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Warning: This article about a show about swearing contains a lot of swearing.
George Carlin famously noted that there are seven words you cant say on television.
He also didnt know about Netflix.
There are six, not seven, episodes ofHistory of Swear Words, which debuts today on Netflix.
Perhaps that is a direct, cheeky commentary on Carlins old routine, or perhaps not.
For the record, two of Carlins seven dirty words fuckandshit get their own episodes.
(Two of his words,pissandtits, are barely considered swears anymore.
As you might have guessed,History of Swear Wordsis not anUber-serious documentary.
(Youll eat this one bloody to feed your blood.)
But there is also some genuinely interesting information in this light sextet of episodes.
At one point, with all the seriousness of a pallbearer, he declares, Shitis the great equalizer.
Sometimes he takes his line readings in directions that cant possibly be predicted.
Shitis in a class of cuss words all its own, he says during episode No.
(Get it?)
Truly you have to see and hear it to believe it.
On the other hand,History of Swear Wordsfeels a bit thin as a result.
Some of these words cry out for more examination (more on this when we get to thepussyepisode).
But there is a legitimate historical and educational component to the series.
(Leonardo DiCaprio is in second place, for the same reason, if these statistics are accurate.)
Shit, he explains at one point, has become a huge part of my career.
We are all greater for it.
Scholars Saying Bad WordsWeve heard all of these comedians spit profanities forever.
Whats even better is listening to distinguished experts talk about swearing in such serious, edifying terms.
So when she says the wordfuckboy, it really makes you hear that word in a whole new way.
An entire docuseries could be devoted to the wordpussyand what it says about feminism is all I am saying.
So what does the future hold fordamn?
he asks in the final episode.
Does it have any hope of surviving in this vulgar, fast-paced world offuck,shit?
What other actor could infuse those questions with such gravity and absurdity at the same time?
Get the fuck outta here.
