What the ____?

This post will be different from the rest. In some ways.

It’s similar though, in that it’s focusing on a topic that has sparked a flame in me, and now its fuel has ignited a fire.

Part of me believes – like most of my writing – that in sharing it, I can release the tension that has been quietly building. For some reason last night the tension reached a fever pitch, and it hit my boiling point.

What is it exactly that has got me hammering on my keyboard to blow off some steam? Release some of the pressure?

Here it is.

The F-word.

No. Wait. That’s not right. It’s not necessarily the F-word, as a word. It’s the blatant and excessive use of the F-word.

One could argue that any use of the F-word is excessive. I get that. But I also realize that even the most meekest of us will occasionally drop an F-bomb. And sometimes, only an F-bomb will do. I know this. I’ve been on both sides of that F-bomb equation.

This is not that.

This is the complete opposite of that.

What I’m referring to here is when the F-word becomes more used than any other word in the English dictionary. It’s when the F-word crushes those little trusted sentence joiners like – like, and, and but.

Hmmmmm, I’d give anything to go back to the time when the word like was feverishly used as a joiner word. As irritating as that – like – was, bring it (back) on.

If only.

The F-word has somehow taken its claim as the most dominant word in the sentence. And any sentence will do. The author and narrator of these sentences do not hold back – almost as if in a willing attempt to meet a personal daily F-bomb quota.

It’s remarkable.

And not in a good way.

I’ll share 2 examples with you here for added context.

Picture this.

It’s a beautiful hot summer day. We decide to stop for a coffee and take a rest. We see a Robin’s. We pull in. Immediately I noticed 2 senior gentlemen (if I was to guess, I would estimate them to be in their late 70s or early 80s). My first thought was, ‘Oh, that is so sweet. Two senior buddies out enjoying a coffee and chat on this beautiful day”.

Ha.

We collected our coffees and proceeded to the only vacant bench which was adjacent and appropriately placed 6 feet apart from these gents.

I almost choked on my first sip. The foul language and use of the F-word in a normal verbal exchange between these 2 gentlemen was a shock to all my senses. The heartwarming scene I had created in my mind just moments ago, was erased with every 3rd word. No joke, every 3rd word spoken was the F-word.

My mind could not reconcile this. It was as if I was transported to some far-away place void of all respect and decency. The barrage of F-bombs continued. I cringed every time I heard the F-bomb get inserted when a simple, and or but would have sufficed. This F-bomb narrator was unrelenting.

I wanted to leave.

I didn’t finish my coffee. I had a bad taste in my mouth. And I couldn’t blame the coffee for that. I had stopped for a refreshment and little pit stop, but instead, I felt like I needed to shake loose the toxic vulgarity that was now on my skin before I could even continue on my journey.

Fast forward, 24 hours.

The local legion in a beautiful quaint town was promoting “Enjoy a craft beer on our patio, overlooking the water.”

Sounds great. Let’s do it.

The view was beautiful. Here’s a pic of said view. It was a warm summer night. If you look closely, you can spot kayakers in the distance.

But here’s the thing about pictures. A visual snapshot is completely absent of audio reality.

In the background of this picture (and to my left) were three gentlemen. I’m guessing they were locals because they seemed quite comfortable and familiar with their surroundings.

What this picture does not show – or tell – is the vulgarity of the conversation between these three gentlemen. And one gent in particular – the one who just happened to have the loudest voice, and spoke the most words, and also appeared to be on a feverish mission to reach his F-word quota for the day.

Here’s what I thought about at that moment – What an absolute shame that this beautiful town has this beautiful facility with this beautiful view, and this repulsive language is what’s waiting for you inside (outside).

And so we left.

The view, albeit beautiful and peaceful, could not neutralize the crudeness that existed in that corner.

We gave up, and left.

These are just two examples. I could go on and on, but you get the point. These two examples are top of mind because they left a stain of contempt on me. I was deeply saddened by this. The thing is, both occasions were in such dramatic contrast to the environment I was occupying. In both situations – the people – had absolutely no care or regard for the other people in their presence. It was just their typical conversation. Nothing forced. Nothing exceptional. Just typical everyday conversations between grown men.

I left wondering if they even know how ridiculous they sound. How boorish they sound to the naked ear.

I realize these are just 2 examples. But something about these recent experiences set me off.

The harsh reality is…

The use of the F-word in everyday conversations has become more prevalent.

Actually, more doesn’t adequaetely even begin to touch the harsh reality of what has become.

The use of the F-word in social media has become normalized. Almost encouraged. Or so it seems.

It’s everywhere.

And if it’s everywhere, where does one go to escape it?

Certainly, not in our beautiful backyard. Oh yeah, I neglected to mention that one of our neighbours seems to have recruited the top F-bomb performers in our community. And lucky for us they frequently join in all the back yard drinking and swear fest. Pretty much on a bi-nightly basis now. It’s awful.

I’ve muted friends on social media who curse excessively. I’m not ashamed to admit that. It’s my choice. If something makes me feel icky, why would I willingly and knowingly expose myself to it? I’m kinder to myself than that.

I don’t have the answers here. And honestly, I don’t even know the question. Perhaps it resembles something like – Why has a vulgar swear word become so normalized in today’s society?

And I’m not willing to just accept – “It’s just the way things are now, so you’ll have to get used to it.”

Surely, I’m not alone in this.

Thanks for reading my rant. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this?

With gratitude,