Abrahams cussing

[Mike B.]

(12-12-2012 07:15 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  I think for some added perspective, people need to read Stories The Soldiers Wouldn't Tell by Thomas Lowry. Although Lowry got into some serious trouble recently, I've never seen anything mentioned about this work that would lessen it's veracity. It gives an interesting account as to what really went on with soldiers during the war.

As I said before, Lincoln was a product of the frontier. He had to have heard every word imaginable, and used select ones himself. He also rode the circuit with a number of other men, and during the times when they were sitting by the fire I doubt they were reciting Bible verses.

I often get the feeling that many people who are upset with the saturation of sex and profanity which seems apparent in today's society has the notion there was a "golden age" when such things didn't happen. I've never accepted that. People got pregnant outside of wedlock all through history (even Lincoln believed it of his own mother) and pornography isn't a 20th century invention. Read traveling accounts of 19th century preachers on the frontier and you'll get a greater understanding of what real life was like then. I read several in trying to understand Everton Conger's father, Enoch and his life as a missionary on Ohio's Western Reserve.

Best
Rob

Rob,
The whole subject got me wondering about recent Presidents' language.

Harry Truman used to say, "hell," "son of a -----," and "g-d damn" a lot. It actually became a semi-issue in 1952 when Richard Nixon running as Vice-Presidential candidate to Ike said that when they were elected the White House was going to be a place of no more profanity.

Of course this was hilarious when the Watergate transcripts were released and there were so many "explitive deleted" when Nixon was cursing.

LBJ was known to use salty language once advising the George HW Bush to run for Senate in TX because the difference between the House and the Senate was the difference between "chicken salad and chicken ----."

Don Regan who was Ronald Reagan's chief of staff was remembered be creative in the use of the "F" word and supposedly said it all the time according to Lou Cannon's biography of Reagan.

Clinton supposedly complained in front of reporters in 1993 that "Carter f---ed" him over Carter's peace plan in Haiti.

George W. Bush was caught on live mic calling a reporter a name that rhymes with brasspole and on live mic telling British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to tell the Syrians to "knock off this s---."

And there is this clip where VP ***** Cheney told a Senator from VT to "bleep off" on the Senate floor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYY1oDDYS18

Of which he seems to be quite proud.

Supposedly according to David Corn's reporting at last year's debt ceiling talks there were some not printable language exchanged between the two sides.

Lincoln's occasional rude frontier jokes seem pretty tame...in comparison