The Power of Frak

Glen A. Larson is a genius. I'm not saying that because he created KNIGHTRIDER, FALL GUY, BJ AND THE BEAR, AUTOMAN, ALIAS SMITH & JONES and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. I'm saying it because he created  the wonderfully subversive word "frak"...and got away with it.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA should go down in TV history just for that.

While ground-breaking shows like HILL STREET BLUES were using words like "scuzbucket" and "hairball" to get around the network prohibitions on profanity, Glen gave us "frak" and "feldergarb." No one noticed, or seemed to care, that he gave us words that were clearly stand-ins for fuck and bullshit because it was buried in a goofy, sci-fi show. But now frak has fulfilled all it's awesome, subversive power in the new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

There is no doubt whatsoever that "frak" is "fuck." And the writers on the show use it exactly as they would use fuck. Frak this. Frak us. What the frak is going on? Unfrakingbelievable. Frak me...frak me now. Motherfracker.

Used like this, is frak any less powerful that fuck? No. Which is the beauty of it. Every time it's used, it shines a big fucking light on the absurdity of censorship. Because frak IS fuck, and everybody knows it. So what's difference does it really make whether you use either frak or fuck? None. It's a big fuck you to network censors, the FCC, and the idiots who are afraid of language.

And Glen A. Larson, the man behind THE MISADVENTURES OF SHERIFF LOBO, gave us this. Pretty fraking amazing. He should get an Emmy just for that.

Comments

[Mark Terry]

I haven't watched BSG, but I saw the ad with the "What the frak is going on with Battlestar Galactica" and I thought:

Hmm, that got by the censors. That's sort of interesting.

My Dad never swore... exactly. He was a darnit and dangit and shoot! kinda guy, but really, aren't they the same thing as dammit and shit?

Well, maybe not because they're apparently less offensive to some people.

[Mac]

That achievement pales to insignificance with Red Dwarf, who introduced the swearword 'smeg' to a whole new generation.

And given what it means, how the smeg did it ever avoid becoming a swear word in the first place ?

Mac
(See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smegma )