Dirty Mouth

Last night on Facebook I posted a status saying:

Maybe I like my dirty mouth, Orbit gum whore.

As I am sure you can tell this is a joke but the reality behind it got me thinking. Is cussing that bad? or a more healthy way to get frustrations out. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying that all curse words are OK. But I do feel that throwing an S*!# is better than many other self destructive out lets, if you will. I'm rarely intentionally offensive. But am increasingly interested in the "versatility of swears". You can mix and match them in in way you want. 

And I know this is just terrible but the people whom I cuss in front of end up being the ones that I love. Because I subscribe to the back-assward logic that I should be more respectful and conciliatory towards strangers than people who are already familiar with me. Members of my family get the highest volume of it, but only because they make the, quite simply, dumb choice, of being offended by it. 

I believe even more importantly: They are words. Words have meaning. Sometimes meanings aren't exactly "pretty" -- deal with it? If you really want to be offended by something so badly, why not actually pay attention to the content and context of the message and look for something in there, other than which particular noises are uttered in which order?

I do not believe that cussing makes me any less of a good person nor do I judge those whom choose to not cuss. It's a choice that everyone makes. I do my best to not cuss in front of my or any children for that matter. If I do slip I apologize but am not blind to the fact that if I had made the choice to never cuss the exposure to a curse word or two would be inevitable. That doesn’t mean that we ought to cuss like a sailor, but words have power… even what our culture considers offensive. Within reason and in moderation, it’s probably acceptable in context.

Ill end with Tony Campolo's famous opener: "I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."