17 July 2015

In your face

As reported by Guns.com:
Some residents of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, are upset over the choice of one local business’ name, which they claim just does not convey the type of character they want in their small town.
Our business is F-Bomb Ordnance, which is a firearms business,” co-owner Dr. Geoff Gorres explained...

But Gorres, who is an emergency room doctor in addition to co-owner of the gun shop, said the play on words is a constitutional-protected right and the name was never created to offend or otherwise cause furor...

Amy Klein, who was one of about a dozen residents who took to the floor during the meeting to speak out against the name, said the blatant use of such a euphemism lowers the standards of the community and does the opposite of what they are trying to achieve by restoring the Main Street area.

But Gorres said he believes the name does no such thing and that he cannot control what other people may find offensive.  “There are a lot of things that offend me in America,” he said. “And I just have to deal with them.”..

But Gorres said the controversy isn’t only about the name, but the fact that they sell firearms. Gorres agreed and said that is “absolutely” part of the problem.  “If the name of our business was F-bomb Records, I don’t think that we’d be having this discussion,” Gorres said.

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like he got his store name from Grand Theft Auto. I approve.

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    Replies
    1. GTA businesses names, where you steal a truck from RS Haul or Wang Cars, tend to be kind of clever. F-Bomb Ordinance, not so much.

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  2. Sounds like the guy is not someone who should be armed--he might just go off!

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    1. I agree. Swear words are expressions of sudden emotion and and perhaps a kind of warning to not further upset the person, they have their place though perhaps not when handling guns. Calling a gun-shop Falling Down may not be a great idea either.

      But there has be a better name for N-word and F-bomb, stand-ins for taboo words, it's neither a play on words nor is it a euphemism exactly.

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  3. So the owner says "..the name was never created to offend or otherwise cause furor..."

    If he truly believes that, then once it became obvious it was doing both offending and creating furor, it seems he would have done the obvious and made a change.

    I don't think he believes what he said.

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  4. Mike, I disagree. I think he is saying he doesn't find it offensive and he didn't use the more "blatant" referent, ie "fuck," so if others are offended, it's their problem not his. I have trouble with people who insist on the use of euphemisms to hide the "offensiveness" of human functions, and then are STILL offended by the euphemism. It's word magic at its very worst.

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  5. F-bomb? Whatever is offensive about that? Nothing whatsoever.
    It tells you something about the people who are offended, though. I expect they look at a blank crossword and fill it with obscenities in their minds. And I disagree with the suggestion that he should back down or rename it. Why?
    Nobody told Lee Ho Fook that he had to rename his restaurant.

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  6. Got to say that I agree with the owner -- but if other folks in the town don't want to patronize the shop, they don't have to. And when the store goes out of business, things are cool.

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  7. Jonathan Avery WrightAugust 2, 2015 at 2:14 PM

    The last paragraph (I guess from Guns.com) has Gorres making a point and then Gorres agreeing with the point just made. It's laughable and foolish sounding, in my opinion.

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