From the Editor: There’s a time and a place to use profanities

I started to watch Netflix’s History of Swear Words the other day, and it got me thinking — just where does swearing rate on the PC-radar these days? Are we as a community more accepting of expletives? This may offend some readers, but I, for one, think there’s a time and a place for using the occasional profanity. Definitely not in an unprofessional way in the workplace or directed at someone inappropriately in anger or spite. Or coming out of a child’s mouth or in front of a child. And I think overusing expletives is just tacky and plain lazy — seriously, people who can’t get by without swearing every second word need to get a thesaurus. Bad words have a bad rap and in some cases justifiably so. There are some words that are so vulgar I will refuse to say them and hearing them makes me shudder. But what about the f-word? As the Netflix show suggests it’s the “silly putty” of the English language, the most malleable swear word we have that can convey much more than just sex. Rage, confusion, excitement, hurt, surprise and so on. I must admit, f... is my go-to swear word. Despite being a connoisseur of words, sometimes there’s not another term or phrase in the English language that can carry as much emphasis and weight as f...! Think of trying to convey utter confusion (what is it you are talking about or what the f...?) or letting someone know that you are definitely agreeable to something (yes versus f.... yes!). Or when you stub your toe (ouch that hurts or F..........!!!!). Of course, there are many people out there who are aghast at the use of any swear words, even hell or damn. I even heard a story recently of a boss who had an unwritten rule of absolutely no swearing in the office — I’m sorry, but that’s just silly. We can expect and foster a professional, courteous and harmonious workplace, but is it the role of every boss then to turn into the word police? Definitely not. I think a good rule of thumb for swearing is try to refrain from it in the workplace, or in front of strangers who may or may not appreciate your choice of words, or in front of those sponge-like creatures called children. As long as it has a purpose, it’s not said to offend or wound anyone and is used among adults, then I say what’s the f..... harm?