March 31, 2006

Poll Result: The Alchemist & "Swearing Citizens"













The idea of this poll came after seeing and hearing from people around me, that The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho is one of their favourite books, and also widely read it seems even by people who normally don't read that much.

The results I suppose give an indication but could also be misleading because perhaps people who haven't read the book won't bother to answer to the same extent as people who have read the book would.

Do vote in my next poll: "How often do you swear?" After reading an article on CNN's website about the increase of swearing amongst the average American I ask myself; are we living in an age of increased linguistic profanity?

"Neal, 26, who works with disabled adults, says she swears only in moments of extreme frustration, "like if someone cuts me off when I'm driving, or if I'm carrying something and someone shuts the door in my face."

Perhaps it is so that using the F-word has lost its initial meaning and become part of the contemporary slang? Still you see people using the word's "effing" or "f-ing" in replacement of the initial word itself. By doing so does one not imply that the word in itself is bad to use and thus one "masks it"? Why the self-censorship in that case?

"Younger people admit to using bad language more often than older people; they also encounter it more and are less bothered by it. The AP-Ipsos poll suggested that 62 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds acknowledged swearing in conversation at least a few times a week, compared to 39 percent of those 35 and older."

CNN also conducted a poll of their own on their website: Do you think swearing has become too common? 81 % answered YES out of a total of 64 357 votes.

4 comments:

Destitute Rebel said...

Out of all of his books I'd say The Alchemist is the only one which can be called very good the rest are all ok nothing great.

I'v voted for the new poll.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Well I like The Devil and Miss Prym, although of course his trademark book most likely will always be The Alchemist.

I am yet to read his latest, The Zahir?

Destitute Rebel said...

The Zahir is kinda ok but im sort of getting sick of his symbolism and self help tactics.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Still D rebel, it says something about teh society we live in, that authors now have to work as some sort of spiritual and emotional guiding light through their writings. I mean Coelho is popular because he writes about what people need to hear. Which can be viewed in two ways. 1. It is sad that mankind has reached such low levels of self assurance. 2. He fills a need that people have and thus to every man his own.

But still, I understand what you mean...