Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language

Taboo, censoring and the human brain 253
forbidden words feed on censoring imposed by hypocritical decorum. But
when we look at the exuberance of expressions that proliferate around the
forbidden, it is also clear that we are having a lot of fun. These expressions
range from the exquisitely lyrical to the downright crass; yet many demonstrate
an expressiveness and poetic ingenuity worthy of William Shakespeare.
But that’s a topic for another book.