KooKooBirdies: The "F" Bomb

A little rant...

Today while I was at work, I decide to take a mini break and check my facebook page. I play a mean game of scrabble (ongoing) with a good family friend, and I like to check in every once in a while to see if its my move.

Anyway, when I logged on to my account the first thing that caught my eye was in the news feed: my niece Jennah wrote a really nasty little note to my niece Holly (her younger sister) in which she called Holly the f-word.

Now, maybe its my age catching up to me, but I have to admit I almost fainted... she's only 14 using language like that! Whoa! I think I finally understand when my mother used to say things like, "Your grandfather would just die if he hear you talk like that." I didn't drop the "F" bomb until I was at least a senior in high school, and maybe not even until college- or if I did it was rare, and I don't remember ever calling someone a "F".

I called Jennah up and told her to remove the comment/post it immediately. That is just not something you write in a public forum, let alone say to your not-quite-12-year-old sister at the age of 14.

She's a good girl and she removed it immediately without even trying to plead her case. She's much better behaved than I was in that way... I always pleaded my case, even when I know I'm wrong (I should have been a lawyer!)

I actually remember sitting in a car with my older brother John (the girls' dad), and using the word "$h!t." I remember the lecture I got from my big brother. Oy! It lasted forever, and it went something along the lines of, "Nice girls don't use language like that."

Maybe I'm a hypocrite for getting so upset with Jennah... I have to admit, that I talk like a sailor now. I drop that word all the time and I hate it. It sounds so unintelligent and crass, and frankly, I'm better than that. I suddenly feel guilty for possibly passing on my foul mouth to my very impressionable nieces whom I love!

Plus yesterday, when I got home from work, I let Linus into the front yard with me while I checked the mail. He loves the front yard where he rarely gets to go, plus I do this from time to time (more often lately) to remind passersby that we not only have a security system, but we have a dog as well.

Bad idea...

Linus saw a skateboarder cruising down the street and took off faster than I have ever seen him move into traffic to bark at the feet of the boarder. Besides almost killing himself, he came close to causing a huge accident on our busy street. I screamed his name, cars honked loudly, but he somehow made it across the street and got to the skateboarder... Barking away.

The little jerk skateboarder got off his/her (I honestly couldn't tell- yesterday I thought it was a girl, but today I saw the same kid and thought it was a boy) skateboard and started yelling obscenities at me and kicking Linus. Combined with the honking vehicles on the street, I was trying very hard to keep my cool. But then the little SOB said something nasty that I don't remember, and kicked Linus one more time for good measure (apparently) and I lost it.

I started yelling back with equally foul language and I fiery vigor that I rarely get worked into. The skateboarder took off scared at something I said. I was in such a frenzy with everything going on I seriously don't remember much other than the "F" word being used. It was awful. I felt awful about it even as it was happening.

When I finally got Linus back into the yard and then into the house scolding him sternly for his reckless and flat out unacceptable behavior my blood was really pumping. I hate getting so worked up, because it kind of stays in me for a while and I get edgy and- well, the best way to describe it is the New Yorker in me comes out in full force, and she is not nice. She is hard and angry.

Sunday, David and I went and saw the movie Midnight in Paris at the indie movie theater the Flicks, and I think that movie, combined with the above stated events has really got me to thinking, what's happened to me? To everyone? Why have we let our vast English language get so small and uncouth?

Is it because time moves faster these days? Technology is ahead of linguistics, perhaps? Did we behave better as a society 10 years ago? 20? 30? Spell-check, Twitter and texting have certainly done nothing for our vocabulary or our ability to spell.

Why is everyone so angry all the time these days? I say angry, because there has to be a reason people use language like that in every day conversations, I mean they aren't nice words and usually they're used to spout an angry point of view (i.e. you F---, F-ing A--Hole!, F--- You!) I also can't believe high school and college age kids would scream curse words like that at a total stranger- an adult no less- like that person did at me. And yet, I stooped to their level and screamed them right back.

My mother was horrified when I told her.

How do you feel about the "F" word?

Well, this little incident with Jennah has certainly woken me up today. I need to call and thank her. I'm lucky to have such wonderful nieces and nephews to teach me these things- especially before I have kids of my own! From today forward I am going to find as many other words to explain things as possible... no more swearing. It's too easy and it just sounds ignorant.