[lbo-talk] the legal implications of the word fuck.

Jerry Monaco monacojerry at gmail.com
Tue Apr 25 17:41:13 PDT 2006


I usually don't use profanity -- too much Catholic school and all -- but I thought that someone would find this scholarly article mildly amusing.

"Fuck"

Ohio State Public Law Working Paper No. 59

Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies Working

Paper Series No. 39

Contact: CHRISTOPHER M. FAIRMAN

Ohio State University - Michael E.

Moritz College of Law

Email: fairman.3 at osu.edu Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=343920

Full Text: http://ssrn.com/abstract=896790

This Article is as simple and provocative as its title suggests: it explores the legal implications of the word fuck. The intersection of the word fuck and the law is examined in four major areas: First Amendment, broadcast regulation, sexual harassment, and education. The legal implications from the use of fuck vary greatly with the context. To fully understand the legal power of fuck, the nonlegal sources of its power are tapped. Drawing upon the research of etymologists, linguists, lexicographers, psychoanalysts, and other social scientists, the visceral reaction to fuck can be explained by cultural taboo. Fuck is a taboo word. The taboo is so strong that it compels many to engage in self-censorship. This process of silence then enables small segments of the population to manipulate our rights under the guise of reflecting a greater community. Taboo is then institutionalized through law, yet at the same time is in tension with other identifiable legal rights. Understanding this relationship between law and taboo ultimately yields fuck jurisprudence. _________________

-- Jerry Monaco's Philosophy, Politics, Culture Weblog is Shandean Postscripts to Politics, Philosophy, and Culture http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/

His fiction, poetry, weblog is Hopeful Monsters: Fiction, Poetry, Memories http://www.livejournal.com/users/jerrymonaco/

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