Profanity has Prospered

My mother, a former high school English teacher, said cussing indicated a limited vocabulary. I never heard her swear.

Dad, on the other hand, did swear on occasion, although not in mixed company, and there were certain words and phrases he never used or tolerated from me. I remember being knocked on my butt once after using the Lord’s name in vain.

Profanity, however, has prospered since their passing. To a lot of folks, there’s rarely any polite company these days around which it’s improper to swear.

I’m partly to blame. I would argue with Mom, were she still here, that certain profane words...