CONTENT ANALYSIS: NO-BULLSHIT (December 12, 2019)

My writings are teeming with one of my favorite adjectives: “no-bullshit.” Although I have dedicated a piece to it earlier this year, it focuses on its appearance in titles only, all of which are listed with gusto (“No-Bullshit Bullshit,” June 27, 2019). Together with the piece in question, it appears in no fewer than eleven titles penned between 1994 and 2019. At any rate, the sprightly adjective deserves a closer look at this stage. All told, it appears in sixty-four pieces. Between 1978 and 1996, though, it can be found almost only in addenda, all of which bear a single citatum that heralds my liberation (“No-Bullshit Enlightenment,” January 18, 2016). Actually, the only exception is a piece from 1994 that includes it in its title (“No-Bullshit Fable,” December 3, 1994). After 1996, the adjective appears in other contexts, as well. It can be found once in 1997, 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2018; twice in 1998, 2003, and 2019; thrice in 2005, 2010, 2011, and 2013; four times in 2012, 2014, and 2015; six times in 2017; and eight times in 2016. To my joy, the year of my liberation is the absolute winner. Not surprisingly, the piece that presages it is among the most frequent citata that can be found in my writings (see, e.g., “Most to My Liking,” December 4, 2018). To date, it appears in as many as forty-six pieces of writing stretching over five decades. It is my favorite citatum of all times, no doubt whatsoever. Three cheers for no-bullshit content analysis!