I admit that I was, and still am, angry about the censorship on Facebook, irrespective to context of my event name, Hand Job.

Actually, this is the only website that has censored my event name. No other website that I have promoted my event on has done so. I do believe someone flagged by name, as Facebook had no problems with my event name prior to the page gaining popularity. This leads me to the other thought that people are so offended by my event name, but why?

The phase, “hand job,” originates from a task or craft that is too delicate, detailed, or complicated to be done by a machine, where one must use their hands to successfully complete the job. This is precisely what the show is about.

It is still used in the literal sense in factory and production environments to date. I do like the double take that is made, as people’s minds might be in the gutter; but I do hope this double take makes them remember the name. I would like to point out that other words like, “raincoat,” “cowgirl,” or “Sanchez,” are also used in a literal sense, and sometimes as sexual metaphors. Since we do not eliminate using these other words in daily language, I see no reason that “Hand Job” cannot been interpreted in it’s literal sense. It is in fact it’s literal sense that made it suited for a sexual metaphor. Specifically, a certain movie in 1969 used this phrase as a sexual metaphor, and this is the reason that the phrase probably made you giggle. After all, I can’t know exactly what phrases you see as sexual, as these vary by culture and age. For all we know, “a hand made gift,” could also be read as sexual, or in it’s literal meaning. This phrase also distinguishes itself from other phrases, which had their origins in solely a sexual context.

Since we are using the phrase in it’s literal sense, in conjunction with a hand made goods market, this concise phrase is exactly the phrase for this event.

If I was to saw the following sentence:

“I like to eat meat.”*

What would you think first. Is this a metaphor or literal? Why is the phrase “hand job” considered dirtier than this above phrase?

I am using my event name in the literal sense, but so what if it is in a sexual sense? I worry that people are sexually repressed and pushing their repression anger onto my event name. I can’t help that the don’t even seem to recognize the original nature of my event name and only know the slang definition. I kind of wonder if part of the offense taken is that sexuality cannot be had for pleasure and a woman is not “supposed” to be in charge of her sexual identity. I kept the logo artistic and did not draw and phallic symbols into the logo to make sure to hone in on the intent of the event name as creative. Personally, I find the act of creation to be divine; you are creating something that only existed in your mind, and bringing it to reality. The beauty and admiration I hold in creation is being diminished by people’s weird sexual repression that is being projected onto my event name.

In reality, most people are open minded enough, and educated enough to understand the name, it is just a select few that seem to take offense.

Thank you for your interest in our work but I’m sorry we have already booked our events for the holiday season. Also I have an issue with my brand being associated with an event called “Hand Job”. I think you should take a closer look at your name and possibly consider a change.

Thanks

T

I think it is fine if people do not want to be associated with my event name; even though I use my event name in it’s literal definition, it does have some attitude and quirkiness that not everyone would like. It is odd how this guy, probably with the best of intentions (as hurtful as it felt to me), was so uncomfortable with my event name that he could not event verbalize it. If he wanted to be helpful and thought I was naiive about the name, that sentance would not have helped me to understand my horrible silly-girl mistake.

You need to change the name of this show!!! Its offensive to people!

W

In this case, this person could not admit that the name offended herself, she was so uncomfortable with the phrase. Also, I can’t know what offends someone until they tell me. For some people, farting in public is offensive, while for others it is natural. For some people a woman showing her wrist, ankle, or cheek (face), is offensive, while for other people walking around full nudist is acceptable. I can’t know what offends you until you tell me, but I also can’t in the end decide how you interpret something. This even reminds me of how last year when I participated in the Winnsboro Art Fair, they tried to offer me a refund as my spiritually based art (chakras and rainbows) MIGHT offend someone; even though no one declared an outward offense, they did not want any offense to be taken in the god-fearing country. Fear of offending someone can paralyze one to not create any art or say anything, but should fear be given so much power? I think art does serve a purpose to challenge people to consider other points of views, think again about their assumptions, and get dialogues started. Art is a form of visual communications that can help express a feeling that words are not precise enough to do.

There was also someone bashing my event name on Facebook. I had met a lady in person and she did not tell me she had problems with the event name at that time. However, she felt the license to express her feelings through a screen on my Facebook post.

For me, (and I am dead serious), the font Comic Sans offends me, but probably for anyone who is not a graphic designer, they would not even care about the font; I am not going to stop you from using the dang font right now. Generally for me, consensual sexual activity is not offensive. What does offend me is when a mass shooting occurs or people are treated without respect for any reason, or even worse due to the colour of their skin or national origins.

I do however wish there was a way to talk to Facebook to reconsider my event name as safe. I stumbled across a band on Facebook called, “The Hand Jobs,” but in their case, they do mean the phrase in a sexual way. My usage is in a creative context.

So if any phrase can turn into a sexual metaphor, where does it end? What if I said, “pizza” was code for a sexual act? Would saying “pizza” in a literal sense when reffering to the food also be banned?

 

In light of this all…

Because context matters, here is a list of words. You can decide if they are dirty.

1. Cowgirl
2. Bareback
3. Meat
4. Flesh
5. Roast Beef
6. Hummer
7. Motor boat
8. Raincoat
9. Sánchez
10. Finger
11. Sausage
12. Stretch
13. Doughnut hole
14. Worship
15. Missionary
16. Kneel
17. Nursing
18. Kitty
19. Thick
20. Playmate
21. Ride
22. Face
23. Sit
24. Connect
25. Good
26. Pillow
27. Princess
28. Hung (“I just hung a hummingbird feeder?” What did you think, absolutely dirty or just gardening?)
29. Cougar
30. Stud
31. Impregnate
32. Baby
33. Housewife
34. Submissive
35. Submit
36. Dominant
37. Dominate
38. Sum
39. Strings
40. Oral
41. Friends
42. Benefits
43. Raw
44. Relief
45. Tension
46. Release
47. Bury
48. Share
49. Swap
50. Eat
51. Lips
52. One
53. Two
54. Three
55. Sum
56. Female
57. Long
58. Play
59. Special
60. Wrong
61. Experience
62. Hungry
63. Thirsty
64. Wet
65. Grind
66. Rub
67. Open
68. Dinner
69. Drain
70. Johnson
71. Peter
72. John
73. Dick
74. Gush
75. Squirt (That soda could be getting away with an innuendo.)
76. Drain
77. Whip
78. Dirty
79. Clean
80. Tip
81. Shaft
82. Moist
83. Hammer
84. Drill
85. Knob
86. Cock
87. Snake
88. Ball
89. Balls
90. Shave
91. Clean
92. Dirty
93. Natural
94. Short
95. Long
96. Crevasse
97. Cleavage
98. Milk
99. Sugar
100. Santa is coming to town

Some people might find these to be absolutely offensive words that Facebook has not blocked yet, but should. They may want to demand Facebook block all of these words as they could be sexualized and context doesn’t free them from their guilt. OR, maybe you might see these are just words and realize any word can be hijacked as a sexual cover.

Ironically, as a fun side note, I once posted a personal ad on a dating website. I wrote things as, “please don’t message me if you drive a hummer or eat meat.” I put out a thorough list of qualifying factors of what I was looking for. To my frustration then, and amusement later, their auto-robot filters actually said my post was too dirty to publish. I felt like it was the only clean, well thought out post on the website. Again, this was a case of robots making decisions without the proper context, and again, no way to talk to a human to dispute such a claim.

Well, I hope people can get over their sexual fears and stop projecting their sexual angers to my event. My event is about hand made crafts. Get your mind out of the gutter and into the market!

*I don’t eat meat by the way.