study conducted in 2007 found that teamwork can be inspired through swearing. He illustrates these findings by sharing a personal story. He was giving a speech to over 1,000 salespeople and the crowd roared with approval when he said, "We are not participating in this f*cking recession!" These examples warrant his argument because they counter the mainstream belief that only uneducated, rude, and ignorant people use such language. Instead, his evidence shows that the use of swear words can have an energizing and positive effect on the people who are being addressed and can portray a sense of power and control for the people who are swearing. Lochhead uses a number of words which may be seen as weakening his argument. Examples include: "most" Americans find swearing satisfying; you can "probably" express all human emotions through the use of swear words; and "many" of the world's most successful people swear. Nevertheless, it is rarely possibly to make such sweeping generalizations as "every" and "always" and Lochhead is simply recognizing this fact. Finally, he addresses the argument that swearing is inappropriate, rude, and ugly. He says that he agrees with this statement yet believes that this is part of the reason why swearing can have such powerful effects. He defends his stance by stating that one should always use common sense when using such language and not swear in front of children or authority figures, or in places such as a quite library or a place of worship.