I find the idea of "Bad words" preposterous. First of all, a lot of men and women died for our right to say
what we want, and the least people could do is exercise it. Secondly, people say they want to get rid of "Bad
Words". Well, is calling someone an unpleasant, myopic, despite really any better than calling them a shithead?
Profanity is a matter of superstition. The idea that there are certain sequences of sounds that, if uttered, will make
everyone upset for reasons they themselves can't quite explain, is a pretty primitive notion. It is the context in
which words are spoken that give them their power or meaning. And the very words in which we think are bad change over
time. In the 1800's it was offensive to say arm, leg, or any part of the body. That was deemed to be profane.
That's the reason why poultry is called light and dark meat. It was offensive to say leg or breast. That seems
pretty silly by today's standards doesn't it?
What the first amendment says, or rather the lesson it teaches us, is that we should tolerate precisely those things
that offend us. With liberty comes excess, if you want to play it safe, you aren't going to have liberty. The safer
you are with guarding those values, those speech codes, the more you invite tyranny and suppression.
When you really think about this issue, the moral crusaders who want to stop profanity aren't asking that we
control ourselves, that we hold our anger or change our behavior, treat each other with more respect, they aren't
asking you to be nicer, they only want you to shout something they feel appropriate when you feel like shouting. They
don't care about the meaning, only the word. They don't advocate peace or tell you not to speak with hate,
they want only to change the word. As if it was the word that makes it obscene.
