Richard Dooling's thesis on bad language and gender wars starts off with a slew of naughty sexist remarks. In fact, his main point is that racist and sexist statements have replaced regular swearwords as today's taboo language; and he opposes any regulation against them (as has been enacted in the workplace or on campus). A lawyer specializing in employment-discrimination cases, Dooling eventually makes more nuanced arguments than his huffy first chapter would indicate and charts the ever-evolving histories of favorite four-letter words. But with bouts of Angry White Guy paranoia like ''Swearing is becoming illegal in the workplace precisely because men do it more than women,'' Blue Streak: Swearing, Free Speech, and Sexual Harassment seems mostly full of nasty hot air. C
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.