TV language

I readily admit to being a tad bit old-fashioned in many ways. For example, my taste in comedy leans more toward Jonathan Winters and Tim Conway than Chris Rock. If that doesn't date me, nothing will.

While watching some nameless comedian on one of those silly channels this week, I noticed something that I've noticed countless times before. This time for some strange reason, it bothered me more than usual. The comedian in question was using more than his share of curse words -- which, unfortunately, is our current definition of comedy more often than not. No prude am I. I know the meanings of each dirty word spoken.

But here's what puzzled me. The television censors allowed taking the Lord's name in vain repeatedly but bleeped words like BS -- as in what a bull might do in the field.

So let me get this right. We can damn the name of God but must be protected from using slang words for bodily functions?

As one with a growing libertarian streak, I have no interest in any level of government imposing its will on my actions. Yet I fully recognize this intervention is necessary in a society of order.

But who made the clever decision that taking the Lord's name in vain is acceptable? And on what stilted thinking was this decision based?

It's our court system that determines what language is acceptable. The Federal Communications Commission will rule on language, and eventually that decision will make its way to the courts. Once those decisions are carved in stone, society accepts the rules.

I thump no Bibles, mind you. And I pepper my speech with enough colorful language to make a sailor blush. But my rub concerns those who make decisions on which language is acceptable and which is not.

I don't believe society would be better served without any censorship. Some language carries meaning far beyond the simple words themselves. Offensive after all is a subjective term and some language is patently offensive.

If we remain a Christian nation -- despite the pronouncements of Obama -- then you would think that damning God would be high on our list of offensive words. If someone far into the future wants to determine just when the moral compass of this country went awry, they might possibly look at the issue of censorship and how it is applied in such a warped fashion.