A word about profanity...

I am not, contray to what some may think, entirely opposed to cursing/swear words/ profanity/etc. This may be suprising to some because several people that I know quite well have probably never heard me swear. To me, these words are the last resort. They are words to be used only when no other word can express the urgency or volitility of a situation. They are the atomic weapons of verbal discourse. Therefore, if you ever hear me use a curse word, please know that something of significant import has happened, is happening, or will happen very soon.

This is also why I abide cursing in movie that I watch. Movie usually involve extreme circumstances; circumstances in which swaering is altogether appropriate. Movies also often include people punching, kicking, or shooting each other. Like swearing, these activities may be appropriate in the situation portrayed in a movie, but not in real life.

So the other day I'm standing in line with my 9-year-old at a family restaurant and the person ahead of us has a shirt on that contains a profane word. What's worse is that this man was holding a baby! Oh, pity the child. Sure enough, my son notices the shirt and whispers in my ear "That man is wearing a shirt that says the f-word." I didn't know what to say. I just said that "Some people are stupid." Perhaps not the best choice, but it was true enough. I came oh so close to tapping the man on the shoulder and saying very politely, "Excuse me, but my 9 year old son was wondering why your shirt has those words on it and I don't have an answer for him. Could you explain it to him?" I would have, too, if I were sure that this person had A) at least half of a functioning brain and B) a shred of human decency. But based on his choice of shirt, I could not be even reasonable certain of either of those things.