barney trips and says the f word

Valdez: What if we wear out the F-word? It could happen sooner than you think

Linda valdez: the f-word is special - or at least, it used to be. here's the danger in making it all too commonplace..

The word on the truck made me wonder: Are we overusing America’s favorite profanity?

If we aren’t careful, the F-word could become a victim of its own popularity. It could lose its punch. What a loss.

The word I saw was made up. " TRUCKFUMP” was lettered neatly on the back window of a white pickup truck in the parking lot of a Post Office in Tucson.

Trump T-shirt cost this guy a meal

This was a not-so-subtle commentary that danced close enough to the edge of profanity that no one could mistake the meaning. But it did not quite go over the line.

In Texas, a man recently went hungry for boldly going over the line .

Andy Ternay arrived for Sunday breakfast at a First Watch in Richardson, Texas, on Feb. 11, with a T-shirt that said “(F-word) Trump and (F-word) you for voting for him” in block letters across the front.

On the back was an extended middle finger pointing to more profanity directed at “the racist alt-right.”

Ternay was ejected without being served, according to an account by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Can we keep it clean - for the kids?

In a statement to the Star-Telegram, the restaurant said it wasn’t about politics.

"Just as young children cannot go to R-rated movies that feature language like that, we do not believe they should be exposed to it in a family restaurant .”

Fair enough.

When my adult daughter was little, I used to tell people in public places to watch their language in her presence. Some apologized. Some told me to F-word off .

So I get it. We want some safe public space for children to remain innocent. For conversations to remain civil and respectful.

But let’s face it, folks, those hoping to keep bad words from reaching young ears need to do more than avoid R-rated movies. Ear plugs would be more appropriate.

That's a lot more F-words in public

Researchers from San Diego State University and the University of Georgia charted the rapid rise in public usage of the F-word and some of its vulgar and scatological cousins in research published last year.

They used books as a measure and found the use of the F-word was 168 times more frequent in 2008 than in 1950. Add someone’s mother to the F- word and frequency of use soared 678 times over 1950.

Tut, tut, people.

The researchers quoted former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s 2013 lament on the “coarseness of manners” in modern America.

Why we're using the F-word so much

“You can’t go to a movie — or watch a television show for that matter — without hearing the constant use of the F-word,” he said.

Add Sunday breakfast and a trip to the Post Office to that list.

Researchers tied the increased use of the F-word and similar words to some red-blooded American traits, such as individualism, independence and the delight in breaking taboos .

There's a beauty in dropping an F bomb

Sometimes nothing else quite captures your level of frustration, anger or downright astonishment like that four-letter word. It can feel truly liberating to drop an F-bomb.

This an all-purpose, special occasion word that can morph into any part of speech : noun, verb, adjective, adverb.

So versatile.

There are events – like when you back out of the garage without first opening the garage door – when no other word seems to express what you are feeling.

Is there a better word for our times?

There are also times – like these – that call for extraordinary words.

We live in a time when the president of the United States can’t grasp the significance of a hostile foreign power meddling in U.S. elections.

“What the heck” just doesn’t seem to cut it.

But there is a danger of overusing the F-word.

If we wear out the F-word, this will happen

Researchers who charted the rapid rise in the public use of this all-purpose word suggest over-use might result in a loss of its power or “shock value.”

Imagine what that could mean.

In a culture where the F-word is as common as dirt, the only way to be provocative would be to buy a dictionary and learn to express one’s self without profanity.

Reach Linda Valdez at [email protected] .

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In Bill Burr’s New Netflix Series, The F Word Stands For Fearless, Funny And ‘Family’

Where to Stream:

F is for family.

“A is for Apple, J is for Jacks, cinnamon-toasty Apple Jacks!” If you’re old enough to remember that jingle , then your bells will be ringing loud and true watching Bill Burr’s new six-episode animated series for Netflix, F is for Family .

Burr takes us back to the fall of 1973 and the cul-de-sac-living middle-class Murphy family, where patriarch Frank works as a baggage handler for regional Mohican Airways at a Rust Belt airport (the airport is actually named for a guy named Rustbelt), while his wife Sue (Laura Dern) aspires to something more than selling plastic wares out of the house, and their three kids, 14-year-old Kevin (Justin Long), 11-year-old Bill (Haley Reinhart) and youngest daughter Maureen (Debi Derryberry) try to stay out of trouble while playing outside with all sorts of troublesome characters.

It plays more like Norman Lear’s All in the Family or Good Times than it does That ‘70s Show , mining the time period for raw grittiness rather than just for nostalgic laughs.

Although when Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” kicks in — we see Frank fly though sky and time, from his high-school graduation and into the meteor storm that is his adulthood, slapped in the face by Korean War draft papers, a baby bottle, wedding cake, eyeglasses, bald spot, spare tire, past due bills, and even the giant F from the title credit hits him in the head, eliciting a yelp as Frank lands in his comfy chair on the street with his family by his side – you almost expect to hear his yell as a “D’oh!”

This isn’t The Simpsons , though, and you’re not in Springfield, anymore. Even if we might not know where we are, we know when we are, and the story is serialized, so the Murphy family’s universe has rules and remembers where it has been.

Co-creator Michael Price has written some 20-odd episodes of The Simpsons and produced hundreds more, and says of this project with Burr: “If you happened to grow up in the ‘70s, then you’ll have a special relationship with it, or remember things from your childhood. But if you’re older or younger than that, you’ll see something in yourself in these characters.”

Early in episode two, Frank heads toward his boxing bag to blow off some steam, only to find the family’s station wagon in the way. “Who the f*** puts a car in the garage?!” he yells. Sue replies: “I’m sorry I thought you were going to be happy tonight.” “Never assume that!” And yet. The parents have a happy, healthy sex life. We see and hear it. So do the kids! “There was no supervision,” Burr says. “You went outside and ran into other kids, and with your kid brains, you made decisions on what you were gonna do that day: play with matches, throw rocks in somebody’s pool, go down to a construction site, break windows of houses that were being built.” And every neighborhood had a mysterious neighbor who, no matter how unintentionally, put fear in the hearts of all of the children.

Since it’s 1973, it’s nowhere near politically correct. There’s a “Nazi house” down the block, inappropriate Halloween costumes, complaints about American cars and “the Japs beating us,” a traumatic incident for young Bill at a football stadium men’s room, and Frank has his chair, his can of beer and his favorite TV series, “Colt Luger,” a Charles Bronson-like action series voiced by Phil Hendrie and taking out all of the undesirable elements in the city. “Once again, justice is served.”

The serialized storyline has Frank earning a promotion at the airport when his boss accidentally kills himself in a plane’s propeller (oh, we get to see that, too!), only to find himself stuck between his potentially striking co-workers and management. What could be a dark portrait of family and work life has enough light moments to carry it through the three-hour plot of the debut season.

For every time Frank and Kevin hurl profanity-laced tirades at each other, for every scene where a young child is drinking booze, smoking pot or blowing things up, we also see that the family sticks together. They’re blue-collar Catholics who’ll spend their son’s college fund (all $700 of it) on a new color TV (“the biggest and heaviest we’ve got!”), yet never complain about their status.

No matter how well their swingin’ bachelor neighbor Vic (Sam Rockwell) seems to have it. Other contributing voices include Dave Koechner, Kevin Farley, Joe Buck and Gary Cole. F is for Family sneaks up on you and into your heart, much like the first Simpsons Christmas special did. It may not be the happy ending you were looking for, but it’s the real family ending we need.

How well will the Murphys age? Will they age in future seasons? Those are questions I look forward to finding out the answers to for years to come.

[ Watch Bill Burr’s F is for Family on Netflix ]

Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The Comic’s Comic ; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First .

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Barney Says

• View history

Barney Says is a segment at the end of the Barney & Friends TV series hosted by  Barney  himself. (Only the first 8 seasons do the original format.) Barney (before showing flashbacks of clips learned in the episode), says a closing rhyme. Then (after his rhyme), he shows flashbacks of the lessons (shown as images) learned in this episode. In addition, he suggests fun activities that the audience can do at home to learn more about this episode's topic. (Only the first 8 seasons have the original format --Barney saying his closing rhyme, then showing flashbacks from the episode, and saying his "I love you" rhyme at the end of it.)

• 1 Segment Format
• 2 Seasonal Variations
• 3 Replacements/Alternate Versions
• 4 Background Music
• 5 Title Cards
• 6.1 Season 1
• 6.2 Season 2
• 6.3 Season 3
• 6.4 Season 4
• 6.5 Season 5
• 6.6 Season 6
• 6.7 Season 7
• 6.8 Season 8
• 6.9 Season 12

Segment Format [ ]

At the beginning of this segment, Barney's closing rhyme sounds like this:

At the end of the segment, Barney usually says something along the lines of "And remember, I love you". He sometimes signs off in a different manner, as in with "And you know what? I love you" or "Because I love you". (That is, regarding to the "I love you" rhyme --performed at the end of the "Barney Says" segment.)

Oftentimes, Barney says his closing rhyme ("Hello again to all my friends. I am glad you came to play. Our fun and learning never ends. Here's what we did today!") outside of the school. In Seasons 3 - 8 , the segment begins with a clip of a kid (or kids) doing something, saying, "Hey everybody, it's time for Barney Says!". Then Barney says his rhyme in various colored backgrounds (depending with the season --Seasons 3-8). (However, in the first two seasons --Seasons 1 and 2-- he says his rhyme at the playground. In Season 1, he does it at the playground gate. In Season 2, he does it on the playground structure.) In Season 3 through 8 Barney appears on the bottom left corner of the screen and says to the audience his signature sendoff rhyme and waves goodbye before the credits roll, credits, credits and website or website and credits in this version. (Before the "Barney Says" segment, a kid says to the viewers "Hey, everybody! It's time for Barney Says!". After the kid/kids say the announcement rhyme, the "Barney Says" segment begins.) In the first two seasons (which regards to the "signature sendoff rhyme" subject) Barney shows a clip from the ending. But he does not appear to say his signature sendoff rhyme to the audience. The part where Barney appears to say his signature sendoff rhyme (after the last flashback) starts with Season 3 .

Seasonal Variations [ ]

• During Season 1 , the end of the episode "turns the page" to the blue words "Barney Says" upon the titular white sparkling background, before wiping away to reveal Barney standing near the playground gate (at the school playground). When the scene cuts to Barney, Barney breaks the fourth wall by saying his closing line. The screen then wipes again to the episode clips.
• During Season 2 , the end of the episode fades to the purple and green words "Barney Says" upon the enhanced background from before, then it flies away to reveal the playground structure (at the school playground). Then Barney steps in from the left, stands on the school playground, and breaks the fourth wall. Then he says his line. The screen then flashes to the episode clips.
• During Season 3 , the end of the episode "flips" to a kid (or kids) telling the audience, "Hey everybody, it's time for Barney Says!". Then (after the announcement line), the blue and green words "Barney Says" slide in to the right as Barney approaches in the sparkling background. Then he says his line. The word "Barney" slides to the left and reveals the important scenes. At the end of each segment, the last image darkens before Barney breaks the fourth wall to say his "I love you" line (saying, "And remember, I love you"). That is, before going to the end credits.
• Throughout Seasons 4 through 6 , the end of the episode turns into green static and the camera zooms into a purple TV. A kid (or kids) tells the same announcement line from the previous season, then purple static appears. Then, on a yellow construction paper background, the colorful letters "Barney Says" magically appear and then roll away as Barney steps in from the left. And he (Barney) says his line. The green static appears again to change to the episode snapshots. After the narration of the episode's topic, Barney breaks the fourth wall to say his signature sendoff line (his "I love you" line). The last snapshot of the episode cuts to purple static and then out to the front of the TV showing the credits (or, on PBS Kids airings, the credits followed by the production company logo and the purple construction paper background showing the URL to the Barney & Friends website, or in some cases, a purple construction paper background showing the URL to the Barney & Friends website on PBS Kids airings followed by the credits and the production company logo). From this season onward, the line "our fun and learning never ENDS" is changed to "our fun and learning never END," to correct some grammar.
• Throughout Seasons 7 and 8 , a rainbow swirly affect appears after "I Love You" which leads to a kid (or kids) saying, "Hey everybody, it's time for Barney Says!". The intro is similar to the opening theme with the magnetic refrigerator letters appearing on a picture saying "Barney Says", and then, the picture flies away as Barney steps in from the left and says his line. The rainbow appears again to change to the episode clips. Barney's "I love you" line --heard in the end of the "Barney Says" segment-- remains unchanged from Seasons 4 through 6). This segment was however omitted when aired internationally.
• However, Season 12 lacks the kids saying, "Hey everybody, it's time for Barney Says!", and Dean Wendt redubs Barney's voice for when he starts his closing line --which occurs before the episode clips-- and for when he does his sign off line (his "I love you" line).

Replacements/Alternate Versions [ ]

• In Season 9 , the segment was replaced with one with a female announcer talking about how the episode encourages kids to explore their world among other things. In addition, she explains how Barney is " a helping hand for growing children ," and it later appeared in re-runs of Season 7-8.
• In Seasons 10 and 11 there was a similar segment called " Let's Play with Barney ," where Barney gives commentary on children having fun.  He introduces the segment with an alternate line: "Hello again to all my friends.  I'm glad you're here today.  There's lots to do, when I'm with you.  Let's have fun and play!"
• In episodes from Season 13 , to fit with the travel theme, an almost identical segment featuring Barney's Travel Book is shown with Barney explaining each episode's journey and explaining more about the country's culture.

Background Music [ ]

• Also, this is the first season where Barney (after the last flashback) appears to the audience to say his signature sendoff line and waves.
• In Seasons 1-3, an original composition plays.
• In Seasons 4-6, the music was changed with the first three notes of " I Love You " playing when Barney appears at the end of the segment to say his signature sendoff line.
• In Season 1, in the original composition, sometimes the flute is not played in the following segments: " Be A Friend ", " Practice Makes Music ", " A Splash Party, Please ", and " Carnival Of Numbers ". This also occurs in " I Can Do That! " from Season 2 and " At Home With Animals " from Season 3.
• For 1997 - 1998 reruns of Seasons 1-3, this segment was omitted, possibly due to time. It was also removed from Seasons 7-8 and 12 on Tubi, the official Barney YouTube channel, and The Roku Channel.
• " My Family's Just Right For Me ", " Carnival Of Numbers ", and " Let's Help Mother Goose! " are the only episodes to have two different versions each.
• " Playing It Safe ", " Four Seasons Day ", and " 1-2-3-4-5 Senses! " are the only episodes to repeat a song that was played earlier during the episode.
• In Round and Round We Go , after the program ends and the scene changes to the "Barney Says" segment, the focus of it is to learn how to ride a bike safely. That was also the only home video to have a "Barney Says" segment.
• Coincidentally, " Eat, Drink And Be Healthy! ", " Caring Means Sharing ", and " What's That Shadow? " have the shortest "Barney Says" segments, running at the exact same length (18 seconds).
• " Hop To It! " and " Down On Barney's Farm " are the only episodes to have different music in the "Barney Says" segment, even though the different music was the same one played during the segments.

Title Cards [ ]

Segment Used In... [ ]

Season 1 [ ].

• The Queen Of Make-Believe
• My Family's Just Right For Me
• Playing It Safe
• Eat, Drink And Be Healthy!
• Four Seasons Day
• The Treasure Of Rainbow Beard
• Going Places!
• Caring Means Sharing
• Down On Barney's Farm
• What's That Shadow?
• Happy Birthday, Barney!
• Alphabet Soup!
• Our Earth, Our Home
• Let's Help Mother Goose!
• Be A Friend
• "I Just Love Bugs"
• When I Grow Up...
• 1-2-3-4-5 Senses!
• Practice Makes Music
• Hi, Neighbor!
• A Camping We Will Go!
• A Splash Party, Please
• Carnival Of Numbers
• A World Of Music
• Doctor Barney Is Here!
• Oh, What A Day!
• Home Sweet Homes
• Hola, Mexico!
• Everyone Is Special

Season 2 [ ]

• Falling For Autumn!
• Grandparents Are Grand!
• May I Help You?
• Red, Blue And Circles Too!
• Honk! Honk! A Goose On The Loose!
• Hoo's In The Forest?
• I Can Do That!
• Grown-Ups For A Day!
• Picture This!
• Look At Me, I'm 3!
• The Exercise Circus!
• My Favorite Things
• The Dentist Makes Me Smile
• Stop, Look and Be Safe!
• An Adventure In Make Believe
• The Alphabet Zoo
• Having Tens Of Fun!
• A Very Special Delivery!

Season 3 [ ]

• Shawn & The Beanstalk
• If The Shoe Fits...
• Room For Everyone
• I Can Be A Firefighter!
• Shopping For A Surprise!
• Any Way You Slice It
• Twice Is Nice!
• On The Move
• A Welcome Home
• Classical Cleanup
• Our Furry Feathered Fishy Friends
• Gone Fishing!
• At Home With Animals
• It's Raining, It's Pouring...
• Camera Safari
• Who's Who On The Choo Choo?
• Are We There Yet?
• Ship, Ahoy!
• Hats Off To BJ!

Season 4 [ ]

• First Day of School
• Is Everybody Happy?
• Pennies, Nickels, Dimes
• We've Got Rhythm
• Tick Tock Clocks!
• Waiting For Mr. MacRooney
• Let's Build Together
• It's Tradition
• A Picture of Health
• A Different Kind of Mystery
• Going On A Bear Hunt
• Tree-Mendous Trees
• Good, Clean Fun!
• All Mixed Up
• Easy, Breezy Day!
• Oh, Brother...She's My Sister
• Once A Pond A Time

Season 5 [ ]

• Books Are Fun!
• Trading Places
• Safety First!
• Circle of Friends
• The One And Only You
• Barney's Band
• Try It, You'll Like It!
• Colors All Around
• Howdy, Friends!
• Seven Days A Week
• Hidden Treasures
• A Royal Welcome
• Sweet As Honey
• First Things First!
• Aunt Rachel Is Here!
• It's A Rainy Day!
• Easy Does It!
• A Very Special Mouse
• What's In A Name?
• A Package Of Friendship

Season 6 [ ]

• Stick With Imagination!
• Itty Bitty Bugs
• Grandparents Are Grand
• Snack Time!
• A Sunny, Snowy Day
• You've Got To Have Art
• Five Kinds Of Fun!
• Count Me In!
• Who's Who At The Zoo?
• Birthday Olé
• Excellent Exercise!
• Brushing Up On Teeth
• A "Little" Mother Goose
• It's Home To Me
• How Does Your Garden Grow?
• You Can Do It!
• Here Comes The Firetruck!
• Ready, Set, Go!
• You Are Special

Season 7 [ ]

• All Aboard!
• Up, Down and Around!
• Tea-riffic Manners
• Bunches of Boxes
• Red, Yellow and Blue!
• Play for Exercise!
• Come Blow Your Horn!
• A New Friend
• Numbers! Numbers!
• This Way In! This Way Out!
• Spring Into Fun!
• Play It Safe!
• Three Lines, Three Corners
• A Parade of Bikes
• It's a Happy Day!
• My Family and Me
• Splish! Splash!
• BJ's Really Cool House

Season 8 [ ]

• A Fountain of Fun
• On Again, Off Again
• Sharing Is Caring!
• Here Kitty, Kitty!
• Once Upon A Fairy Tale
• It's Hot! It's Cold!
• A Perfectly Purple Day
• Day and Night
• Play Piano With Me!
• A Picture of Friendship
• A-Counting We Will Go!
• A Little Big Day
• A World of Friends
• Who's Your Neighbor?
• Squares, Squares Everywhere
• Let's Go For A Ride!
• That Makes Me Mad
• It's Your Birthday, Barney!
• It's Showtime!
• At Home In The Park

Season 12 [ ]

• Way to Go!: A Travel Adventure
• The Misbegotten Moon: A Space Adventure
• The Sword in the Sandbox: A Storybook Adventure
• Riff to the Rescue!: A Wild West Adventure
• Lights! Camera! Action!: A Movie Adventure
• To Catch a Thief: A Mystery Adventure
• The Magic Lamp: A Travel Adventure
• The Amazing Captain Pickles: A Hero Adventure
• A Game for Everyone: A Sports Adventure
• The Reluctant Dragon: A Fairy Tale Adventure
• 1 Barney Home Video
• 2 Hachaverim Shel Barney
• 3 Barney's World

• Cast & crew

Way to Go!: A Travel Adventure

• Episode aired Sep 15, 2008

Join a super-dee-duper travel adventure! When Baby Bop wants to go on a trip like Daniel, Barney and his friends imagine traveling in different ways. From making cardboard cars out of boxes ... Read all Join a super-dee-duper travel adventure! When Baby Bop wants to go on a trip like Daniel, Barney and his friends imagine traveling in different ways. From making cardboard cars out of boxes to pretending to become airplanes to a great big cardboard city bus to a big cardboard cru... Read all Join a super-dee-duper travel adventure! When Baby Bop wants to go on a trip like Daniel, Barney and his friends imagine traveling in different ways. From making cardboard cars out of boxes to pretending to become airplanes to a great big cardboard city bus to a big cardboard cruise ship!

• Fred Holmes
• Michael Anthony Steele
• Carter Crocker
• Sheryl Leach
• Carey Stinson
• Julie Johnson

• Balloon Vendor

• (uncredited)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Soundtracks Let's Go Song (Re-lyric) Written by Scott Erickson

User reviews

• September 15, 2008 (United States)
• Carrollton Studios - 1303 Marsh Lane, Carrollton, Texas, USA (Studio, now Titan Chair)
• Lyons Partnership L.P.
• HIT Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 27 minutes

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/TheFWord

Film / The F Word

Edit locked.

The F Word (released as What If in the United States) is a 2013 Irish-Canadian romance comedy based on TJ Dawe and Michael Rinaldi's play Toothpaste and Cigars and starring Daniel Radcliffe , Zoe Kazan , Megan Park, Adam Driver , Mackenzie Davis and Rafe Spall .

Radcliffe plays Wallace, a former medical student who has been a recluse for the past year due to the breakup of a relationship, and is attending a party with his college roommate, Allan, played by Driver. While at the party, he meets Chantry (Kazan), a quirky girl who can keep up with him quip for quip. At the end of the night, he walks her home, gets her number... and learns that she has a boyfriend. He discards her number, but chance brings them back together, and they become good friends, much to the chagrin of her five year boyfriend, Ben (Spall), who's convinced that Wallace is just nosing around Chantry in the hopes of sex. Clandestinely, Wallace continues to lust after Chantry, agonizing over how he enjoys being her friend, but truly wants more.

Then, Ben accepts an opportunity to go to Dublin for a U.N. conference on copyright law, causing Wallace and Chantry to have to confront their feelings for each other, and whether they really can just be friends.

This film exhibits the following tropes:

• Amusing Injuries : Played straight and subverted. When Wallace goes to Ben and Chantry's apartment for dinner, Ben aggressively intimidates him about how he'd better not attempt to take Chantry away from him. All this while, Ben's been chopping up chili peppers for salsa. He then rubs his eyes without washing his fingers, and his eyes become painfully irritated. Wallace, who's keen to make a good impression, goes to the bathroom to get Chantry's contact lens solution to neutralise the pain, but when he emerges from the bathroom, his opening the door knocks Ben through a window and Ben falls a couple of floors to the sidewalk. It's hilarious, but Ben has to go to hospital, and spends the next while with a cast on his broken wrist.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension : This film has it from the outset. At one early point, when Wallace and Chantry are at the beginning of their friendship, he mentions that he spent a lot of his early life in hospitals (because his parents are doctors.) Chantry replies, in a sympathetic tone, "Is it because of your multiple deformities?"
• Book Ends : Begins and ends with Wallace on the roof of his sister's house, looking at the Toronto skyline; the second time, Chantry is up there with him.
• Digging Yourself Deeper : Wallace's conversations inevitably go this way. One of the things that attracts him to Chantry is that she keeps up with him .
• Distant Finale : The ending skips forward 18 months to Wallace and Chantry getting back from Taiwan and getting married.
• The Door Slams You : Ben has gotten jalapeño in his eye and is in terrible pain. Wallace, wishing to help, goes to get contact lens solution from the bathroom, comes rushing back in to the living room, flings the door open—and hits Ben with the door, knocking him through an open window and onto the street.
• Downer Beginning : The first scene shows a depressed Wallace deleting a breakup message from his girlfriend...that has been on his phone for 379 days.
• Exotic Backdrop Setting : Part of the film is set (and filmed) in Dublin but there isn't a single named Irish character, or even unnamed Irish character beyond a few non-speaking extras.
• Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen : Wallace and Chantry go on a beach excursion with Allan and his girlfriend, Nicole. Nicole and Allan decide to go skinny-dipping and Wallace and Chantry, deep in Unresolved Sexual Tension with each other, decide to join them. When they exit the water, they find out that Nicole and Allan have enacted this trope, taking with them the car and leaving a single sleeping bag. Chantry is distinctly not amused, feeling that it's not only very irresponsible (it's getting very cold), but also tantamount to sexual assault by forcing her and Wallace to sleep together naked.
• Just Friends : Wallace and Chantry play out this trope through the majority of the film.

• Love at First Sight : Allan is visibly taken with Nicole the moment she walks into his field of vision during the opening party scene. The attraction was mutual, as according to Nicole, "The night I met Allan I was so into him it wasn't until I woke up in his bed the next morning that I even remembered I already had a boyfriend." They end up Happily Married .
• Manipulative Bitch : Subverted. Wallace talks about his ex-girlfriend Megan as if she's this, but when she shows up at the hospital, she's just an exhausted and overworked young doctor who feels bad for cheating on him, even if she doesn't want to get back together with him. He seems rather embarrassed about it.
• Mistaken for Cheating : When Chantry shows up in Dublin, Ben shows up arm-in-arm with an attractive Brazilian coworker. There's no evidence against his assertion that it really is platonic.
• No Antagonist : Some romcoms might make the Romantic False Lead either mean or boring, in order to stack the deck for the hero. In this film however, Ben is a perfectly nice guy and seems to really love Chantry; they simply grow apart.
• Rom Com Job : Played straight with Chantry, who is an animator, and with Ben the Romantic False Lead who has a cool job with the United Nations, but interestingly averted with Wallace who has a dull job writing technical manuals. Lampshaded when Allan specifically points out how dull Wallace's job is when Wallace is confessing his feelings for Chantry.
• Shout-Out : Wallace and Chantry meet for the second time at a theatrical screening of The Princess Bride .
• Zip Me Up : The sexual tension between Wallace and Chantry starts ramping up in a scene where she makes the mistake of trying on a dress that's too small for her, gets stuck in it, and has to ask him to help her out.

Alternative Title(s): What If

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Barney: F-bombs and ‘B’s — what can you say on…

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Barney: F-bombs and ‘B’s — what can you say on TV?

PASADENA — Where’s George Carlin when we need him?

The late comedian, who famously crafted a monologue about the dirty words you can’t utter on television, surely would have something smart-alecky to say about the TV critics media tour. At times, the event, which ends Sunday, has felt like a ponderous course in linguistics, with network executives and TV producers analyzing what language is acceptable in this day of free-falling standards.

ABC entertainment chief Paul Lee, for example, spent a good portion of his news conference responding to questions about why ABC was bold enough to allude to the B-word in the titles of two upcoming shows, but not quite bold enough to say it too loud. “Good Christian Bitches” thus became simply “GCB,” and “Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23” became “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23.”

“In broadcast television, as it turns out, that isn’t a word you want to use in the title,” he told media members.

But apparently it’s OK to use it in scripted dialogue, which more shows seem to be doing with stunning casualness.

And apparently it’s OK to make references to a certain anatomical part, as well. —‰’Vagina’ is not indecent,” CBS President Nina Tassler said in response to accusations that the network’s sitcoms deliver too many below-the-belt jokes.

Freshman sitcom “2 Broke Girls,” in fact, thrives on them. However, co-creator Michael Patrick King is making no apologies. It’s 2012, not 1994, he reminded critics during a combative panel session, and he’s not about to hold back.

“I think everybody likes a naughty joke,” he insisted.

But how far is too far? Where do you draw the line?

“That’s the problem. No one really knows what is appropriate,” said Chuck Lorre, an executive producer for three CBS comedies. “It’s a moving target.”

All of this talk, fittingly enough, comes at a time when the Supreme Court is deliberating over whether the government should even bother to regulate curse words on broadcast TV. To our robe-cloaked justices, we say good luck with that.

Meanwhile, on next week’s “Modern Family,” Cam and Mitchell’s beloved toddler, Lily, will drop the F-bomb in an episode called “Little Bo Bleep.” The word will be inaudible to the audience, of course, but not to her horrified parents, who are anxious to figure out just where their little potty-mouth picked it up.

It’s a storyline that every parent can relate to, insists executive producer Steve Levitan, who said it took some fierce lobbying to get ABC to go along with it.

Carlin undoubtedly would be very amused.

AGING GRACEFULLY: In TV terms, nine years is an eternity. That’s what makes the gravity-defying success of “NCIS” all the more incredible.

The CBS drama is just a month away from its 200th episode, and it reigns as prime time’s No. 1-rated show. Last week’s episode was watched by 21 million viewers.

Aging scripted shows aren’t supposed to do that. So what gives?

“I think from the very beginning we were a show that wasn’t good enough to get all that noticed and wasn’t bad enough to get canceled,” star Mark Harmon told media members. “We had a lot of time just to get to know each other and just to do this show and work on the foundation … and we’ve had changes along the way that allowed us to grow.”

The show’s 200th episode, airing Feb. 7, will have an “It’s a Wonderful Life” quality to it, with flashbacks on pivotal decisions made over the past nine seasons. Critics were teased with a brief clip that showed Harmon’s Agent Gibbs having coffee in a diner and being approached by a mysterious man with a gun. A shot rings out, then the screen fades to black.

Coming in May: A crossover with “Hawaii Five-0.”

THIS ‘N’ THAT: ABC has set premiere dates for “Scandal” (10 p.m., April 5) and “Apartment 23” (9:30 p.m. April 11), but still has no definite date for “Cougar Town,” which likely will return in March. … ABC will try out “Private Practice” at 10 p.m. Tuesday nights from April 2 to May 15. … Look for three Showtime series to return April 8 — “Nurse Jackie,” “The Big C” and “The Borgias.” … Showtime also will do a Season 2 of “The Franchise,” with a major league team yet to be announced. Season 1 with the San Francisco Giants was a pleasant surprise, according to Showtime President David Nevins. “It really made a mark for us,” he said.

Contact Chuck Barney at [email protected] . Read his TV blog at http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/tv and follow him at Twitter.com/chuckbarney , and at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.ChuckBarney .

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From Insults To Respect

A Guide To Anger And Conflict Resolution

The F-Word: Why People Use It

Welcome to  From Insults to Respect. 

I’m pretty pleased with how it came out, and so I thought I would share it with you, and then provide a summary of what the scientists who have studied this topic have to say.

To follow along with what is happening in this brief section of the chapter, a little background will be helpful.

The story takes place in Brooklyn. The narrator is 17-year-old Jeff Star, who dreams of one day becoming a famous writer, and has recently begun to date his classmate, Andrea. The three other characters in the story are Jeff’s high school friends, George, Cliff, and Steve.

“What do you say tomorrow night we go to The Village?” asks George to Cliff, Steve and me as we eat a late Friday night snack at the Avenue U Diner.” “Fine with me,” says Cliff.  “I don’t have anything going on.” “I’m seeing Andrea tomorrow night,” I reply. “Andrea, again,” says Cliff.  “You two going steady or something?” “We haven’t declared we’re going steady, or anything stupid like that, Cliff.  But, I am pretty crazy about her.” “Hey, that Andrea’s pretty hot,” says George.  “You getting laid yet?” I belt George in his upper arm. “What the fuck did you do that for?” George hollers. Steve glances at a couple of girls around fourteen years old who are sitting at a table next to ours.  “I’ll meet you guys outside,” he says, and he throws his part of the bill on the table and leaves. “Now you pissed Steve off,” I say to George. “Me!” George hollers.  “It was you!  You pissed him off by hitting me!” Though not quite finished eating, we quickly pay the bill and hurry outside where Steve is waiting for us. “What’s eating you?” George asks him. “There were some girls in there and with the cursing going on…” “Jesus fucking Christ, what are you, the speech police?” George hollers.  “The speech police, hmmm,” says Steve. “I don’t know if police fits,” says Cliff.  “Steve’s not giving you a ticket or arresting you, George.” “No,” George replies, “but he’s carrying on like I committed a fucking crime or something… and like he never curses.” “It’s where you curse, and who you do it in front of that gets to me,” says Steve.  “First you curse in the restaurant with those girls sitting right next to us, and now you say Jesus fucking Christ in front of me when you know I’m Catholic.” We begin to walk toward Ocean Parkway, along Avenue U.  It’s mild out, with a very black sky; street lights cast a soft yellowy brightness along our path. “You know,” says Cliff after a few minutes have passed in tense silence, “if we could calm down about this it’s really a fascinating issue to discuss, this cursing business.  I do it so automatically I’ve never really given it much thought.” As we reach the parkway, George and Cliff sit on a bench, while Steve and I rest our butts on the three feet high black wrought iron railing that separates the pedestrian path from the bike path.  A young woman, maybe in her mid twenties, with a fantastic body, is pedaling by on an English Racer. After appreciating her female form as she glides off into the distance, Cliff says, “Let me see, when do I curse? Hmmm, mostly when I get angry about something.  I say damn when I’m a little upset; ‘Shit’ when I’m more upset; ‘Fuck’ when I’m really, really upset; and ‘Cock Sucker’ when I’m beyond furious.  An exclamation point just says you’re upset.  Cursing lets me express a wide range of upsets.” “Yeah,” says George, “Me too. What’s wrong with that?” “Well,” says Steve, “a lot of guys find it useful, but women find it disrespectful.” “I’ve heard women curse,” says George. “Not my mom,” says I.  “I’ve never heard her curse, ever.  When she gets frustrated, she cries out, ‘Oh, sugar!'” “My mom,” says Steve, “never curses either.  She cries out, when she gets mad, ‘Mother of Mary!’ She adequately expresses the full range of exclamation points by altering the tone of her voice.” “It’s interesting,” says Cliff, “that people, when they curse, use sexual terms–like fuck and cock sucker; terms about excrement–like ‘crap’ and ‘shit’, or ‘what a pisser’; and blasphemous religious expressions like holy Moses, or… well, I won’t say what else because I don’t want to piss Steve off.” “Sometimes they throw in something about a mother,” says George, “like mother fucker. If you believe in free speech, why can’t I curse whenever I feel like, for Christ sake!?” “George,” says Steve, “you know damn well that there’re places where you’re just being disrespectful when you curse.  I never hear you curse at school when a teacher is in earshot.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with me wanting to be respectful to the teachers or anyone else.  It’s just that I want to go to Columbia University.  If I piss off the school, it’ll get in my record that I’m a fucking trouble maker.” “How about during the Social Studies study group when my mom’s around,” says Steve.  “I never hear you curse then.” George’s neck turns all blotchy. We watch a few bicyclists roll by for a few minutes in silence, and then George turns to Steve, and says, “I, um, well I never really thought about it, but now that you ah, well, now that you mention it I guess I do, kinda, know that sometimes cursing can be disrespectful around some people.  You know, I don’t have a mom around to make all of this as clear to me like you and Jeff have.  I screwed up, Steve, and, well I’m sorry.” Reflections By Scientists On Cursing

It is interesting that some researchers have begun to look at how cursing affects certain social situations. In one study  researchers found that using the word “damn” was helpful. Here’s the study’s abstract:

This experiment examined the effects of judicious swearing on persuasion in a pro‐attitudinal speech. Participants listened to one of three versions of a speech about lowering tuition that manipulated where the word “damn” appeared (beginning, end, or nowhere). The results showed that obscenity at the beginning or end of the speech significantly increased the persuasiveness of the speech and the perceived intensity of the speaker. Obscenity had no effect on speaker credibility.

Note that in the study, the obscene word that was used was “damn,” which to my Brooklyn ears is a kinda middle-of-the-road obscenity. I wonder if the results of the study would have been quite different if words that are viewed as more obscene were to have been used.

An excellent review of the research on the cursing topic is titled “ Swearing: A Biopsychosocial Perspective .” If you put the title into Google Scholar, you can find a free PDF of the entire article. Below I provide its abstract:

Swearing, also known as cursing, can be best described as a form of linguistic activity utilizing taboo words to convey the expression of strong emotions. Although swearing and cursing are frequently occurring behaviors, the actual functions of swearing remain largely unknown. Since swearing typically includes taboo words, these words can be more powerful than non-swear words. Therefore, people who swear are often judged negatively, because the uttered swearwords can shock and disturb others, though the comments of others are strongly dependent on contextual factors. In this review, we provide an insight into the current state of the literature with respect to the interpersonal functions of swearing. In addition, we briefly discuss neurological, psychosocial and contextual factors that may contribute to a person’s swearing behavior. Swearing is hypothesized to produce a catharsis-effect, which results in a relief of stress or pain. Swearing also influences the perceived credibility, intensity, and persuasiveness of the swearer. Additionally, swearing can have a variety of interpersonal consequences, including promoting group bonding and solidarity, inhibiting aggression, eliciting humor, and causing emotional pain to others. This paper further presents a hypothetical model of swearing that draws from basic emotion research in an attempt to provide a scaffolding for future research.

So, anyway, that’s my little schtick on why people use words like the F word. I hope it provided some useful insights.

Have a wonderful week, and I hope you’ll soon join us once again right here at From  insults to Respect,

My Best Jeff

Some people will enjoy reading this blog by beginning with the first post and then moving forward to the next more recent one; then to the next one; and so on. This permits readers to catch up on some ideas that were presented earlier and to move through all of the ideas in a systematic fashion to develop their emotional and social intelligence. To begin at the very first post you can click HERE .

cursing Disrespectful language F-word swear words

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Rubin

Jeffrey Rubin grew up in Brooklyn and received his PhD from the University of Minnesota. In his earlier life, he worked in clinical settings, schools, and a juvenile correctional facility. More recently, he authored three novels, A Hero Grows in Brooklyn , Fights in the Streets, Tears in the Sand , and Love, Sex, and Respect (information about these novels can be found at http://www.frominsultstorespect.com/novels/ ). Currently, he writes a blog titled “From Insults to Respect” that features suggestions for working through conflict, dealing with anger, and supporting respectful relationships.

Related Posts

Re: “I, who grew up regularly hearing cursing, find that there is a point at which it begins to grate on my nerves…….” Same here. And this is said by one (me) who once joined professional fishermen on their rough trips on the North Sea, as well as one (me) who once was in the military (um…..not some desk job, but a fighting unit 😈 ). Later on, I always found myself significantly more attracted to the outcasts of society, easily mingled with homeless people, whores and gangsters, and rarely felt at home with the so called civilized ones and/or the ones who “had made it”. And yet, overdoing strong language (as I call it), is massively turning me off. Why is that? Because people overloading their talk with too much cursing and swearing (as it is called in the so called civilized world) are fake mofos, only trying to make their audience believe how tough they are. Which they’re not. Hence, they’re lying. Which stands in contrast to users of real strong language, where honesty is one of its characteristics.

There’s also another reason. A metaphor: I love certified Angus tenderloin. consuming it every day would turn me off, though 😛

Note: George Carlin knew how to use it with maximum effect 😊

Interesting, your contrast between using “strong language” where honesty is one of its characteristics, versus those who over use it as part of lying to look tough when, in reality, they are not. I can see how that is, in many cases, a very plausible observation. And of course you are right that too much of anything would eventually become a turn off. As for George Carlin, many of his bits were insightful social commentaries, and his cursing, at times worked well to convey a valuable point. However, for me, personally, he too often overdid the cursing.

As always, great to hear from you, Jeff

The F word is very versatile. Not only used for anger. In Mexico, where I live, it might mean something very positive. For a good laugh, see this video where Osho comments on the versatility of the F word: https://youtu.be/_pt9caLpQcI

You’re right Mr. Karp. And when one knows how to fuck, fucking can even be fucking wonderful 😘

I already watched that video some time ago. It’s great. Sadhguru knows how to plat with words, And not always in a funny way. He’s razor sharp. I like that.

Hilarious, Roald!

After Don Karl’s Comment, Roald Michel replied to him,

“Yes, that’s where the truth often can be found, but as we, descendants from the other people, say……….der emess shtarbt nit ober er lebt vi an oreman.” [The translation from the Yiddish is “The truth doesn’t die but it lives like a poor man.”]

I am puzzled as to why Roald’s comment didn’t appear on the post when he submitted the comment since it appears on my administrator’s comment page and I approved it. If Roald wants to try to post it again, we could then see if the problem gets corrected. For now, I wanted to make sure that his comment appears at least in this form. Sorry about this, Roald.

Hmmm, like Hamlet already shared with the world: “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy .”

1. Today I saw there must be 8 comments here. But I can see only 6. As I recall, the one from me with “wtf” in it showed up the normal way, but is gone now. Also one of you yourself, Jeff, is not visible anymore.

2. Re: “Yes, that’s where the truth often can be found, but as we, descendants from the other people…….” This was visible for me the moment I posted it. Now the original is gone, while the one larded with F-words first didn’t show up, but a day later it was there.

Note: Um…….I saw this phenomenon happen more than on on LinkdIn 😈

Hi Roald, I think the curses led to it being automatically put in the trash file. I’ve restored it. Jeff

Yes, that’s where the truth often can be found, but as we, descendants from the other people, say……….der emess shtarbt nit ober er lebt vi an oreman.

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Here Are 3 Theories About the Origin of the Word ‘Barney’

This man may have been the recipient of the ever popular insult ‘Barney’. But where does the word come from?

Outside the context of surfing, ‘Barney’ has to be one of the funniest insults. After all, it’s just someone’s first name. Replace it with another, and the entire sentiment is lost. “Off my wave, f-ing Ronnie!” Now it just sounds like you’re yelling at a guy named Ronnie. What?

But among surfers, a Barney is universally a beginner, someone who doesn’t belong. Like kook, but not tossed around so much that it loses meaning. No, to be called a Barney in the lineup means that wordsmith reserved his coup de grâce of insults specifically for you, amigo. But don’t worry. It happens to the best of us.

Apparently, the word is of unknown origin, with a handful of competing theories. Let’s examine the most convincing 3 one-by-one:

(skip to the 1:30 mark in the video above)

1. Barnyard

“What’s a Barney?” asks Rick, right after meeting Turtle in North Shore . “Uh, it’s like, uh, barn-o, barnyard. Like a haole to the max. A kook in and out of the water, yeah?” Turtle responds.

Popular belief holds that ‘Barney’ came about as a reference to someone being from the farm (i.e. living in a barn, being from the barnyard). In other words, not from the coast – someone that was new to surfing. Similar insults exist now in Southern California to mock ‘zonies’ (people from Arizona) in San Diego, ‘909-ers’ (people from San Bernardino/Riverside area) in Orange County, or ‘valley kooks’ (people from the San Fernando Valley) in Los Angeles. So it stands to reason that Barney would evolve out similar sentiment.

But this derivation is even contested down to where it originated. In an interview with website Sixties Cinema , John Philbin (who played Turtle) explains that the word was invented by Brian King, a North Shore kid that inspired the character of Turtle for the film. “Brian King stayed with me and we basically went over that script word for word,” Philbin says. “He invented so many of the surf jargon used like “Barney,’ ‘Not’ and that long sentence at the end of the movie.” This would give ‘Barney’ Hawaiian roots, but many believe it to have California origins.

To think that a surf term came out of a popular TV show isn’t farfetched in the least. One of the clearest examples of which is the phrase “cowabunga”, which derives from Chief Thunderthud’s greeting on The Howdy Doody Show . Barney Fife, from The Andy Griffith Show , was a lovably flighty deputy that served as the show’s comic relief. To call someone a ‘Barney’, i.e. a bumbling idiot, would make sense here.

In the same vein as the Barney Fife origin story, numerous sources suggest that the true origin of the insult used in surfing has its roots in The Flinstones . In a blog post on USC’s Digital Folklore Archives, author Hannah Pruett explains that a friend explained the terms origins as relating to the classic cartoon. “He believes the term may have originated with surfers around his father’s age of 68, whom are familiar with the cartoon the Flinstones . In the show, Barney is the character who is regarded as a fool.”

“If this truly is the case of the origin,” she goes on, “it makes sense as Barney is the screw-up, comic relief, however he is lovable and forgivable. A Barney in this case is definitely not lovable.”

This origin holds weight as well, considering the names of other characters entered the American english vernacular as slang terms – for instance referring to a beautiful woman as a ‘Betty’.

Think one makes more sense than the rest? Or got any competing origin stories? Leave them in the comments!

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