Bombs away...

Fuck.

Okay, I said it. Actually, I wrote it. For some reason, no one wants to admit they use it. It's okay to say it but if you write it everyone will know you use it and that's then open to a LOT of people looking down their noses at you and opining that you shouldn't say that because other people might hear you.

One of the funniest scenes in "The King's Speech" involves repeated use of the F bomb. And a few others as well. That got it an "R" rating. "True Grit" showed someone getting shot in the head and having half a hand cut off. That, btw, is worth a PG-13. I've said it before...You can eviscerate someone in the movies but for God's sake, don't say "What the FUCK are you doing?" while they do it because THAT will get you an "R".

One of my kids recently posted something on that social networking site which was HUGE news and someone posted the normal "hey look I've gone through puberty and I can say stuff now" response of the day, which is "whoa, fuck!" She eliminated the "c", for what that's worth, internet shorthand, I guess.

Perhaps I'm immune. I've raised two sons and still carry the only estrogen in the place. Even the damn CAT is male. So perhaps it's just a survival, I'm not sure.

Anyway, back to The Social Network. Said "whoa..." response drew another comment from an out of state family member which said, in essence "Congratulations on your achievement. And please tell your friend to watch her language as your family can read this."

Say what? In the first place, the person who posted this is younger than I am and one would think she'd be a little looser. In the second place, she was chastising someone else's kid. Not even MY kid who, at least, is related. It's a stranger's kid. In the third place, she's used it herself. More than once.

But she recently turned 50 and to celebrate seems to be channeling her mother, who had a rather skewed view of manners. Drove me crazy. My MIL tolerated NO response to the phrase "Thank You" other than "You're Welcome." I found this out when I had done something for her that she was physically unable to do for herself, too short, not strong enough, something. Anyway, she said "Thank you" and I said "My pleasure."

BIG mistake.

This, btw, is the same woman who told me it was wrong to let my kids read in the bathroom. She read that reading in the bathroom was distracting and caused one to forget why one went in there in the first place. I can't even count the number of times I spent an hour sitting with my pants around my ankles on a cold, hard wooden seat with my ass hanging exposed over a bowl of cold water, came out and then said "Damn! I was so busy reading I forgot to pee." Not to mention the fact that she probably found this in a magazine that she was reading in the bathroom.

But back to the lecture. Okay, on The Social Network you can see everything anyone says to someone you know. Granted. But, technically, one can see everything your neighbors are doing through their windows if you choose to look. Does because you can see them does it give you the right to bitch that their consistent belching annoys you?

It's socially accepted voyeurism though. If it's on line, it's okay to butt in.

I've been thinking a lot about this ever since I saw that though. I've got one son who wouldn't say "shit" if he fell into a vat of it and another one who couldn't get through the day without saying "fuck" at least 17 times and in 4 different tenses. I didn't drill it into them. Okay, watch your language in public, definitely. But that was back when in public meant...well, in PUBLIC. Posting on Facebook is sort of like having a private conversation while your phone is being tapped.

So, common decency, of course. But where's the definition of decent? What's decent and what's the dirty word of the generation?

So I guess I blame myself because my kid swears, he comes by it honestly. I'm not bragging, it's just the way it is. But I can live with it. No, I never really taught them to never say "fuck". But as long they never say "fuck off" to a homeless person, as long as they never say "I'm busy" when a grandparent calls and asks for help, as long as they never lie about having no change when they have a pocket full of it and someone is in need, as long as they don't talk about Jews like Mel Gibson does or women like Charlie Sheen does, well, I'm okay with that.

Because, for my money, anyone who lives the biblical axiom "whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers you do unto ME," whether or not you consider it to be about a personal deity, mankind as a whole or just about yourself, well, you can tell me to go fuck myself in a public square for all I care. For my money, you've got your priorities straight.