I dropped an F-bomb in an email today at work.
I've definitely cursed there before, but despite being in the construction industry, and despite that I work with what I'm pretty sure can at times be a bunch of drunken sailors (metaphorically speaking of course. Only one, who retired recently, actually sails and though I've seen him pretty drunk... but as usual, I digress) swearing is unstatedly verboten. I always get a little I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that quickie glance when it pops out verbally.
So today after screwing up a meeting notice for the third time (and after a pile of crap-on-crap - some work, some Pepper losing her backpack and running crying to the Principal's office because she had no lunch, and a new office staff-type person who hadn't been jaded by dozens of stupid kids losing their backpacks & still gives a crap about the kids [sniff! new favourite at the office!] calling me because she couldn't get a hold of Max because he does try to have a life AND THEN me scrambling to try & track down something for Pepper to eat for lunch, but as usual, I digress...) I replied: "Fuck!" when my dear coworker replied to my meeting notice saying "we're meeting on Mothers' Day?"
He called: "Wow! Stressed much?"
"No," I said "that's how I relieve stress. We're good!"
So the fact that Max won't let me curse in front of the kids starts to explain why my kids do such a number on me...
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You have been pretty loose with the profanity as long as I've known you. I never thought much about it but now I wonder --- did it start when you were studying engineering, surrounded by 100's of uncouth youth, or did you bring that with you? :-)
ReplyDeleteI also work in an office environment where swearing is taboo. Certain people get away with breaking the F barrier, based mainly on their charming and gregarious personality, but never in an email.
And of course, I know you don't really want to teach your kids to swear like JDs to solve all of life's problems. I've come across kids like that and even if they otherwise seem to come from good homes and seem like good enough kids, it does colour your perception of them in a bad way. They'll learn all of the good words outside the home soon enough.
It would be more productive if you were to teach them dirty jokes they don't understand yet.
"$50, same as in town!"
So here's a private message I got from my dad on Facebook the other week:
ReplyDelete"Congratulations. You just beat out David Mamet for writing the most Fucks on Facebook. Does it worry you that you are in a conservative business in a conservative part of the world?
You would not do well in a Taliban regime."
Of course, no one I work with is on my FB page (and I pretty sure none of my FB friends are Taliban either...) so it's not that big a deal. But still...what's my point?
I fucking get it Harmzie. Totally.
sometimes I wonder how my hubbie survives his mouth! his parents never said anything about his language, it took some getting used to, then I started hanging with him more and my laguage got more colorful. Sometimes you don't even notice but the world will fall apart I'm sure if my mother ever hears me say it. I get those 'you were brought up better' and I say "it's just a word, it only becomes worse when you put that much effort into telling me it's worse" :)
ReplyDeleteso fuck it, and just keep going,or is it because your a girl????:p
My daughter's 11th word when she was 11 months old was "damnit"
ReplyDeleteI was so proud.
I fucking frankly think that more fucking people should say 'fuck' more fucking times.
ReplyDeleteFuck.
(Ah, spleen vented. Yeah, lots of repression there. I've been holding off on my blog. Maybe I shouldn't.)
Anyway, I recall sitting on the SkyTrain on my way to work in BC, and there was a kid (... tween, teen, whatever) sitting behind me obviously showing off to his buddy how "adult" he was by swearing. Every f-bomb was like an assault on the back of my head.
I concur with Albert about the jokes. And maybe by the time they're old enough, one of us will remember the rest of the joke with the punchline "Fuck YOU, clown!"