Well, I knew I was going to be a dissenting view as soon as I opened the thread, oh well.
The fact is that as a frequent user of language (I use it almost every day in fact) there is a simple rule I go by:
know your audience. If you
know that your audience is comfortable with a certain level of what some people consider "vulgarity" then it is my stern belief that there is no issue with it. The fact is language is used as a communication tool, if expletives are part of that communication then I really feel that people should lay off the "language police".
As for GP: Degrading another team is in NO WAY IN THE SPIRIT OF FIRST. Whether it is using expletives, swear words, or fine Shakespearean sonnets the fact is that being an jerk is being a jerk, no matter how you look at it.
Now for the media: It is another strong belief of mine that you should always put your best foot forward. Meaning that if I was doing a sponsorship presentation I would speak differently then if I was hanging out with my friends. The same goes for the media. Portray FIRST in the best light possible, if this would require you to tone down your language then you need to due so in the interest of the FIRST community at large.
The most common mistake new stand up comics make is that they don't know their audience. They do not know the comfort level of who they are speaking to, and therefore put off their audience. The same goes for any communication, vocal or otherwise.
Hopefully we all speak here to be understood, not just to run our mouths
.
If you wish to respond to the content of this post I greatly appreciate it, I love other views; but remember, use your words for
communication, not degradation.
