In Recognition Of 'That' Word...

...Y'know, the one that rhymes with punt, and shunt!

One of today's tea-break talk-abouts will, undoubtedly, be John Lydon's expletive explosion on last nights "I'm a sleb, get me out of here".

"Shock, horror, run for the ear syringe.... he used the 'C' word!!!"

How has that word managed to remain so offensively unacceptable for so long? It's only a word; one, tiny, inoffensive syllable, four perfectly clean living letters!

During my schooldays, the words that rhyme with 'buck', 'sucked' and 'chucking' were subjected to equal discrimination. Come to that, so were those that sound like 'yank(er)(ing)', 'rowlocks' and 'mastered'. However, as attitudes have immatured, they have, one by one, lost their shock status and been recognised as acceptable profanities; suitable for the ears of the nation. In fact, the very program in question has aired countless 'buck/sucked/chucking' soundalikes during it's week of jungle japes and jollities.

So, why does a simple mutation of runt, cause such uproar and scandal? There's no other word, and never likely to be one, that commands such a public reaction. There's no other word, and never likely to be one, that registers so clearly with it's recipient. There's no other word, and never likely to be one, that forces media bosses to issue public apologies.

All these years on, and that word still does what it set out to do.

You have to take your hat off to it, don't you?