It may be still be too blue for English speakers, but authorities in Canada have ruled that the word “f*ck” is no longer taboo on French language broadcasts as its use is so commonplace.
The Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council (CBSC) had previously classified the word as being suitable only for adults in both French and English, banning its use on radio and television to beyond the evening watershed and even then, only with a warning.
But after complaints from listeners that the French-language Montreal radio station CKOI-FM had twice aired clips with the word this year, it changed its mind in a ruling released Wednesday.
The CBSC agreed with the station’s argument that “f*ck” was now “part of the common French spoken language” and therefore does not have “the same vulgar connotations when used in French.” from The Guardian.
In days of yore, when mouths were clean,
Bad words were kept in the latrine.
Decorum then was recognized
As something that was civilized.
Today, at least in Gallic tongue,
Bad words are spread like garden dung.
The F-word is so common that
Its use is thought of as old hat.
Pardon me, but this ain’t news
To chase away my morning blues.
I wonder how the French would cope
With washing out their mouths with soap?