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.

Concerning free effin’ speech

Has everyone heard about the kid who formed a club and website called the No Cussing Club? I saw another video in which he talked about possible laws prohibiting people from cussing in public, and when he was asked what should be done with someone who breaks such laws, he said something about "beating them" and putting them in jail, and then laughed and said, "Just kidding!"

You know what my initial reaction was? Yeah, it was a phrase of two words, and second word was "you."

Hey kid! I think I'm going to form my own group that condemns anyone who says "you know" constantly in a conversation, and my club is going to try to throw those people in jail. And you know what? You're gonna be cooling your heels for a long time in the Big House because apparently you can't put a sentence together without including "you know" in it! Listen, you sanctimonious little snot, you don't get to decide how people talk or what people say!

Don't worry, I'm exaggerating to make a point. I'm not forming a group, and I'm not going to beat the kid up (although I think I could take him). The sad thing is that this kid has received death threats, and that is totally not cool and just plain wrong. I don't think anyone wants kids going around spewing profanities, and it's a noble effort that he's attempting. But making profanities illegal? Kid, you've got a lot to learn. (I think he needs to listen to George Carlin's bit about the Seven Words.)

I'll be honest--I've got a foul mouth. I'm the proud winner of the Foulest Mouth Award on the 6th floor of Mysch Hall at Ball State, and if you could have heard some of my floormates, you'd know that's sayin' somethin'. Nothing has really changed since then. But I also try to be respectful of other people's feelings, and refrain from letting my mouth go when I'm in public. I don't put a lot of profanity here in my blog, but it doesn't bother me if someone drops a well-placed F-bomb in comments. I don't cuss around my parents, because I know it would offend them. It's a matter of respect, not just to my folks, but to others who might be offended by such language, and any kids that might be within hearing range. I'm proud to say that I never once cussed in front of Ken's kids. Sometimes at games, people can get nasty, and I would have no problem with turning to someone and asking them to tone it down a bit, because kids don't need to hear that. Heck, I've gone to Notre Dame games with my Dad, and I wouldn't want him to have to hear that, and he's an Army guy who has heard it all.

My feeling on this is that if someone is being offensive, ask them politely to stop. If they are belligerent and won't tone it down, that's what security is for. If they get to the point where they are disturbing the peace, that's what the police are for. If they've crossed over the line into inciting a riot, that's when you remove yourself from the situation and call the police from afar.

But you can't start arresting people for foul language. I submit to you: I find the language of several ultra-right wing "pundits" (although I can think of more choice words than "pundit") quite foul and extremely offensive. However, I recognize that they have the right to say such things without being arrested for it. If people don't care for it, they can either not listen, or in the case of someone spewing profanity in front of kids at a ball game, ask them to refrain. I'd be willing to bet that nine times out of ten, they'll respect your request.

So I guess if cussing is going to become illegal, I'll see y'all in the slammer. I'll see if I can find a recipe for making wine in the toilet.