From: flloyd@l1-a.West.Sun.COM (Fred Lloyd [Phoenix SE])
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Profanity  (was:Re: Endurance)
Date: 27 Jan 1993 21:23:26 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Phoenix, AZ
NNTP-Posting-Host: l1-a.west.sun.com

In article <C1Is80.CCo@amdcl2> brian@amd.com (Brian McMinn, N5PSS) writes:
>>A few days ago, Joe Mastroianni, AA6YD, invited all of us here in net-land to
>>partake of his short story "ENDURANCE" in the Feb issue of QST....
>
>The story was good, but I take issue with the use of profanity in the
>article (mild though it may be).  I'd like to think that hams would
>ask "where are they?" rather than "where the hell are they?".  (Or
>perhaps "I'm tired and hungry and I wanna go to bed, where the hell
>are they?"  :-)

Thanks for the smiley Brian, as use of the word hell does not seem to
ruffle anyone these days :-)

Over the last 20 years or so, our society has become more and more
tolerant of "profane" language and one of the best examples is the
medium which reaches 99% of all of us, television.  Below are some
of the things which I've seen/heard on BROADCAST TV:

References to someone being "Pissed Off"  - Civil Wars 
Telling someone to "Piss Off" - british term on "Are you Being Served"
"I'm going to kick his ass!" - President Bush
Use of the word "Dogshit" in a local TV news interview
"God Damn" - LA Law - and Archie Bunker (who pioneered it)
"Son of a bitch" - LA Law
"I Farted" - Howie Mandel on Arsineo Hall Show
"Kiss my ass" - Howard Stern on the Tonite Show
"Fossilized Turd" - used to define the term "coprolite"

Other words heard without particular references:  Bastard, penis,
hell, damn, slut, suck(s), "sit on it", etc.

Again, I wish to emphasize that the above language is now common
on _broadcast_ TV, a service which is subject to the same FCC 
burocracy as hams are.

Being nearly 40 years old, I can remember when the use of the word
"pregnant" was censored off the air.  When Elvis was shown only from
the waist up on Ed Sullivan, etc., etc., etc..  Today you have Michael
Jackson and Madonna grabbing their crotches on prime time and just the
other day I saw a woman's bare breast on Headline News, during a
"Fashion Report" from Paris.  Let's face it folks, times and attitudes
are changing (and we're only about 15 years behind the rest of the
world).

Which brings us to Ham Radio, that last bastion of decency and
wholesomeness that made America famous.  Taking the above into
consideration, I have to wonder, "What is it about amateur radio which
makes subject to what should now be considered as a higher level of
decency/morality?".  Yes, a small and impressionable child could gain
access to a scanner, and if profanity were not prohibited, could be
irreversably corrupted by some of the words which which I've mentioned
above.  I would submit, however, that childern with scanners are
probably bored with TV in the first place and if they in their juvinile
innocence should tune into the 800 MHz band they would _really_ get an
earful, much beyond that which is even permitted on television.

It is my belief that if one does not like foul, indecent, vulgar or
profane language, then they should not use it.  I also beleive,
however, that a person has a right to use whatever language they deem
appropriate - within de facto mainstream standards - to whatever end
they so choose - it's called free speech.  By the same token, one does
not necessarily have the right to offend people, but should one be held
accountable by those who are offended by common, mainstream verbage? 
I think not.



-fred, AA7BQ

-- 
[ Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ                             Fred.Lloyd@West.Sun.COM ]
[ Sun Microsystems,           Southwest Area Solaris Transition Manager ]
[ Phoenix, AZ                                            (602) 275-4242 ]
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc