Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

2-7-90 . . . Of all things, I discussed the word “shit” in my Critical Thinking courses this morning. The topic is language functions. I asked the students to state some of the ways “shit” is used in ordinary discourse. Depending on the circumstances and the intonation of one’s voice, the word “shit” can be used to inform (if uttered by a tour guide on a buffalo trail, say), direct (if uttered by a frustrated parent to a potty-trained child), and express. The latter function is interesting and complex in its own right. “Shit” can be used to express awe (for example, when viewing King Kong for the first time), pleasure (upon seeing a woman’s panty line), disbelief (when a friend tells a tall tale), and either pain or frustration (when hitting one’s thumb with a hammer). The students got a kick out of the conversation, as well they should have, but it was meant to be serious and illuminating all the same. It shows the versatility of a single word. Perhaps this is true of many or most “obscene” words. One student suggested that “fuck” is more versatile than “shit”, but we didn’t pursue it. I think he’s right. One can fuck, get fucked, be fucked, get fucked-up, or fuck someone over. The word (or its variations) serves as a noun (“a good fuck”), a verb (“let’s fuck”), and an adjective (“a fucking jerk”). It denotes degrees of skepticism ranging from mild (“that’s hard to fucking believe!”) to strong (“that’s un-fucking-believable!”). Needless to say, I had fun this morning. Irreverence is my forte.