Cull Examples: Precision F Strike

At some point in time, Precision F-Strike has gone from 'effective use of strong swearing' to 'every instance of swearing that isn't a Cluster F-Bomb'. There's a massive number of examples and all they do is further obfuscate the point.

Am I being overly proprietry and picky here or is this a real problem?

edited 26th May '11 2:31:13 PM by polymphus

Can your provide examples of misuse?

I agree with the OP. I got to this page from George Carlin's entry on Oblivious to Hints, for one specific example. But I've seen it in quite a few places, and pretty much every quote with 'fuck' in it leads here, whether it was a precision strike in the source or not.

edited 18th Jun '11 9:50:55 PM by Tahukanuva

"Effective" is subjective. "This guy usually doesn't swear, but he did now" is objective. Technically, its misuse, but I'm calling Tropes Are Flexible on this one.

Although the quotes are a bit of a problem, one that we've seen with other tropes. Precision F-Strike might not apply to the character, but it applies in the context of the quote. I don't know what to do about that.

The main problem I see is that it is multiple tropes being described:

• Precision F-Strike: The original intention of the trope is to establish a character who is normally clean or censors themselves, then have them swear in a particular moment to show their current state of mind "I am too shocked, pissed, awed, confused, disturbed, etc to watch my language at this point." The Contact example.
• One F Bomb Limit: The idea of PG-13 movies (or whatever foreign equivalent) that get one F Bomb in their running time or else they receive an R Rating. Movies like Armageddon, The Sum Of All Fears and the recent memorable moment in X Men First Class.
• Emphatic F Bomb: The story may have some swear words scattered around, but it's generally played off-hand. Then someone emphasizes an F Bomb in a major moment. Die Hard With A Vengence.
• Conservative F Bomb: A story that isn't known for excessive language but still squeezes one or two on the side. Indiana Jones and Star Wars.

As I understand it, the first one is the correct use of the trope.

Correct.

Are you suggesting splitting off the other three? I think that's overkill and splitting hairs.

Yeah, I was beginning to suspect misuse when I saw the George Carlin page list both Cluster F-Bomb and Precision F-Strike; see also the corresponding sections for each. I figure that someone with Cluster F-Bomb speaking using a Precision F-Strike is a contradiction by its very nature.

I say this should simply be about "reserving swearing for especially special moments."

Even that still begs the question, though, of whether it's the works or specific characters in them reserving their swearing for such moments.

EDIT: Come to think of it, though, sometimes a very vulgar scene or work can have specific cusses be especially special; one example is this scene from the South Park movie. Eric Cartman uses the b-word several times in a row, but saying "oh, fuck" at the end is really the coup de grace.

edited 20th Jun '11 12:34:00 PM by neoYTPism

I'd agree on the second part; I'd say just cut the examples that don't fit.

While the description is mostly talking about the first one, the rest of them don't contradict it to the point of calling them misuse, the second one is even mentioned, and the fourth can be ways of establishing the first.

But I think the Little Miss Sunshine example is correct. Even though other characters have used the F-bomb earlier in the movie, and even though the brother immediately follows up Atomic F-Bomb with a Cluster F-Bomb, that moment is a Precision F-Strike—it's the first word he's said all movie and it expresses exactly how he feels in a way that a lesser profanity wouldn't be able to. It fits the heart of the trope. So the mere presence of other profanity doesn't necessarily preclude Precision F Strikes from happening.

What about the SleepingBeauty example? It's not the character there that makes the profanity shocking (she's basically evil incarnate), but it's the "...Did she just say HELL in a Disney movie? Oh, Crap!." reaction that makes the moment so powerful.

I would have thought such a literal mention of hell would be considered non-vulgar anyway. If that is the Disney equivalent of a Precision F-Strike, would that make Hellfire the Disney equivalent of a Cluster F-Bomb?

Well, Hunchback Of Notre Dame is considered one of the darkest movies in the Disney Animated Canon.

You know, if we don't split it then there is no reason to cull examples because they all fit. You flat out erase examples because of misuse, not because the page is getting too long. If the misuse is a trope unto itself that usually calls for a split (Adaptational Badass came from misuse of Took a Level in Badass).

Plus, the list given doesn't eliminate overlap. The entire View Askewniverse is known for it's excessive language, but when the character of Silent Bob speaks (usually once per movie) he is generally eloquent and mild-mannered, with maybe a mild swear word here or there and never in anger. In Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back they give his one scene of dialogue to ripping Jay a new one over his stupidity and dropping the f bomb on him. That would be an example of both Precision F-Strike and Emphatic F Strike.

Long story short, there is a difference between a story and a character and the examples are combining both when it is supposed to be about the character. There is no real difference between the list I made in comparison to Atomic F-Bomb and Cluster F-Bomb, they're all regarding the use of vulgar language in stories.

I agree. I believe one of the main points of this site is specificity in the tropes enabling the medium to be correctly dissected. IMO, the point of the trope is to portray the perfect placing of an intensifying word by a character who, under normal circumstances, would not use that form of language.

A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting.

What happened to the troper tales page?

Assuming you're referring to recently, ALL troper tales sections were taken down recently. They're still available in text format (not sure where they were saved) to move to other sites, though.

Now if you meant something happened to it before then, then I'm not sure...

"The Daily Show has to be right 100% of the time; FOX News only has to be right once." - Jon Stewart

"Can your provide examples of misuse?"

Angry Joe is one that springs to mind.

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

I think I recall someone being listed as a "master of this trope". Is that even possible?

Put me in motion, drink the potion, use the lotion, drain the ocean, cause commotion, fake devotion, entertain a notion, be Nova Scotian

Sure. They only curse in the most important moments, and it's always surprising. You know if this guy is cursing, things have hit the fan. I don't know if the example you saw was correct or just hyperbole, but its not impossible.

But that would have to be a character that does this once every few episodes at most. If claiming a master of this actually says the F word a lot, it's misuse.

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

Not necessarily. This trope is "adding extra impact to a profanity by careful use".

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

But isn't the point of the trope that it's impactful because of how rarely it's used?

"The Daily Show has to be right 100% of the time; FOX News only has to be right once." - Jon Stewart

Not always "rarely used". Carefully used.

The easiest way is to make it rare, but it can work just as well if you have a character who drops "damn" all over the place suddenly saying "fuckin' shit!"

It's a precision F Strike. Not a one-time F strike.

edited 16th Aug '11 10:12:54 AM by Madrugada

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

Let's just clean it up to get rid of what isn't an example.

Catch me where? See my profile!