The girl’s got a mouth on her

Yeah, I'm talking about myself. I admit it, and I've written about my foul mouth before.

I don't make many apologies for it. As I wrote in the linked entry, I don't go around spouting profanities, I rarely cuss in front of my parents (a rare S-word), and I never once did so in front of Ken's kids, and Ken didn't, either. Any potential or actual inclinations there can't be blamed on us.

However, with like-minded friends, I'll let it fly. Fair warning when it comes to my blog--there will be times here that I drop an F-bomb, and if you are offended by that, I won't be offended if you choose to move along and not read anymore. I feel that I generally make a fairly compelling argument on any issue without using profanity, or at least I try, but there are times when a well-placed profanity just seems to fit perfectly.

It's interesting to hear the take on profanity from other countries...it seems that we have a bit more of a hangup about a lot of words than others do. I do try to remain respectful and I accept the fact that there are a lot of people that are offended by such words, so I watch what I say in public, or around those that I think might be offended. But around here, when it's just me and Ken, or with people that I know won't be offended, I'll let it rip. Even when I'm out in the yard by myself, if I twist my ankle on a rock or a root, or if I smash a blood-filled mosquito on my person, it's likely that the first word out of my mouth will be a bad one.

On my blog, I am happy to exercise my right to free speech, and if I feel like cussing, I will do so with a smile on my face.

For anyone who thinks that their kids don't use such language, I'd say that they probably just don't use it around you. I won't generalize, because I'm certain that there are some kids who really don't use profanity, and more power to them. But don't be so sure and don't be so smug about thinking that your kids just don't go there. About thirty years ago, I remember sitting around the table at my parents' house with a couple of girlfriends, playing cards. The three of us were all in the top ten percent of our high school class, all in the National Honor Society, all on the college track, all known as "brains," and all perceived as "good girls." We sat at that table and let the foul words fly, and the saltiest sailor and foulest-mouthed deadbeat had nothin' on us. I'm not sure what prompted it, but we laughed like hell and had fun. It was almost a challenge to see who could come up with the worst, and if I recall correctly, I won.

Profanity is mostly harmless. It should go without saying to watch it around kids or around those that might find it offensive, and there really isn't a need for every other word to be one that might offend. Personally, I find racial or sexual epithets to be much more offensive than an occasional F-word. There are probably bigger issues at hand than worrying about a fucking profanity.