I apologize for offending anyone with this article, but I believe if you
read it, it will help you in dealing with profanity in your work place or other
areas of your environment.
George Carlin, who just passed away, became famous with his, "Seven
Words You Can't Say on TV." Many times we become frustrated, angry or
overcome by situations that one or more of the "Seven Words" might
come forth. I understand this, but using these words with no restraint or
thought for those around you shows a lack of control and self-centeredness.
I am 64 and believe that there are some of us who would rather not be
subjected to words in the work place that are at the least distracting, and at
the worst offensive. I realize that some have never known anything else but a
steady flow of expletives that bring a blush and or flush to some. In my
younger days, that I still remember, when a woman was present, these words were
not used in the work place or in any "public place. Of course this was
before they walked on the moon, and the automobile replaced the horse and
buggy. I must admit I think those were better days, because they reflect an
attitude of respect for those around you. However, today, because of a
breakdown of manners, decency and a respect for others, these words are often
spoken in the work place with little concern for others.
When my boys were preschoolers and early grade school, we lived around families
that were not as concerned about the vocabulary their children used as we were.
One of the favorite expressions used by the neighbor's children was was calling
someone a "s--t a-s" when they were angry with them. Well, children
being the way they are, I overheard my 2 year old calling his 4 year old
brother a "s--t a-s" because of being teased unmercifully. Some days
latter, the the little 5 year old girl, who lived two doors down from us came
up to me while I was planting flowers out in our yard, and asked me very
piously, "Are your boys Christians?" Well, I was scared to pursue the
conversation for fear of what my precious little boys had done. But, I felt she
was not moving until she had an answer to her question, so I evasively answered,
" "Well, they love Jesus" She again in her most upright attitude
said, "Well, they do not act like it" Then she walked away. I'm sure
with a feeling of having dealt adequately with the neighborhood heathens.
When the boy's father came home, of course, I talked with him about our
little "dirty mouthed" preschoolers. He talked with both the boys and
told my younger son to use "fecon head" instead. Well, it wasn't long
before all the neighborhood children were saying "fecon head" I'm not
sure this was much of an improvement, but I did not have any more visits from
our little neighborhood ethics captain.
For the last 7 years, my husband and I have been in the world of factory
workers who seem to have an abundant vocabulary of "dirty words" My
husband and I travel 320 days out of the year, in our work doing hearing
testing in factories. A couple of years back we were working in a factory in . It was the year the White Sox were in the
World Series. My husband works inside the factory teaching the importance of
hearing conservation. I work outside the factory in our van that has 8 booths
for hearing tests and a small office area for me. My husband had just come out
and told me that we would have about a 30 minute break because of shifts
changing. I chose to stay in the van and work on my computer clearing out files
for jobs we had completed. As I worked on my computed, a group of men gathered
outside my door and were talking about the baseball games of the White Sox. As
I listened I had never heard f-k used in so many ways. There were the f--kin
umpires, players, and fans, and the f---ked up umpires, players and fans etc.
etc. etc. F--k was used as a noun, verb, adjective. direct object, and adverb.
I listened to this for at least 15 minutes. I could hear everything they said
since they were gathered right outside my door.
When I completed my work on the computer, I opened the door, which placed me
right in the center of their circle. They stopped talking and looked up at me.
I said, "F--K, You say!" The man across from me looked at me and
grinned. I guess he figured out I was pulling their chain. I gave him the look
that only a mother of boys can perfect and the grin disappeared from his face.
One of the men spoke up and said, "What did you say?" with an
attitude of I can't believe what I just heard. I looked directly at him and
said, "F--K, You say!" He looked and me and begin to stutter
"no-no-no not me." I conjured up "the look" again and he
said, "Well, maybe once or twice." At that point they all begin to
peel off and go into the door to the plant. I suspect my little neighbor girl
would have been proud of me. I told my husband about what had happened and we
both had a good laugh about it.
As I thought about what happened, I begin to wonder why a word for sexual
intercourse had come to be used in a negative way. Sex with the right person
and at the right time is quite enjoyable so I did not understand how saying a
team or player was f--ked up would be a negative thing if used for the sexual
act. Some one all f--cked up would be sexually satisfied so what is negative
about that. Also, f'--ked was used in such a way that has no relevance to the
sentence in which it is used. For example, the men used the term, "f--kin
team" As I conjured in my mind a group of ball players out on the field
having sexual intercourse could not be what they were talking about. So I
determined, that they were not using the word f--k in a sexual sense, since the
only "f--kin team" I could think of would be a group of women at a brothel.
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So, as far as "f--k" in its various forms being used in the work
place, try not to get too upset. It is one of those things, depending on your
work environment, is most probably going to happen. Even if George Carlin had
never brought up the "Seven Words You Can't Use On TV, people still would
be expressing themselves with the use of them. In dealing with the situation, I
do not believe the tactics of my precious little neighbor girl really works.
For your own self preservation, just use my reasoning that they can't really be
using the word in a sexual manner since it does not fit with what is being
said. Words are "dirty" because of what we make of them, not because
the words themselves are "dirty"
It would be good if people in the work place were more aware of others to a
point to understand that some people are more sensitive to profanity. But, I am
afraid many are not that concerned about how what they say may sound to
another. For many they enjoy the shock factor of their words.
Just an interesting fact, the word comes from an acronym that was used in
the 1800's in police forces for an individual being arrested "For Unlawful
Carnal Knowledge" or illegal sexual intercourse just as DWI is used for
Driving While Intoxicated.
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