The Unspeakable

I find it funny that in the English language we have words that mustn’t be spoken, yet we all know these words, and if we say them by their first letter we have the exact word pop into our minds. How often have you heard a news anchor saying something like, “And he used racial slurs calling African Americans in the audience the ‘N’ word.” We all figured out what he said by that clue.

What about the “F” word? Just by calling it “the F word” doesn’t make the word go away. It just makes the listener imagine the word and possibly placing greater emphasis on it. It’s kind of like someone dying their hair bright pink and then telling people not to look at them.

Every once in a while I’ll hear a child or an elderly lady refer to the “B” word. Showtime has a show called “The L Word.”

Now, I really want to understand exactly what women have against the “C” word. As a male I have been called a Dick, a Prick, a Pecker and an asshole. I’ve even been called the “C” word. I’m not offended by any of it. So ladies, why so sensitive? It’s a great word and I want to use it…often.

It just seems odd that there are words out there that we dare not use. I also find it funny how some words can become main-stream, like "Sucks" and "Blows". "Pissed" is even mainstream. When I was a kid these were really vulgar terms; ones you wouldn't say to Mom.

So, should we free our tongues now, or continue the slow evolution to eventual acceptability of the words that are presently taboo?