“Before you say or do anything when entertaining, consider saying it or doing it
in front of your daughter.” Advice given to comedians by Phil Rosenthal, the creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” That is good advice even when we're not entertainers.
What an honorable thought. That premise reflects on Phil’s work. He’s not only a great comedy writer, but he’s a good family man with a wife and kids. He also has a fun new series on Netflix called, “Somebody Feed Phil.” It’s a documentary, food/travel show chock full of Phil’s humor and stars him. It’s very entertaining and worth watching as he eats his way around the world. I am NOT a traveler, but the first episode we watched had me dying to go to Bangkok! That is saying a lot folks!
The “F” word seems to be common place
My husband and I were having breakfast in a diner in Woodland, WA on Sunday and we were sitting next to a couple of young men who were in earshot. They were engaged in a lively conversation and almost every other word was the F word, void of any concern they might offend a couple of senior citizens. The F word was used as a verb (which grammatically it is), an adjective (“we had an F in’ time”) and as a noun (it was a cluster F). I was tempted to start counting the word as it was used, but when our food came I lost count. I’d guess I heard it at least 40 times during their conversation.
I’m not a prude; in fact my husband and I play a card game called, “Oh S—t.) with another older couple and have proven it’s impossible to play the game without using the “S” word!
My only concern with youngsters using the F word is that if they use it too much, it’ll lose its impact. Once a word is overused it then becomes necessary to find a worse word to replace it, like maybe the “C” word, which even young people aren’t saying as frivolously and frequently as they’re using the F word these days. I think it’s safe to say that most young people haven’t been using the “C” word (and I don’t mean “commitment”) the way they use the “F” word.
I don’t know if it’s just me (my husband doesn’t remember this when he was a kid) but when I was young, I was curious to know what the naughty words were in other languages. I don’t remember why I was curious, I don’t think I planned on using them around my parents and not get caught. I took French in high school, but don’t remember learning any salacious words in French. I do remember my boyfriend who was Jewish told me some naughty Yiddish words. Truly, the extent of my juvenile delinquency was in learning a few dirty words, which I never have found the occasion to use.
Back to the two young men who sat next to us at breakfast. I feel sorry for them. If they don’t save a really gross, nasty word like the “F” word to use just for when they’re really angry, they’ll either have to use a grosser, nastier word or turn to physical violence. Maybe that’s why is seems there’s a lot more violence these days. People have run out of naughty words! I know when we’re angry we don’t have to resort to having a foul mouth or beating someone up. My mom just had a furious look that made me fall into line and it seemed to satisfy her ability to relay her anger without yelling or smacking me.
If the “F” word is part of your regular vocabulary, you might consider stuffing it into a mental file for safe keeping for one of those rare times when you really need somebody’s attention. Just remember the Boy Who Called F----.
If you'd like to read "The Joy of Being Disorganized," you'll find that it's free of the "F" word and filled with wonderful advice and help to get organized just enough to please you. To order, just click on the cover.
Love,
