That Lovely Four-Letter Word

I just watched the recent documentary by Steve Anderson on the modern cultural history of the word "fuck." Touted by NYTimes critic A.O.Scott as a "rowdy and contentious" exploration of a linguistic icon (what else can one call such a powerful swear word?) , the film both informs and entertains. I'd love to use parts of this one in the high school classroom to allow students to better understand how their overuse of the term (and all its wonderful forms) has weakened its rhetorical power. However, I strongly hesitate to use any material that so obviously needs a permission slip and also presents such a heavy-handed political bias. Warning: effective editing skews the narrative and key footage of our most powerful leaders using the term may push the film over the left edge. (That in itself might be classroom-worthy to teach persuasion and rhetorical style.) There is also a bit of gratuitous sexual footage from an environmental rally that I would NEVER show in the classroom. Short clips from the historical exploration parts would be useful though. I bet I would have to document the exact sections I was planning to use, even with that permission slip. BTW, the NYTimes wouldn't even print an "edited" form of the movie title, choosing instead to use four stars to represent the film.

If you are interested in the history of the term or in free expression issues, check this film out . Doubtful that standard video stores or your public library will carry this indy pic. Go Netflix!