Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: Those were the days

From: eddie hermanson ( ehermanson@hotmail.com)
Date: 07 Sep 2000


>From: Kevin Burton Smith < kvnsmith@colba.net>
>Reply-To: rara-avis@icomm.ca
>To: rara-avis@icomm.ca
>Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Those were the days
>Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 09:51:29 -0400
>
>>spouting swear words or offensive terms does not make one tough.
>
  I agree with you all the way. You need attitude to be tough and when your attitude lands you in a tough situation you need a little muscle to back it up. The scene in The Monkey's Raincoat where Cole first gets grilled by Lt. Baishe is tuff stuff and not once does Crais use foul language...

>In fact, as much as I admire Ellroy, I think he does tend to overdo
>it. Sometimes he comes off like a ten year old kid in the schoolyard,
>spouting off all the "bad words" he can, trying to impress his
>friends.
>
interestingly i watched a sort of low budget documentary/interview on James Ellroy and no matter what he was talking about I'd estimate that every 3rd word out of his mouth was either shit, piss or fuck. The only Ellroy book I've read is Black Dahlia and i don't recall much foul language. But i suppose if thats the way he talks thats the way he is going to write.

"He snarled and called me something nasty." That is a great line. But for me its great because the guy 'snarled'. If he had said 'yer a fucking asshole' it would be lacking. If it was: He snarled and called me fuckface...well i think that is funny, because the guy snarled.

>
>By the way, it's a sad day in the "sincerity of the language of the
>street" when the word "nigger" has become so devalued that it's
>applied to a white dude like yourself.
>--
  the word nigger never had value. and it hasn't become 'devalued' to become the worst sort of insult to a white dude. if my neighbors wanted to insult me they would call me a cracker. the word, when used in certain situations, has become a greeting. i live in a neighborhood with quite an active gang population. Ive lived here long enough to become known as a member of the neighborhood. when someone says to me 'wassup niggah' he's saying what's up dude, brother, man. it means im accepted in the community, neighborhood.

>Kevin Burton Smith
>The Thrilling Detective Web Site
>http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/
>
>Take our new Search Engine for a spin!
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