Seven words you can never say on radio or television

["LAGOLD.US.ORACLE.COM" <LAGOLD -at- US -dot- ORACLE -dot- COM>]

Around my day job (the tech writing one from which I'm sending this),
I hear the "George Carlin Seven" used quite frequently.

Granted, we don't put them into our documentation because it could easily
offend a customer or two (or three), but these words DO get used in
everyday conversation.

In my part-time weekend job as a traffic reporter on the radio, I don't
DARE use those words because someone could lose a job over it (the FCC
still has regulations).

What is and isn't "obscene" changes depending on where you are, who you're
with, and what you're doing.  There are occasions where a word might be
"safe" in situation "a" but not in situation "b."

As an example, back (WAAAAAY back ;-) ) when I was a senior in high school,
our English teacher decided to make one of our term papers due on a Monday
which happened to also be one of the Jewish high holy days.  He also announced
there'd be a penalty for any student who turned in a late paper.

When about 20% of us approached this teacher and explained that we would not
be in school the day the paper was due, he insisted we turn it in Friday, thus
causing us to have a whole weekend less to do OUR papers than the rest of the
student population.  He also made a few anti-semitic remarks in the process.

We then complained a few levels above him and got the deadline moved to
Tuesday for everyone.

Meanwhile, my advisor had only heard that the Jewish students had protested
and had heard the nasty remarks made about us by this teacher.  During my
weekly meeting with this advisor, he said to me, rather antagonistically,
"Mr. Cooper says you've told him you're not going to turn your paper in on
time."

I replied, "Mr. Cooper is full of crap."  (Hey, I was 17!)

My advisor snapped back, "I don't want you talking that way to a gentleman."

Taken aback by this, I calmly responded, "Let me rephrase that.  Mr. Cooper
is full of dung."

Again, my advisor snapped back, "I don't want you talking that way to a
gentleman."

I wasn't sure WHAT to do at this point, so I said, "Let's try this again.
Mr. Cooper is full of manure."

AGAIN, my advisor snapped back, "I don't want you talking that way to a
gentleman."

At this point, I gave up.

I've also had to deal with a college infirmary nurse who didn't feel it was
proper to use ANY word, no matter HOW innocuous (sugar, phrygian, shoot),
in lieu of an Anglo-Saxon expletive.

--Lynn
lagold -at- us -dot- oracle -dot- com