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Fuck

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Some genial media liberals, along with one or two token rightwing grumps, discuss the prevalence of the word "fuck" in our culture, or rather US culture. The conclusion drawn in this 2005 documentary by Steve Anderson is that the F-word is robust and healthy and joyful and liberating, and only censorious meanies would seek to restrict its use in any way. It's all reasonable but unoriginal stuff. Billy Connolly has an entertaining riff on how the phrase "fuck off" transcends language: if you are at the airport at Lhasa, Tibet and an orange-robed monk is messing with your luggage, then shout "fuck off" and he will miraculously get the message.

Normally, no self-respecting sophisticate ever admits to being upset by bad language - although Janeane Garofalo does here confess to being restless during the more potty-mouthed moments of TV's Deadwood. It is only comedian Drew Carey, at the very end of the film, who touches on a topic that could yet disturb the liberal consensus a little: the C-word. And no one at all dares go anywhere near the N-word. Is anyone going to make a documentary about that, incidentally? Because "fuck" stopped being a hot-button topic many years ago.

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