USA Today on "sucks"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

USA Today has two articles on the shifting semantic status of "X sucks",
including commentary from Ron Butters. My only quibble is that the writers
imply that "sucks" *always* had an obscene connotation, when the evidence
(AFAIK) shows that the presumed sexual meaning only developed after the
expression had gained some popularity.

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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/2005-09-29-yankees-suck_x.htm
In no uncertain terms, some words are out
By Erik Brady and Mike Schneider, USA TODAY
Boston Red Sox fans wearing T-shirts that say "Yankees Suck" will be asked
to turn them inside-out before entering Fenway Park for this weekend's
showdown series between the Red Sox and their hated rivals from New York.
"It's a practice we put into effect last year as a result of parents
asking us to," says Charles Steinberg, executive vice president for public
affairs. "Parents are clearly looking for baseball to set good examples
that they can teach their children."
T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase are sold by independent vendors
outside the ballpark as well as on the Internet. Sox fans have been
chanting the words — and wearing them — for years.
The Red Sox say this is about civility, not censorship. Steinberg says the
policy, quietly in place for some time, has caused little controversy
among fans who are asked to turn shirts inside-out or to cover the slogan
in some other way. "What we have not seen in any significant numbers is
people who refuse," he says.
Many major league teams have similar policies, including the Yankees. Just
eight teams say they allow patrons to wear shirts with "sucks" on them:
the Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee
Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox and
Chicago Cubs. Eight more say they don't have a set policy, and one failed
to answer. The rest say they ask patrons to cover shirts with the
offending word.
Spokesmen for the NFL, NBA and MLB say they leave these matters up to
individual teams.
Teams are within their rights to restrict speech at ballparks, according
to Rodney A. Smolla, dean of the University of Richmond law school. He
says courts often have sided with the owners of private businesses who
deem certain speech offensive.
"The Boston Red Sox are not owned by the city of Boston," Smolla says. "No
governmental entity is involved. Private businesses, including sports
teams, can impose restrictions on freedom of speech and not suffer any
legal consequences."
Ron Butters, a professor of English and cultural anthropology at Duke,
wrote a scholarly paper on the "putative vulgarity" of the word in 2000.
Over time, he says, "sucks" has come to mean "stinks" when used in this
context.
"I think the Red Sox are behaving quite prudishly," Butters says. "The
word 'suck' is used so ubiquitously it has lost any sense of scandal."
[...]
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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/2005-09-29-word-connotation_x.htm
Connotation is no longer in a vacuum
By Erik Brady, USA TODAY
Yankees suck. The sentiment is artless and inelegant. But is it offensive?
That, linguists say, depends on the ear of the beholder.
"The word sucks was an innocent word that developed a powerful and vulgar
sexual connotation related to the taboo subject of fellatio," e-mails
David Fertig, director of language programs at the University of Buffalo.
"That connotation is now weakening for a couple of reasons.
"One is that young people today use other explicit terms for sexual acts,
and many relate only vaguely to the sexual implications of the word
'sucks' that so offends their elders. As that vulgar connotation becomes
weaker and weaker in people's minds, it is considered more acceptable for
common usage."
The expression is so common now that it pops up regularly in the culture.
The protagonist of the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl twice pronounced "my
life sucks" in last week's premiere. It Sucks to be Me is a song in the
Broadway musical Avenue Q. "TV doesn't have to suck" is the theme of a TV
ad for the Dish Network that uses the word multiple times.
"We tested it with focus groups, and the response was very positive; they
thought it was funny," says Dish Network spokesman Mark Cicero, who
declines to say if viewers have complained since the campaign began in
August.
"Words do ameliorate; many former taboo words that were once profane or
blasphemous are now quite respectable," e-mails Robert Ness, chair of the
English department at Dickinson College. As examples, he cites drat (God
rot), golly (God's body) and bloody, a vulgar British expression long ago.
"This is very common," e-mails Robert Leonard, professor of linguistics at
Hofstra University. " 'Enthusiasm' used to mean, at the time of the
Declaration of Independence, 'spirit possession.' Meanings change. 'Rock
'n' roll' and 'jazz' both started as terms for sexual intercourse and were
slangy ways to refer to the musical forms. Now they just refer to the
musical forms for the vast majority."
Just as "sucks" means "no good" for a majority now, Leonard says. Even so,
he thinks there is merit to the Red Sox asking their fans to cover up
shirts with that word on them.
"Usually when we say, 'Keep it clean, it's a family event,' we're talking
about protecting the ears of children," Leonard says. "But here it's the
opposite."
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--Ben Zimmer