[attrition] Fuck

[security curmudgeon]

http://law.bepress.com/expresso/eps/1087/

Fuck

Christopher M. Fairman, Ohio State Moritz College of Law
(PDF format) - March 7, 2006

ABSTRACT:

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.

SUBJECT AREA:

Communications Law; Constitutional Law; Education Law; Employment 
Practice; Psychology and Psychiatry; Sexuality and the Law

SUGGESTED CITATION:

Christopher M. Fairman, "Fuck" (March 7, 2006). ExpressO Preprint Series. 
Working Paper 1087.

http://law.bepress.com/expresso/eps/1087