Cussing in Politics
Whenever any politician has the misfortune of letting their tongue slip within range of a microphone or video camera, the airwaves ignite and ether flood with assaults on the character of the offending person. While ire is directed from various high horses, one thing is often forgotten: politicians are people too, and people cuss. As seen in the article, many of our most notable twentieth century Presidents and other political figures have let slip profanities in public at one time or another. Most recently Joe Biden dropped the f-bomb last year at the press conference for the signing of President Obama's healthcare legislation. Could he really have expressed himself any better? "Biden's remark may have been inappropriate for polite company, but it was apt. It summed up precisely the nature, scope and impact of the legislation better than any of the 627 words he had just spoken." The same can be often be said of our own speech. A well-chosen profanity can express more in one breath than less colorful language can in multiple sentences. Fortunately, in our lives there aren't usually microphones and reporters waiting to criticize our choice of words.
