Whinging Wednesday - Swearing On The Internet

I’ve been thinking about this for a while because I know this particular whinge will upset some people. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that if I can’t share my strong feelings on my own blog, where else can I do so?


We have all seen junk left abandoned on the side of our roads. Some people obviously think it’s fine to publicly display their trash. But that leaves us who get rid of our old sofas and fridges responsibly, putting up with other people’s rubbish in our collective public faces.

Many people smoke in their own homes. They enjoy smoking as a hobby, and this is okay with the rest of us. Not all of us smoke, however. Some folks feel strongly against the habit, and hate to inhale a lungful of second hand cigarette smoke when someone in a public place has walked by, exhaling a mouthful of the stuff.

We all know people who smoke dope. We know they do it in the confines of their own space. Yet, and rightfully so, we don’t expect them to subject our children to puffs of second-hand marijuana smoke, nor would we condone them lighting up when they come over for a visit.

Not everyone believes that smacking children as a form of discipline is right. Not everyone believes that it’s wrong. Nevertheless, we won’t excuse a parent for resorting to this type of discipline in a public forum. We would be appalled that someone would even attempt to do this in any other place than inside their own home. Some less-than-men hit their wives/girlfriends in private, fully aware that this trashy behaviour is not tolerated by the majority of us.

The bottom line is, if you indulge in behaviour considered to be anti-social you should be careful not to stand in front of a fan when you’re out and about. Many people would be revolted by the actions of the above perpetrators, yet they themselves are happy to generously share their swear words with the rest of us.

Not everyone swears, and like cigarette smoke, it’s something you should puff at people who enjoy doing it as much as you do. How is it not okay for Mr X to dump his old coffee table on the side of your road, but it’s fine for you to let loose swear words in the street in the presence of my young children?

You can agree it’s vile for parents to smack their kids in public as a form of discipline. But it’s dandy for you to type several swear words in a public forum on the Internet and leave them there for me to read.

You despise the guy in the other car who’s picking his nose and flicking the boogers out of his side window, but you’re happy to leave dirty words, smeared from your finger tips, all over the web.

I’m done.

You’re a writer? Then write some real words to express yourself. Go get rid of your trash responsibly.