A reader of my latest novel, “The Bastard Gods” made a comment about a word I used. The reader said the word “savage” was offensive. This was news to me, so I decided to look it up on Dictionary.com. Here’s what I found:

 ​Savage [ sav-ij ]
1. fierce, ferocious, or cruel; untamed: savage beasts.
2. Offensive. (in historical use) relating to or being a preliterate people or society regarded as uncivilized or primitive: savage tribes.
3. enraged or furiously angry, as a person.
4. unpolished; rude: savage manners.
5. wild or rugged, as country or scenery: savage wilderness.
6. Archaic. uncultivated; growing wild.
 
There it is, definition number 2. According to Dictionary.com the word savage has officially been declared, deemed, labeled, and designated as offensive. So what does that mean?
 
Offensive [ uh-fen-siv or, for 4, 5, aw-fen-, of-en- ]
adjective
1. causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying: offensive television commercials.
2. unpleasant or disagreeable to the sense: an offensive odor.
3. repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting: an offensive remark; an offensive joke.
4. pertaining to offense or attack: the offensive movements of their troops.
noun
1. the position or attitude of aggression or attack: to take the offensive.
2. an aggressive movement or attack: a carefully planned…offensive.
 
I suppose that means “savage,” in the context of use in my novel, is repugnant in a moral sense. Well, good. It’s supposed to be. The characters who utter the word use it in its full repugnant  glory. These fictional  characters negatively describe cultures and peoples they believe are primitive and beneath them. They are complex, flawed and sometime very nasty characters, and the word is appropriately used for the situation.  Pray tell, what word would they use if not “savage”?

There was a time when the dictionary didn’t pass judgement on words, it merely explained them. When did Dictionary.com take it upon themselves to start making value judgements on words?  In fact, that’s exactly what this article from Dictionary.com does. Here’s an excerpt from the article’s opening, “…It’s very important to be mindful of words that were originally or historically used in very offensive ways. Here’s a list of words with hurtful histories that may have you thinking twice about your word choice.” What the author of this article fails to mention is most people have no clue what the ancient origins of these words are, only their modern (and benign) meaning. They weren’t considered offensive until someone went out of their way to make them offensive. Time is considered the Great Healer, and time has healed these words and phrases, making them palatable and useful. They now have different contexts which enhance and enrich the literary landscape. Their dark origins were lost and now irrelevant. What Dictionary.com has done has intentionally poisoned them. ANY word could be considered offensive, it merely takes the right situation,  context,  perception, and someone to complain loud enough. If you dig deep enough into the etymology of any word, you’re likely to find negative context in its past use or origin.
 
How does the process work?  Do the Offended take their petition before some kind of Word Tribunal, where the anxious and entitled wring their hands and tremble at each utterance of an abominable word? What power they must feel when they strike down each word and phrase! There is no power greater in the modern world than that of the Offended.  In the past, if one did not agree with a word, a thought or a book, one merely didn’t read it. Now it must be labeled and targeted for deletion.
 
“But they aren’t banning the word, they are just labeling it as offensive,” you say.  You’re right, they aren’t banning it. They are cancelling it, which is worse. If an organization like Dictionary.com publicly stated they were banning a word, there would be an outcry.  No, they merely stained it. That’s all it takes these days.  Every writer who submits a book to an editor will have their word choices questioned at best, stricken at worst. No publisher wants to get labelled as racist or “-phobic.” They don’t want hordes of Twitter denizens calling for boycotts or even worse. Platforms like Amazon will de-platform. It’s not worth it. Just go along and get along, and everything will be alright. Editors will push back and writers will self-censor. We’ve seen it before. 
 
It’s brilliant, really. If you try to ban a book, legions of activists from the right and left will descend upon you. No one bats an eyelash these days when you ban a word. It’s actually better than book banning. Words matter because words are the basic building blocks of thoughts. Words are the computer code of the sentient mind. Delete words, delete thoughts. 
 
One still has freedom of speech, but less words with which to do it. Oh, you can still theoretically use offensive words, but you will suffer the consequences. What kind of consequences?
 
Cancellation. We’ll cancel your job, we’ll cancel your book, cancel your show, cancel your reputation. We’ll dox you, de-platform you, marginalize you and perhaps threaten violence. We’ll do whatever it takes to get you to shut up. Don’t use the words if you know what’s good for you.   
 
That’s not political or intellectual discourse, that’s a threat.  Actually, no, that’s not entirely accurate. It’s only a threat until it is acted upon, then it becomes an attack. Don’t believe me? Go back and look at the definition of offensive, but this time as a noun:
 
1. the position or attitude of aggression or attack: to take the offensive.
2. an aggressive movement or attack: a carefully planned…offensive.
 
Labeling, cancelling, deleting, banning, doxing, marginalizing…these are modes of intellectual warfare and on my list of offensive words.  When words and phrases, and those who write or utter them, are destroyed under the guise of “offense,” it is a war on thought itself.  Such behavior breaks the spirit of the 1st Amendment, if not always the letter. 
 
Labeling, cancelling, deleting, banning, doxing, marginalizing…these are repugnant things in the moral sense, abhorrent to good taste; insulting.  Offensive. 
 
They are savage, as are those who practice them. 

#savage #Labeling #cancel #cancelling #cancelculture #deleting #banning #ban #doxing #dox #marginalizing #marginalize #bookburning #davechappelle #censorship #censor #snowflake #NPC #politicallycorrect 

I have so much to say but so little energy to say it, so I'll just say this: I'm a bit overextended. 

The holidays are suddenly upon us. My family is all together, and that is a blessing. I've been busy on the day job, because right before the holidays things tend to get a bit busy there. I took a motorcycle riding course last weekend, and I'm spinning up to photograph a wedding in the next few weeks. Oh, and I'm trying to squeeze in writing time.  Needless to say, there has been little time for writing or blogging. Yet, here I am, getting an episode in before midnight. 

I want to write. I've got some cool ideas to share with you, but its not possible today. Just too damn tired. I'm calling it a night and try again tomorrow. 

I've just returned from several days in seclusion in the Smokey Mountains. My express purpose was to jump start Book IV in the Chronicles of Fu Xi . In that aspect, my mission was successful. The manuscript is now 30,000 words long, and the writing is coming easy.   I could have written more, but I hiked and I slept and I might have had a few adult beverages, too. Like I said, mission accomplished. 

On the way up there and back I listened to Ready Player Two on audiobook. I must say, I was disappointed. Earnest Cline was an amazing writer, and Ready Player One was a masterpiece.  I think he got lost on his second novel. By "lost", I mean "Woke." He pretty much emasculated his main character, giving more story time to a diverse set of secondary characters, who occasionally spouted the required Woke mantras scattered conspicuously about the plot to let the reader know the author "gets it".  It detracted from the plot, and didn't jive with how the characters spoke or acted in the first book. When the characters started attack Lord of the Rings because it lacked "representation", I'd had enough.  You don't go after LOTR on one page and then exploit it to carry your crappy plot on the next page.  Here's one, quit riding the skirts of the genius creators of the last half century, while simultaneously disparaging their work.   Come up with something out of whole cloth and move on.  Everything Woke turns to shit, especially literature.  Woke is an extinction-level event of the mind.

On a happier note, I started a new book on recommendation from my wife - "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" by Cathleen McCarron. So far, so good. I'll let you know how it turns out. 

On the side I'm working on two stand-alone manuscripts. One takes place during the 90s and is about of  Vietnam War vets looking to recapture the glory of their youth. The other is literary fiction set in South Alabama in present times. I don't like Southern literary fiction, because it's depressing, pretentious, focuses on the worst aspects of the South, and seems to play up to every stereotype Yankees have about the South. I want to write a southern literary fiction novel that reflects the south I see and live in now. I want to write about real people facing real struggles. Oh, and aliens. There has to be aliens in the book. It can still be literary fiction with aliens in it, right? Literary aliens. 

Day job has been busy, and been eating into my writing time. That's life. Gotta put food on the table and a roof over my kids heads. Still waiting for those breakthrough book sales so I can quit my job (Any day now). Regardless, it just means I'm going to have to get more efficient with my writing time. With that said, Photography Phridays is going away. I don't have time to blog twice a week. I'll keep showcasing my photography, but from time to time on the Monday edition. 

I'm looking forward to a speaking engagement tomorrow at a local book club. I'll let you all know how that goes next week. 

That's all for now, see you next week. And now a photo that has nothing to do with anything I just wrote about, but I took it on my vacation and its cool.  

I've been quiet lately. Its mostly my day job, but some of it is taking care of photography clients and, yes, writing. In fact, right now I'm in the Smokey Mountains in a secluded location for the sole purpose of writing. However, along with that, I've been hiking and taking photos, too.

I've knocked out two chapters for Book 4 of the Chronicles of Fu Xi.  I'm hoping to complete two more before I have to leave. Its going to be difficult, because this place is so amazing. 

Right now, I'm exhausted. I hiked 7 miles today and forgot I was an out of shape fat guy. To celebrate I roasted a t-bone over an open fire, drank a few cold ones and watched the sunset. I took these images just a few minutes ago right in front of my cabin.

Its going to be a short blog...OMG WHAT THE HELL!? WE  INTERUPT THIS BLOG FOR IMPORTANT BREAKING NEWS.

I'm sitting here typing out this blog when all of a sudden a damn spider lowers itself on a web RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE!  Needless to say, my pre-programmed automatic threat countermeasures deployed. Basically, I clapped and tied to smush the little bugger. It only served to propel said spider right on top of my keyboard. I present for your approval LITTLE BASTARD. 

The little shit sat there and, of all things, started critiquing my writing. I tried to explain to Little Bastard this is just first draft, but he wasn't amused. I mean LOOK AT HIM! Can't you just see the judgement just dripping off his expression. I asked him if he was poisonous, to which he replied not nearly as poisonous as my prose Then it chastised me for assume its pronouns. 

Being that I have nothing against spiders, I have spent the last ten minutes trying save Little Bastard, but Little Bastard would have nothing to do with it. In my said attempt to save him, I accidentally crushed to life out of him. 

This spider was a dumbass. He tried to attack me during the rescue effort. I'm going to have to chalk this one up to Darwin and keep on moving. 

If you want to honor the memory of Little Bastard, you can visit my author page and buy a copy of one of my books in his honor.  If you do so, you will be a better person. 

See ya Monday, when I'l try to have a worthy blog entry that doesn't involve dead spiders. 

No blog last Friday, sorry folks. The real world was unrelenting last week. A few updates and what to expect...

I'll be back at you Friday with a special Photography Phriday with lots of images from my last photo session. I'm also going into seclusion for a week to knock out a big chunk of The Chronicles of Fu Xi, Book IV. 

Gotta keep it short today. Doctor's appointments, work, running the kid around. More blogging coming soon...I promise. 

Thanks,
Brian

Halloween is over and another mundane week is upon me.  Speaking of Halloween, I hope you enjoyed the Halloween serial presentation of my short story, "The Cave."  If you missed it, you can catch Part 1 here. 

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. In fact, it IS my favorite. I love the Holiday season, don't get me wrong, but in my opinion its all downhill after Halloween. Thanksgiving makes you fat, Christmas makes you broke, and New Years makes you hung over with the  realization the Holidays are over and you have to go back to work. Okay, its not all bah-humbug. I enjoy the other holidays, but in my mind, nothing compares to Halloween, even if I don't get a day off work. 

We usually go all-out for Halloween at the Braden household. Actually, I go overboard. Big time.  I throw theme parties, make haunted houses or generally try to wring as much joy from the day as possible. I sort of lose myself in Halloween. One year, I turned the garage into a haunted house, and then the next year I turned the entire back yard into a haunted house (it was epic!). The neighbors still refer to me as the Haunted House Guy. My party themes have range from Stranger Things to Killer Clown to this year, where I hosted  a Bilbo Baggins 111th birthday party.  I used to lie to myself and say t was for the kids. Who am I kidding? I'll do it even when the kids are grown up and gone (and they almost are). ​

Why does Halloween appeal to me so much? It's not because its spooky,  or there's lots of candy. It isn't because its an excuse to party (okay, maybe just a little). None of these are the  reasons Halloween is magical to me.  Its because Halloween is about pretending. Its the Imagination Holiday. I think that's why so many people find it appealing into adulthood. It's like a giant cosplay convention. 

It gives adults a chance to pretend, and by definition, become a kid again. Its also one of the best ways imaginable to connect with your own kids.  Kids instinctively know when their parents are enjoying themselves, and love it when parents bond with them on a level they can understand. I love when I see entire families dressed up and trick or treating together. I'm seeing an event the kids will remember for the rest of their lives, and pass on to their kids. It's a deeply good and wholesome thing to witness.  My kids always help get ready for Halloween with a zeal that doesn't manifest at Christmas. One of my best memories was oldest bringing all his teenage friends over to work my haunted house. 

This year while I was putting up Bilbo's birthday banner in the front yard a car passed by very slowly. A young lady had her face plastered against the passenger window, a child's grin plastered ear to ear. Before the car slipped away, her hand emerged from the window with a big thumb's up. She's my people. There are lots like her, those people who instinctually understand the joy of surrendering to your imagination.  It doesn't have to end with childhood. In fact, it gets better if you just let it happen. 

Lots of people don't let it happen. In fact, they don't get it at all. I feel sorry for them. I feel sorry for all those teenagers who think they are too cool for Halloween. You know the ones, the kids who walk around like they don't know what to do with themselves. Sometimes they travel in packs with their friends, no costumes, looking out of place and trying to be immune to the fun around them.  They want to join in, but they forgot how to. When did it become a right of passage to kill something beautiful in one's spirit in order to transition to adulthood? It makes me sad.  Kids, never give up Halloween! Not even if you're a hundred years old.  

​Just as bad are those people who turn off their lights and hide in their houses, unwilling to enjoy themselves or hand out candy. I know its their right, but I still feel sorry for them, too. 

The time has come  to pack the magic back into the attic for another year. As I prepare for the rest of the Holiday Season, I'll look back fondly at this year's Halloween, and bask in the memories of Halloweens past. I'm already thinking about next year, and what new adventures I can cook up. Maybe another haunted house? Maybe a theme party? What will I dress up as? 

I think I'm quite ready for another adventure! 

#halloween #imagination #party #cosplay #holiday #essay

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