Yesterday The Age had a four letter word on the front page of the newspaper. Not the f- word, but the other one. It’s perhaps not quite as offensive, but it’s nonetheless a word that I consider to be a swear-word.
It was in an article about the Labor government’s ferocious prosecution of whistleblowers and leakers. A former senior federal police source told The Age that if the government wanted to investigate the leaking of Government material, the Australian Federal Police would do so:
If the government wants us to do it, they’re our masters, so we do it. And that’s not just a particular government- both Labor and Liberal and everyone in between gets the shits when their policies are undermined or their big announcements appear on the front page of the newspapers 24 hours before they announce it.
Using the s- word on the front page is no great crime, although I did raise an eyebrow. But I found myself using the s- word and the f-word as well when viewing the footage of the cars being washed away in Toowoomba. You’ve probably seen it by now.
What strikes me, though, is that the young people taking the video are not swearing at all- not a single “Oh my God” or 4-letter word in the whole video. The commentary under the YouTube version perhaps gives an explanation- the photographer suggests that donations be directed to a Church of Christ appeal, and asks for prayer. I wonder if these wholesome young people are working in an office associated with the church? I can only assume that the video was shot from the back windows of the office, hence their only vague concern about their own cars ‘out the front’. While their commentary is rather awe-struck and banal, it’s better than a string of expletives and OMGs.
I never keep my New Years Resolutions. Each year I say that I will exercise more, lose weight, and work harder on my thesis instead of blogging (hmmm…..). But perhaps this year I will really try to swear less. It’s very unattractive; I don’t like listening to it from other people and I’d like to really work on it.
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 
Great post RJ. I thought too that the commentary on that video was amazingly low-key but I didn’t think about the lack of swearing. You’re right though.
LOL re resolutions. I’m not much good at them, either so don’t usually make them. This year’s was that I WILL use handkerchiefs not tissues but while I have a hanky now in my handbag I haven’t made great inroads into my normal practice.
A tissue is better than a sleeve though! lol
I was impressed with the restraint shown on the video, too.
Aspie teen’s (disabled) footy club has a swear jar which pays for the end-of-season bbq… officially it’s $1 per transgression but in reality it’s $2, and they had to garner outside funds to pay for end-of-year bbq last year as restraint had been the order of the day!
Well, that’s a good thing! They’ll have to think of another transgression to target now.