As part of Women’s History Month, BC librarian Marci Lingo spoke to a packed crowd of nearly 130 in the Fireside Room on March 15. Lingo’s discussion was titled, “The F-word, and I don’t mean Feminism.”

Lingo broke the ice, very bluntly, by saying, “Although I usually don’t use the word, I’m going to use it tonight, welcome to the fuck talk.” Lingo spoke of the origin of the word and how “It’s a strong word invested with power . you wouldn’t be here tonight if it weren’t.”

Women use the word “fuck” a lot more than they used to; some scholars blame this on the women’s movement and sexual revolution of the 20th century, said Lingo.

“One of the big ideas of the women’s movement was that women could enjoy sex just as men could,” explained Lingo, “and along with that notion, came the idea that women could too express their sexual ranges just as men could, using words like ‘fuck’ to express their sexual freedom.

“You may think that I am going to be discussing the liberating effect of women using the word fuck,” said Lingo. But that was not the case. She assured the audience that she was not there to “advocate the use of the word, to women, or anyone.”

The thought that it is wrong to use the word may seem old-fashioned or prudish; however, Lingo encouraged the audience to first learn the origin and facts about the word to understand what people actually are saying when they say it.

Many people seem to believe that the word was derived from the acronym “for unlawful carnal knowledge” or “fornication under consent of the king.”

Lingo explained how this is untrue; it is only an urban myth. The word derives from Germanic roots. “Fucks Germanic brother” is “fikken.” “Fokken” is the Dutch word for fuck, and “fokka” is the Swedish dialect. Although all of these words have different meanings, they do all have something in common, said Lingo; they are all violent in context.

Although fuck is still considered one of the strongest and obscene words in human language, it is often the choice word to use when angry, frustrated, and perhaps when hurt. The word is used many different ways, but the most common definition and use for the word, is to describe sex. But Lingo questioned why would people use a word that is violent in nature and used so often in negative situations to describe one of the most intimate, sacred acts two people can share.

Perhaps a younger generation may suggest that the term can be innocently used as just a playful gesture, or maybe to describe a more intense form of sex between couples. Lingo argued such reasoning.

When the word is used to refer to a sex act, “we say, ‘he fucked her,’ or, ‘I wanna fuck you,’ ” said Lingo, “It’s something we do to another person, not something we do with another person.”

She also suggested that we think about all of the other ways fuck is used. For example, “If someone says ‘fuck you,’ are they inviting you to make love?” asked Lingo. “Of course not,” she continued, “It is the worst insult, the worst saying we can use when we are angry.”

Lingo believes that when two people are in a loving caring relationship, “you don’t say, ‘fuck you’ to one another.”

Lingo said that she is not suggesting that we censor the word, or that we stop talking about it.

“I’m not suggesting that we take a black marker and mark out ‘fuck’ in all the novels,” but it is important that we understand what the word conveys.

Fuck is and always has been a sexist word, Lingo explained. “It is “a word that conveys the dominance of men over women, a word that conveys women’s inferior position in the world, a word that demeans and denigrates them to sexual objects to decrepit, teasel and screw.”

And when we use the word fuck, “We are conveying sexist values that denigrate both women and men,” Lingo pointed out. When men use “fuck” they are only contributing to “those out worn values about sex and power,” said Lingo.

She concludes by suggesting that the next time people are in a situation and feel the word coming on, they should stop and think what is actually being said, because, Lingo emphasized, “the world would be better if we all stopped ‘fucking’ each other.”