The other day I used the word wrath in a post and someone I know was deeply offended by it. I didn't mean to offend them with the use of that word. To me, I use that word all the time in a casual way. If you look back to May 17th, I used it in a post to describe my son. (I'm not linking to it because it's late and I'm tired... just go there if you want to see it)
Anyhow, this got me to thinking about how to some people a word can be very offensive where as to others it does not have the same meaning.
Take for instance "Shut Up." When I was growing up if I said that to my sister it was cause to get soap put in my mouth. However, I know other families where that word is used every day in the place of be quiet with never a second thought.
So, what are your trigger words? What things do other people say that they think are no big deal but you find rude or offensive? Are you able to look past the fact that it may just be you who has a problem with that word or are you always offended every time someone uses it?
Sunday, December 23, 2007
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7 comments:
You mean when Jake calls you and "asswhole" and it freakin hilarious? LOL
Yeah-- I am not a fan of "Shut Up" or any kind of "put downs" my in-laws tend to use some language to their kids that I don't like, but it is not my place to say anything.
Very little actually offends me. So long as I can see that something was said in humor, I'm pretty much okay with it.
(We too, weren't allowed to say "shut up" as kids.)
The other day I did something stupid (can't remember what now there were probably many things between then and now) and Shane laughed and called me a "duschbag" (how do you even spell that word). I laughed my ass off. First of all it has been forever since I have heard that word and secondly it caught me so off gaurd it was hilarious.
As we were traveling home we got behind this really stupid driver. Shane was road raging a little and when it was over he ended with a "duschbag". We both laughed again. I said "Now you realize if we had children in the back you couldn't talk like that" (meaning his whole roadraging issue) and he said "Well I could, I just couldn't use some of those words" and I said "Oh YEAH RIGHT....Your child comes up to you and said 'daddy duschbag' and that is just freakin dandy". We both laughed our butts off. I told you all we wouldn't be good parents!
LOL - :)
I was at a birthday party for a 7 year old this month. The mother was calling her youngest to come watch big sister open presents. She calls out "K" you hefer get over here. I was offended - I said "R, I'm sure there is something better that you could call her something better than that" She looked at me like I was nuts. My husband commented on the "cut down" being a Texas thing that it wasn't a big deal to anyone else...........so maybe that was just ME and my background.
I try to teach my kids that words are just words and that there is only good and bad usage. That said, I will not tolerate any name calling (Stupid Head is a favorite with them right now) nor do we tell each other to "Shut Up" in our house. I am perfectly okay with them calling objects (like computers, for example) stupid and they know words like "ass" or "shit" thanks to their Father and the fact that my philosophy on proper usage applies to even curse words. I will admit to a chuckle if they use a curse word appropriately (as in, "Dammit, Lily! You're getting water all over the bathroom floor - don't know where they heard that one :-) and other times I will just calmly say, "I don't want to listen to that yucky talk." Either way I never make it shockingly fun to use certain words and I ALWAYS question them, "What would happen if you said that at school? With your Grandma? At a friends house?"
I also, with my kids, try to emphasize that different people have different opinions/rules at their house/etc. and that there is no right or wrong just different viewpoints.
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