Fuckity Fuck Fuck

I enjoy a good swear as much as any foul mouthed bastard. I particularly enjoy the word 'fuck' because, when used in context, it carries a lot of weight. It can be an effective way of expressing anger and generating sympathy during moments of frustration, it helps convey great satisfaction in how wonderful something turned out, or, with the right sexual partner, well, I'll censor myself here and just say it can be a fun tool for seduction. But, when spoken inappropriately, it loses all effectiveness and makes one seem vulgar. As an insult in a heated argument it's simply childish and it sounds crass when it accents the punchline of a joke. Unfortunately, comedian Lewis Black didn't understand the latter during his performance last night and I wasn't impressed.

As an American, Mr. Black started out his act commenting on Canada's gloomy weather. After generating some giggles by mentioning how gray the weather was he proceeded to shout "fuck fuckity gray fuck gray" multiple times. The audience laughed hysterically. I did not. Is that seriously considered funny? How does profanely repeating the same point over and over again pass for humor? 'Fuck this', 'Fuck that' continued the entire show and although his act had elements of intelligent and amusing social/political observations, its impact was lost in the excessive use of profanity.

During the standing ovation he undeservedly received, I felt all alone and unjustified in my disapproval. As we departed I decided not to express my opinion and avoid possibly ruining the experience for my friends, who convinced me he was worth seeing. But inside I lamented over the $50 that was wasted on the ticket. It was with pleasant surprise that I listened to their reviews and learned that they felt the same. Immediately, I was comforted by the discussion of critical analysis that followed our expressed disappointment. In hindsight, $50 doesn't seem like such a big price to pay to realize that I am surrounded by fucking great friends.