Twisting the meaning of words

[brent]

Just curious. How is "sucks" a bad word? It seems that sometimes, we must assume a dirty mind to think a word is bad. Websters says:

1 : to draw something in by or as if by exerting a suction force; especially : to draw milk from a breast or udder with the mouth
2 : to make a sound or motion associated with or caused by suction <his pipe sucked wetly> <flanks sucked in and out, the long nose resting on his paws -- Virginia Woolf>
3 : to act in an obsequious manner <when they want votes... the candidates come sucking around -- W. G. Hardy> <sucked up to the boss>
4 : slang : to be objectionable or inadequate <our lifestyle sucks -- <people who went said it sucked -- H. S. Thompson>

Don't you guys think that pop culture has too much power? They can put an emphasis on a word, so that Christians are afraid to use it. There are other words as well.

[Shell]

It's very probable that pop culture has too much power, but English words have a way of changing over the years to mean something more negative or different from the original meaning, and it might not be in the dictionary. It's slang, yes, and you could say "stinks" just as easily and you would still make your point. It might bother some people, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I personally don't think it's that big a deal; an occasional crude or bad word doesn't bother me that much. It would bother me if someone was dropping the f-bomb every other word. There are plenty of people who wouldn't dream of saying a bad word who won't be going to Heaven.

Ask yourself if it's something you would want your girls to be saying, that would probably be a good test. The Bible does tell us to watch what comes out of our mouths, and it wouldn't be right to use a word to deliberately upset someone when you know it bothers them.

[brent]

It's a matter of context. I don't want my girls running around saying "snot", yet they should be able to read the bible and say it without thinking that it is a dirty word. I want them to know and understand what "bastard" is, so when they read scripture they get a point.

[Shell]

There's nothing wrong with being informed. Most kids probably know all those words and what they mean by the time they start school.

My oldest niece's dad, my second oldest brother, decided he'd better watch what he said and make sure she knew the names of different tools, hammers, screw drivers, so on, when they were looking at a catalog one day that happened to have pictures of different tools and she thought they were called "damn it." She's almost 4 now, I don't think she was quite 3 or had just turned 3 when that happened. They're like little sponges.

[LexingtonPethead]

I'm going to get flamed for saying this, but keep in mind, this is coming from a 40-year-old who thinks everyone is entitled to his opinion... (that was supposed to be funny).

While the term "sucks" is supposed to indicate that something is undesireable or otherwise "bad", to me at least, it also gives reference to a certain sexual act in a negative context. As a teenager, I remember some of the kids I went to school with saying this or that "sucked Mohekan heads". So what else is that supposed to mean?

I, for one, don't say it. I have come down on my older children for saying it because that's what it reminds me of, and I'm probably not the only one by a long shot.

It might not affect others in the same way it does me, but I still don't like hearing it.

[Shell]

He. That was what I meant when I said negative or different meaning than the original word. You saved me the trouble of actually defining it, David, thank you. It will bother some people, and there's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to listen to or say something that affects you in a negative way, and I don't think anyone will find fault with you for it.

Keep in mind I live in lovely L.A. where that is pretty mild compared to some of what you hear.

[spottacus]

One day about fifteen years ago, my grandma said she didn't like to hear people use that expression (something "sucks") because of the original meaning of the expression. I gave her a hard time and played dumb and forced her to say explicitly what the original meaning was. This was cruel and crude of me, because I knew full well what she was thinking of. To this day I regret being so obnoxious that day.

Of course, it has a connotation of homosexual behavior. And although most people (even Christians) use it pretty freely, it is a very crude expression.

[brent]

I have never heard that it was demonstrative of just homo behavior. I have heard of it being related to oral sex. But the point remains. Why does everyone assume that it has to do with sex? As Webster's points out, the sexual aspect is not an issue. That is a worldly, carnal expression in that sense.

How is it that so many Christian people know about this? Now because of this, the rest of the world cannot use the word "suck" without having an image come to mind that should not be there.

What's going to happen when Noxema cannot use (sorry in advance for this) "facial cream" to descibe their product. Cream has many dirty applications too. What about some of our Christian/church lingo. Will we ever have the wherewithall to stand up and claim our vocabulary, when someone takes one of our words, or something from the bible and gives it a dirty meaning?

[LexingtonPethead]

What's going to happen when Noxema cannot use (sorry in advance for this) "facial cream" to descibe their product. Cream has many dirty applications too.

Oh my gosh, Brent... WHY did you have to say that? Now, everytime I hear it I'll think about that!

[Shell]

I looked it up in an online dictionary and it said the slang meant objectionable or inadequate. It didn't get into the origin.

I guess someone somewhere just decided it should refer to sex and it caught on. Who knows?

[LexingtonPethead]

Just like anything, words are just words until they are given meaning.

I thought that was what you were indirectly trying to say earlier, Shell, but wasn't sure. Thanks for clarifying!

[Shell]

He. I figured someone would cut to the chase and define the word or say something about what it could be referring to when it's used in that context.

I'm curious about words and their origins and how we got some of our slang words, which makes sense for someone who's an English major.

[BForm]

O.k. It may have been different for different parts of the country, but I remember when the expressions first started becoming popular in the Milwaukee area, it was always followed by something crude but not always sexual. It was always That sucks: 1) Poop, but not that word, or 2) Male organ...and again. So, to this day, I still often remember the original when the term is used.

Another word is "hot". I hear even very young girls using this word the same as pretty. But that's not want it meant originally. It meant a girl was not only sexy, but appeared to be "ready".

[Petrapraise]

How about the Flinstones cartoon: They say "gay ol' time". That was OK then, now some people think its funny to hear that.

[LexingtonPethead]

Another word is "hot". I hear even very young girls using this word the same as pretty. But that's not want it meant originally. It meant a girl was not only sexy, but appeared to be "ready".

You're right about that. I bet there are others like that if we all think hard enough. Even though it can make us sound "hip" to use modern lingo, it also sends an underlying message to many people. We really should think more about what we say and what our choice of words might say about us.