"F"BOMB

I like to think I am not a prude but maybe I am. I do avoid books,  movies or TV shows that rely too heavily on the "F" bomb as part of the dialog. I can see a few usages where warranted but a gratuitous amounts leaves me cold.  To me it is cheap writing. Kind of like a comedian who is not getting many laughs will drop an "F"-bomb and get instant laughter.  Don't get it but what ever puts food on the table. 

Now I totally admit to keeping the "F" bomb in reserve for extreme sudden pain or when witnessing an impending accident. I might have used it when the horse collar fell off my wall last week. By using it sparingly, it doesn't lose its pain easing powers or satisfaction when expressing outrage.  Other wise, I tend to keep things pretty clean. "Crap" is still pretty much my go to word.

However every now and then I find a usage that does make me laugh for it is so darn cute.  If you saw the film Philomena with Judi Dench, that was one of the adorable times it was used.

Judi plays an Irish lady whose child was taken from her by the Convent and she tries to find him once she is an adult.  She kept using a word that I couldn't place at first.  She was dropping the "F"-bomb but pronounced it "fook" with an Irish accent.  Now that is just cute. It cracked me up as it was effective but harmless.  

I am reading a series of books now that uses it in another cute way.  I have a long family history with Key West so I am enjoying the Road to Key West  books by Michael Reisig which are fictional and amusing accounts of two fellows who have almost Indiana Jones type adventures.  They get into situations where there is no way they can possibly survive but somehow they manage escape unscathed. 

Humor is a strong part of his stories and since they are largely based in Key West or the Caribbean, I am enjoying them.   

The writing is suggestive but clean. There is sex but no details. It took me a while to learn how the lead character swore.  The first time was when I came across the phrase he used to describe someone without good sense.  He called him nucking futs.  Huh??

Okay.  I saw what he did. He switched the first letters of each word so instead of saying F***ing nuts, he used nucking futs.    The expressions are used sparingly and are never quite the same version so each time it takes me a minute---then I get it.  I may adopt his letter swapping usage when necessary. It makes the point without getting crude. 

Of course if you are just using the word by itself as a noun, verb, adverb or adjective this swapping letters won't work. That is when the Irish accent might come in handy. 

Does a book or movie that relies heavily on the F-bomb turn you off or do you care?