Very Bad Words

Guest Producer Stephanie Billman helps guide us through the feelings, emotions, and history of the most violent, loaded word in the English lexicon, The N-Word. With guests Dr. Neil Lester, Dr. David Pilgrim, Marcie Brown, Malik Crumpler, Dardalie Brooks and Ernie Mendoza  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nerf-herder? Frack? Farking Zarquon? Guest producers Forrest Phillips and Emily Block guide us through cursing in fictional Worlds. Special guests include Marc Okrand - creator of Star Trek’s Klingon language, David J. Peterson - creator of Game of Thrones Dothraki language, and host of the Imaginary Worlds podcast, Eric Molinsky.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt talks to Marc Okrand about cursing in Klingon. The fictional Star Trek language that has become nearly as popular as the franchise itself.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Certain topics in our society aren’t considered proper to talk about. To make it easier to talk about such sensitive subjects, we have invented terms that dance around the issues, instead of facing them directly.Join me and guests, Steven Pinker, Phyllis Sommer and Kate Burridge as we dig into euphemisms.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this week's minicast, Matt reflects on a death that is close to him and how we use or don't use words about "dead". We talk a little with Rabbi Physllis Sommer to help explain.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you allowed to play swear words in scrabble? And if you really can, why aren’t they listed in the official scrabble player’s dictionary? Competitive scrabble players Stephan Fatsis and Brian Richgrubber tell us how it happened and why this is important in the competitive scrabble world.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this minicast, Matt ponders why it's not okay to use the phrase, "Jew them down" ,but it's okay to say, "I've been gypped". Both words are considered offensive in their communities, but even people that we don't expect still use the word "gyp". We get some help from Romedia Foundation's executive director Katalin Barsony in the below clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmOyG1yz9G8  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Very Bad Words, we put the last four words on George Carlin’s list on trial. Are these two 4-letter words, and two compound unequivocally indecent under all circumstances? With dirty words educator and linguist, Randall Eggert, and radio veteran, Ken Freedman  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

George Carlin laid out the 7 words that can never be said on television, but of course he meant, American Television. In today’s minicast, Matt talks to British linguist, Damien Hall, to find out if those words are just as taboo in Great Britain.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Very Bad Words, we are talking about Yo Mama! We bring in producer Joaquin Cotler and his interview with blues singer and historian Gaye Adegbalola to explore the connection of the phrase “Yo Mama” to the classic dirty blues song "The Dirty Dozen".  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this minicast, Matt talks to one of our listeners about how terms of abuse are used to dehumanize certain segments of society.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There are many ways people refer to the human penis, but one word sticks out as the most vulgar. Join us as we learn about the other c-word, its complicated origins, and why it doesn’t mean the same thing to all people.With guests:Mark Morton, Emily Feuerherm, and Ben Westhoff  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt talks to Superhero PhD, Peter Coogan about why Superman is a d*ck and a Batman is an a-hole.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Matt tries to find out if a study saying that swearing has an "opiate" like effect on pain is valid. He calls in journalist Jeff Harder, doctoral Northwestern student, Jim Kloet and pain psychologist Dr. Samantha Rafie to help him figure it out. Plus, he first gets some help from Helen Zaltzmen of The Allusionist to explain a little more about the brain and pain.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this Minicast, Matt goes to a Karate Dojo to chase a story about swearing and pain.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Is the B-Word the “most stinging word that we use carelessly”? To explore this, the word’s history, and other questions regarding this common expletive, we talk to Shannon Dea, associate professor in philosophy and women’s studies at the University of Waterloo and BitchMedia co-founder, Andi Zeisler.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this Minicast, Matt briefly chats with Shannon Dea about who gets to reclaim words like "slut" and the B-word.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt is back after a break with a bunch of new topics around swearing and taboo language. In this Minicast, he lets you all know a little about what he has coming up for Very Bad Words.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt tells a story about his foul-mouthed Irish friend and wonders what you would like to get out of the new season of Very Bad Words.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt is joined by Dan Savage, creator of "It Gets Better" and Savage Love to talk about the cultural impact and reclamation of the Fa-word. He also talks with Mark Morton, author of Dirty Words: The Story of Sex Talk, to discuss the origins of the actual word.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.