Cover your ears!
Today, I went to a fun and well organized family event, Mini Zulu Rocks, in Denmark’s national sports stadium, Parken. Several thousand guests enjoyed a wide variety of good young musicians and entertainers. There were kids of all ages – even new-born babies whose ears were being carefully covered from the loud music by worried parents. My wife and I were there with our two kids of 6 and 10.
It was all great fun – that is until Anna David, a popular and talented Danish singer performed live her infamous song called “F*** you”. I guess, over the last year or so, I’ve got used to hearing this song on the radio. The offensive nature of it is diminished somewhat by radio hosts and guests who use English swear words without a second thought.
But there was something grotesque and disturbing about seeing people singing along to Anna David’s song – every last obscenity included. It wasn’t only the kids, but also parents. Do kids know that swearing like this is unacceptable in many social and professional environments? As kids develop their language abilities, both native and foreign, do parents tell them that this particular way of coloring the language should be used with great care?
I’ve been in too many situations, including business meetings, where English swear words have been uttered in inappropriate circumstances to feel confident that people know how important this is.
