:: Cunning Stunts... ::

So farewell, then, Johnny Rotten. 28 years since harrassing Bill Grundy with multiple "fucks" at tea time, the nation is a bunch of "fucking cunts" for not voting you off a silly reality TV show. Storming out of the sanitised jungle settlement to shack up in some luxury hotel, Mr Lydon has left eager columnists faux-scandalised and gleefully rubbing their hands at the material on offer.

Few have mentioned that only 100 or so of the 11 million primetime audience bothered to complain about his use of the rudest word in the language. In today's Grauniad, Mark Lawson wonders if swearing is losing its bite. I'm inclined to agree that many words which used to shock have little such value in modern parlance. However, as is frequently pointed out, it is racist, anti-religious and homophobic jibes which form today's publicly unacceptable lexis. The BBC's collection of interviews on the subject reminded me of the range of usage and opinions around. The religious, who may find blasphemy offensive, strike me as justified in their misgivings. However, the rise of casual obscenity in everyday life is such that it seems pointless to shield children from the literal or inferred meaning of rude words. It is important to assimilate the sense and context of words to assess their suitability for use. That words exist as expletives is a good thing; that bad language may be used to demean, denigrate and defame is more unsettling.

Still on the subject of acceptability, the Janet Jackson Boob-Flash is preoccupying the internet's chatterers and voyeurs. This euphemistically described "wardrobe malfunction" has invoked more American puritan ire than Judy Finnigan's tit-dangle a couple of years ago in the UK. This article mocks the hypocrisy of the situation - how can a country whose marketing relies on sex and innuendo claim to be so outraged at the momentary (and "accidental") baring of a breast?

Another paradox is revealed in this article from yesterday: Bill Gates plans to give away £28bn to charitable causes. This garnered him a controversial honorary knighthood last year, but I'm intrigued by his claims to want little influence over the recipients of his philanthropy...

Finally, reports are not emerging that there was "no failure of intelligence" in the build up to the Iraq War. The US and UK seem justto have wilfully ignored the advice that Saddam was a minor threat to the world. It's enough to make you want to swear, isn't it?

Oh well, if you really feel like spouting off, here's a handy guide to multilingual rudeness.

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