The Way I See It

By:Curtis Morton

The way I see it, the use of expletives or swear words, are not as absolutely necessary as some may think.
As a matter of fact, for the purposes of this class, I concur with one local philosopher who opined that the use of swear words may well demonstrate a lack of what he called ‘dictionary.’
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not talking from some sanctimonious position. Oh yes, this quiet, shy individual, has been there and done that.
I was only about five years old when I was introduced to swear words. It was by my father’s shop and he once used to sell liquor and when people consume alcohol, they sometimes go down the road of expletives.
Shouldn’t that tell us something? Hint…hint…..
I never heard my mother nor father use such words and so I learnt them by the shop and if it is one time I was very bright, was that time, because I caught on quickly.
I used to rattle them off like they going out of style and when I was reported home, I was duly punished.
I got licks from my Dad especially, on a regular basis for swearing and when I found out who reported me, I would let them have it too.
Well I newa!
Fortunately by age seven or so I had gotten enough licks to export and I saw the error of my ways and I stopped swearing bad words-virtually cold turkey.
Nowadays, when I hear people using them, it literally makes my skin crawl and I hate to hear them. Worst yet, if they are directed towards me. When that happens, I will normally move away from such individuals.
One day I was at the Park, recording a Cricket match and the late, great ‘BONZO’ was watching the game as well.
The batsman was poking as we say colloquially and BONZO was not happy.
‘Hit di ….ball,’ he yelled several times and with each shout, the swear words were more emphatically enunciated.
With the words grating on my ears, not to mention the camera, I said ‘Bonzo, use another adjective.’
He asked: ‘Like wha?’
‘Red,’ I said.
So please say: ‘Hit di RED ball!’
Bonzo laughed so much. ‘You are something else,’ he said.
Just today, while I was at my office, a group of high school girls passed my office door, on the way from the nearby office and one of them swore with such vigour and passion that I was surprised that the glass windows were no shattered.
My goodness, she said it with such emphasis, you could see that she has experience in the thing!
I know of a mother who constantly swears at her Preschool and Primary school children and I mean swear you know!
So why we are still surprised when the children lean towards deviant behaviour?
It is what they are taught.
Maybe, just maybe we can start by cleaning up their vocabulary…..
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?

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