A Linguistic Hypothesis

When I was living in Korea, I learned how to swear. And I don’t mean how to swear in Korean. I mean how to sound like a sailor in my own language without even thinking about it. (I tend to pick up words, phrases, and accents fairly unconsciously, and I had some articulate, creative, potty-mouthed co-workers). Anyway, when I came back to Canada and my brother made some kind of comment about how I should learn to sound more professional, I knew I had a problem. And I’ve made significant progress, although sometimes I still do shake my head at my own vocabulary.

However, tonight I walked past a mall and heard someone say to another: “Why d’ya leave me in there, ya f-----g douchebag?” They laughed and I realized that they were actually friends, despite the language that I found a bit - ah, shocking.

But as I walked away, I thought to myself: In 50 years’ time, “ya f-----g douchebag” might just sound … quaint, like “jeez” or “cripes”.

My friend Jamie and I now have a deal to test out this theory. She’s going to visit me when I’m in the nursing home and call me “ya f-----g douchebag” and we’ll see whether anyone notices.

I’ll keep you posted as to what happens. :)