Lately, I’m adding ‘goddammit’ to my spoken words, and now, here, too, in my written words.
It’s a word for expressing a range of emotions, actually.
“I’m doing my best, goddammit!” (That’s in the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of ‘goddammit.’)
Someone in some office or cubicle, at some workplace, having difficulty figuring something out, might be thinking, or saying aloud… ‘I don’t know, goddammit!’
Or doubling-down, repeating the word… ‘Goddammit, I don’t know, goddammit!’
It’s sort of versatile.
Your favorite baseball team is four runs behind in the bottom of the ninth inning, and there are two outs, and you’re maybe thinking, or saying… They’re gonna lose again, goddammit!
As I’m growing increasingly crusty, largely because of current events… just hearing the news… ‘goddammit’ keeps coming to mind.
What was it, maybe 50 parents and community members in the Pagosa Springs High School Auditorium, recently, for a public meeting on school threats? Only 50, when, as noted in Daily Post editor Bill Hudson’s editorial, “the Archuleta School District has an enrollment of about 1,670 students.” I must admit ‘goddammit’ was coming to mind… Just 50 people, goddammit!
But then, reading Mr. Hudson’s editorial, yesterday (April 19), in which he mentioned several reasons why “the audience turn-out was modest”… parents, perhaps, were “not especially concerned about threats in the schools,” or “they were terribly busy and not able to attend a panel discussion on the subject of gun violence prevention,” or people
hadn’t heard “about the event”… that got me thinking…
Those reasons for not attending could very well be. There’s much going on, these days, with folks having many demands on their time.
There’s a public meeting, in a few days, for discussion of a major property redevelopment proposal, where I am, in northern California. I’ll be attending. I’m wondering how many others residing, here, will be in the audience, at our local city hall.
So much going on, goddammit!
A neighbor of mine, knowing I’ve been involved in our community, mentioned a growing number of coyotes in the area. He has a big, friendly dog. When they were out walking the other day, he told me a coyote appeared a few yards ahead, on the path. As he and his dog were backing away, another coyote, just behind them, was staring them down. Working as a team, it seemed.
His dog, thinking the two coyotes could be buddies, was all delighted, wagging his tail, and my neighbor’s thinking, they want to eat you! We’ve gotta get out of here!
My neighbor asked if I could let others in the community know about the potential danger to their pets, and I’m thinking… goddammit, yes, I’ll find a way to do that!
Reading Louis Cannon’s “My Fake Russian Twitter Account” column, the other day, in the Daily Post, I was thinking “goddammit, that’s funny!”
See what I mean about that word’s versatility? Its range of meanings? It can be a neat word when you’re feeling crusty… and neat when you’re not.
So let’s see, goddammit, what else is going on, in the news?
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.