Thursday, February 27, 2020
What Did You Just Say?
We had very good first class service on American Airlines 1201, Boston to Miami, yesterday, and I was about to give the flight attendant a recognition certificate that some of us carry, enabling him to win prizes. But at the door, talking to a passenger ahead of me, he used a major profanity, easily heard by several of us. I realize that a lot of people would find that a minor issue or not even notice it. But I feel it’s classless and crude, especially from someone paid to deal with the public and represent his or her organization in that capacity.
I also think that people on social media who must use obscenities in place of normal adjectives and adverbs simply don’t have the vocabulary or intellect to find more powerful and nuanced words. Shock value seems to be the name of the game today, from music to book titles, from casual conversation to acceptance speeches.
Of course, the more people try to use shock language, the more boring it becomes.