F is for F-bomb

Day 6 of the April A to Z Challenge so it is time for a topic starting with F.

What is it with the younger generation that causes them to make such frequent use of the F-bomb and other profanity?

I mean, I'm no prude. I've been around enough military and ex-military types to be able to cuss like a sailor, marine, army or air force guy and maybe even give them a few lessons. But I don't do it in public and I don't write it except for fiction when it is called for.

My public display of my profanity proficiency is pretty much limited to a rare damn, hell or Oh shit!

In private, I do let go once in a while. For instance: I always called a spade a spade until I hit my toe with one the other day.

One guy on the net goes overboard with F-bombs, in my humble opinion. Paul Carr is an excellent writer, but he is stuck on the profane shock-jock type of writing. In moderation, it would (maybe) be okay, but he overdoes it. Like a parrot that has been taught to cuss. He uses the F-bomb in his tweets. He used it all of the time in the two books that he has written. He used it in his TechCrunch items - which were even labeled NSFW (Not Safe For Work). He uses it on his new writing gig at Pando Daily. He uses it on the videos he makes. And, his new start-up in Vegas is even called NSFW Corp. and when you go to the site to sign up for the beta of his new publishing venture, the biggest word on the web page is the F-bomb.

Paul Carr's two books were about personal experiences of creating, running and getting kicked out of a publishing business and about his various escapades living strictly in hotels. (He found it cheaper to live in hotels than to rent an apartment with all of its utilities, etc.) Those experiences were really just one drunken foul-up after another. Funny, but sad too because you could see that he was living on the edge with alcohol. They are filled with F-bombs.

Paul wrote a small e-book last month and publicized the hell out of it. It is one of Amazon's singles. Is a fun read about how he managed to quit drinking without AA. And, he tells you the steps he took. Thankfully, he also is starting to show some restraint on using F-bombs. I did a search and only found two in the 45-minute read. Maybe, just maybe, sobriety is having a positive effect on his language.

I hope Paul puts the F-bomb out to pasture. As I used to tell my kids: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.