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Depending on where you are, you may expect to hear explicit and sometimes inappropriate language.
It can slip out when someone develops a case of road rage or screamed during an intense argument.
But one place you are not likely to hear those choice words is on live national television.
That is until NBC captured the conversation between Shaun White and his coach, Bud Keene, before White made his victory lap winning the gold medal in the men’s half pipe at the Olympics in Vancouver.
Shaun White was practically guaranteed the win since no one had beaten his score from the first round.
White and Keene conversed before the run and this was when the f-bomb was dropped not once, but twice.
Censoring may have stopped the incident from becoming an issue, but problems arose when NBC cameras caught it on the microphone during a live broadcast.
When you caught the televised conversation between the coach and athlete would determine what you were actually able to hear.
Those watching the Olympics on the West Coast with the delayed airtime only heard a mumbled version of the explicative, while those on the East Coast heard the whole uncensored thing.
Although a few have asked if Coach Keene should apologize for his language, the majority who have witnessed the situation in its entirety had no problem with the conversation being caught on camera.
In fact, the initial reaction of those who heard about the conversation viewed the pep talk on live television as a mistake on NBC’s part.
Maybe NBC should have expected it.
Considering the station clipped microphones on the snow boarders, who wouldn’t?
Anyone complaining about the language should probably take it up with the FCC for not taking care of the problem, instead of pointing the finger at a coach who was just using his own expressive language during an exciting event.
The use of profanity in media and public has somehow taken a front seat of hot topics and even landed in the hands of the California State Assembly and Senate.
A resolution that would establish the first week of March as “Cuss-Free Week” arose after a South Pasadena teenager started a No Cussing Club at his junior high school in 2007.
The student started the club after claiming to observe a link between using foul language, drug use and bullying.
The emphasis on appropriate language seems to be taking up too much time and energy, especially since our government is getting involved.
There are more important things that need time and attention from our leaders.
Unemployment, health care, education, natural disasters and other dominating crises are upon us.
The fact that Cuss-Free Week is a resolution put before the senate makes me want to put a couple of those inappropriate words to good use.
Leave the language alone and focus on the f***ing issues.
Reach the authors at: opinion@thepolypost.com
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