How can any grown adult use the term "potty-mouth" without cringing in embarassment?

["Dave Korn" <dave dot korn at artimi dot com>]

  Heh, I bet everybody just couldn't _wait_ for this thread to come back up, but
I've been off sick this week and couldn't muster sufficient vitriol for the
reply Gary so richly deserves... in the meantime, I'd just like to present this
little syllogism.


a)  The term "potty mouth" is a euphemism for "profanity" and/or "obscenity"
and/or "swearing".

b)  A euphemism is a word used in place of a word that would otherwise be
offensive, profane or obscene.

c)  The word "obscene" is not obscene.  The word "offensive" is not offensive.
The word "profane" is not profane.  The word "swear" is not a swearword.

d)  Therefore anyone who thinks that they need to be euphemized has committed a
fairly blatant category error: they confuse the map with the territory, or to
put it more directly, they act as if a map had to be made out of earth and rocks
and water and buildings and forests (and everything else that it depicts) at a
1:1 scale; as if the word "purple" must be coloured purple; or in this
particular case, as if they believe the word "obscene" itself is obscene.

e)  Therefore such a person has shown an inability to judge whether something is
obscene or not.

f)  Therefore their opinion on the obscenity or otherwise of anything else is
equally questionable.

g)  Therefore they are not fit to sit in judgement on the sensibilities of
others.

                Q.E.D.


    cheers, 
      DaveK
-- 
Can't think of a witty .sigline today....