Published: Wednesday | February 5, 2014
Editorial taken from: THE GLEANER
Ethon Lowe, Guest Columnist
Jamaicans are cussing more and more these days. People say it is because life's rough with the high cost of living, rising crime, and high unemployment. But guess what? Cussing may not only be an expression of agony, but also a means to alleviate it.
Take Rob Ford, the embattled mayor of Toronto. In one of his drunken antics, he dropped the rbomb. Not your common and boring F- or S-word for him. His choice: the glitzy Jamaican r, no less. The publicity will no doubt generate a much-needed boost to the tourist industry. Admittedly, the goodly gentleman's pronunciation was a little off. Quite understandable, as he is not home-grown and, therefore, lacks the subtleties and niceties of the Jamaican tongue.
A well-timed R-word, properly vocalised, care being taken to prolong the 'aa' sound as in 'raw', not as in 'rat'( you don't want all the dreadlocks in your neighbourhood converging at your door for spliffs), can be useful and very effective against certain undesirable elements of Jamaican society: homicidal drivers, foot-dragging civil servants, indolent government officials (don't try it on the police), rapacious light bills, and, of course, those annoyingholes, er, potholes endemic to Jamaican roads.
PEACE OF MIND
My use of the R-word does give me some peace of mind when traversing said holes and the aptly named Devil's Race Course and its environs in St Catherine. When I am travelling alone, I sometimes resort to it. However, in my wife's presence, she being a fervent, no-nonsense Christian, the R-word, for obvious reasons, is hastily dispensed with. My Christian friends remind me of Proverbs 13:3: "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."
Even without the comforting R-word, however, you can still derive some modicum of cathartic satisfaction by slamming your vehicle at 60mph into a pothole that (with a bit of imagination) resembles your worst enemy or an obnoxious in-law. Your mechanic will love you for this.
The pious are not exempted from the use of the R-word. When I lived in England, my Anglican pastor friend confided in me that when he couldn't satisfy the excessive demands of his parishioners, his frustrations often drove him to habitually lock himself in his car, windows tightly closed to muffle his voice (and presumably cocking an eye surreptitiously to the heavens to see if God was looking). After a vociferous belting of RC and BC at the top of his voice, he would return to his flock fully energised and relaxed. When faith fails, there is nothing like good ol' RC and BC to put things right.
MAXIMISING EFFECT
For a good swear word to be truly effective, it should have a cathartic effect and relieve pain, distress and tension. It should be used sparingly. They are the best words to use if you hit your finger with a hammer. #@%$!! I hurt my finger. Also, I am told that it is very effective in scaring away evil spirits, duppies, and rolling calves.
A study to determine the effectiveness of swear words to alleviate pain was carried out by measuring how long college students could keep their hands immersed in icy water. During the chilly exercise, they would repeat an expletive or chant a neutral word (e.g., ' st' and 'shoot' ). When they swore, they reported less pain, and on average endured their pains 40 seconds longer.
One explanation is that a part of the brain called the amygdala (located in the temporal lobe) is linked with emotion and can, when stimulated by an emotive word or expletive, trigger a fight or flight response, in which the heart rate climbs and we become less sensitive to pain. This may have a survival value. Normal language arises from the frontal lobe on the left side in most individuals.
Would the world be better off if everyone quit cussing four-letter words? My answer: The four-letter word 'nope'. It took an unlikely proponent of the Jamaican R-word, Rob Ford, to open our eyes to the treasure trove of Jamaican four-letter words just waiting to be tapped. Over to you, Mr Minister of Tourism.
Ethon Lowe is a medical doctor. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and ethonlowe@gmail.com. <<http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140205/cleisure/cleisure2.html>>
