Blog number 233 22 October 2008
A week or so ago I read a book called, "Waiter's Rant" about a waiters experience waiting on tables. The author mentioned reading a book called, "Waiting," by waitress Debra Ginsberg.
So I started reading that.
Debra mentions being told an anecdote concerning a group of patrons sitting at the same table where one of them kept cursing at the waitress for twenty minutes before one of the group told the waitress that the cursing patron had Tourette's Syndrome.
In case you don't know what Tourette's is, it's a syndrome whereby the sufferer of it uses offensive and dirty words shouted out in a loud voice.
I once saw a documentary about a Tourette's sufferer and he kept cursing, saying dirty words, and throwing haymakers that came awfully close to the documentarian's nose. At one point the documentarian nervously said, "You're not going to hit me, are you?"
Watching this documentary, I was struck by both the cursing and the haymakers. I wondered why, if the behavior was entirely involuntary, did the sufferer pick only obscene words? And why were the haymakers ALWAYS thrown toward the man making the documentary?
I'm not suggesting that those with Tourette's are consciously perpetuating this stereotype. What I am suggesting is that there might be an unconscious "bent," an unconscious passive aggressive drive causing the symptoms to be what they are. After all, it is difficult to conceive that the sufferer would think, "let's see now. I could say, "rabbit," or "look out," but I think I'll say, "shit"
"Yeah, that's what I'll do!"
"SHIT."
The laws of probability prevent the symptoms from being randomly produced, they are too orderly.
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4 comments:
I agree totally Don. I have often considered this conundrum myself. Why not gibberish? Why only curses?
Yeah, Paul.
And another thing. Why haven't we heard any of the "experts" discussing this phenomena?
Thanks for your comment! Actually girls from my church have gone on missions many many years, probably as late as the late 1800's I'm guessing. But like I said thats just a guess it could have been earlier or later than that. Sister missionaries aren't as common as the Elder missionaries but more and more girls are going. I have many friends who have either gone or are out or are going. Its great!!
Ashlee;
Late 1800s, huh? I would never have guessed. I thouhgt it might be a more modern thing.
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