Cussing is cool. More precisely, people who cuss are cool. At least, thats what those doing the cussing want us to think.
Beto ORourke, one of the 20 or so Democrats running for president, flings about the f-word to show how frustrated and angry he is about mass shootings and governments failure to do anything to reduce their toll.
His campaign even started selling T-shirts incorporating an ORourke quote with the f-word.
Cool, right? And edgy.
Except that its hard to view anything that has become as common as cussing as edgy.
Most of us have heard admonitions from parents, teachers and others in authority, telling us that using offensive language is a sign of laziness and a limited vocabulary.
I never bought that argument completely, but I would argue that cussing does nothing to elevate discussion of a controversial topic. Nor does crass language edify the people who, presumably, the speaker or writer wants to persuade.
Supporters might argue that when people such as ORourke use of the f-word and other objectionable language, it shows just how passionate they are.
They have feelings. Theyre concerned. Theyre mad. They are compelled to speak frankly.
But cussing doesnt denote any of that. Not anymore.
Cussing is more likely to involve someone missing a free throw than murder. That robs it of any use it might have had once as a gauge of deep feelings.
Its commonly overheard on TV (except on old-fashioned broadcast networks), at sports venues, in the workplace and even on childrens playgrounds.
Resorting to cussing once did count as a measure of anger or passion. I mark the end of that time as 2004. That was when then vice president Dick Cheney, fed up with attacks on Halliburton, the company that made him rich, told a Democratic critic to (expletive deleted) himself.
That was on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and the target of the suggestion was Sen. Patrick Leahy. It was uncommon and untoward, and news stories expressed surprise that Cheney would resort to foul language in such a setting.
Consider it the last gasp of sincere indignation. Cultural trends had been leading us to such a point for a long time.
