Choice of Words...

My Dad sent me an email which stated that he was thinking of starting to use curse words because he is at an age where no one can tell him what to do anymore (except Mom, of course). Obviously he was joking, but I decided to write him a response rife with foul language to get a good laugh from him. Here is a excerpt:

"You can learn to do something new! Hell- I think you could get pretty f$cking good at cursing. It takes a lot to practice all of that bull$hit to cruse like a bast@rd sailor, but damn it- I think you can pull that $hit off!"

That said, his email did cause me to reflect on the use of language in our society today. I have always subscribed to the notion that cursing looses its effectiveness if used too often. If they are used in the proper manner (that doesn't sound right...), the words can instill anger, fear, and motivation. All too often a person intending to inspire others use the words so frequently that the words loose their "punching power." The best example I can give you is my father. He is a man that rarely uses foul language and would rather not hear it at all. There have only been a couple of times where I have heard the words he despises spewed from his mouth. Once uttered, everyone within earshot knew- now is not the time to mess with him. As a matter of fact- the president contacts the military to issue DEFCON-1. A two-hour hiatus occurs before returning to DEFCON-5.

Furthermore, I believe that curse words are used by less-educated people that lack the cognitive ability to articulate themselves in a more dignified manner. (How eloquent was that?) How often do you hear someone describe an object with f$cking (insert adjective here)? What about the world-famous simile, "like $hit?" You know- "their new album sounds like $hit," or "that lasagna tasted like $hit." There are numerous ways to formulate thoughts. Those that continue to use such language on a continuous basis are telling others, "My vocabulary is severely limited and I cannot carry an intelligent conversation with others. Can't talk now- Maury is on and I want to see if any of the 5 guys on stage is this kid's father!"

When my 5-year-old son gets older (much older in fact), I am going to give him the 2 Rules of Cursing:

1. Never use curse words in normal conversation. It is uncalled for at all times.

2. Only use curse words for emphasis or to show that your intensity has been raised to the highest level.

Actually- these rules are a lot like my rules for fighting, but that is for another post...