Foul Language Has Become An Accepted Feature Of Life

The driver who just got rear-ended. The latest cross-dressing guest on “The Jerry Springer Show.” The teenager who’s just chillin’ with friends.

They’ve all used the word that begins with “f.” Over the past few years, the use of this and other so-called dirty words has become much more commonplace.

They are supposed to be used when one is really upset, but instead are used as adjectives. In fact, if you take away the F-word, a lot of people would be mute.

These words are so common nowadays that they have lost their significance, failing to elicit gasps from most audiences. This is unfortunate.

Sure, there are some cases where the use of more profane language is understandable. We’ve all had such an experience.

There are other situations, though, where use of such language is not advised, such as with most people’s parents, at a job interview or with figures of authority.

In basketball, someone who swears gets a technical foul. One wouldn’t say the sh-word around one’s younger brother or sister - possibly because one shouldn’t be showing that example, but more likely because such an incident is positively ripe for blackmail possibilities and such incidents can prove expensive.

Teenagers and swearing are almost synonymous in quite a few people’s minds, but our generation sounds like angels when compared with some adults.

Some teachers swear when they are having a bad day; other teachers just do it, and some of them are considered hilarious favorites of their students. Some coaches use these words as motivation for their teams.

These people are supposed to be our role models? (It is to be stressed that while we do hear a lot of profanity from the media - shock jocks, TV - most people get their communication skills from their more immediate surroundings.)

Cussing has just become another way we talk. There seems to be no real way to reverse the trend, aside from people finding other, more productive ways to channel their aggression.

The possibilities of that, unfortunately, are less than likely.

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