I think I owe somebody an apology.
If you are a faithful reader of The Mercury, you likely noticed last week that I was called on the carpet for my "potty mouth." Apparently the adjectives I used in describing my disgust over the actions of a small handful of Estevan residents and, in particular, my using the big guy's name in vain, didn't sit so well with one discerning reader.
I have had time to think about my actions and, boy, is my face red. And truly, I do owe somebody an apology.
Now it was during a recent trip to and from Regina when I had time to think about who exactly that apology was owed to because, as the letter writer pointed out, there was a fairly wide range of people I offended with my "potty mouth."
Clergy members? Not so much. They've already got someone taking care of them supposedly. The elderly? A case could be made, I suppose, but after all these years they have heard far worse, I'm sure. The letter writer? I thought maybe, but then decided against it because, well if you read the letter you can likely guess why.
As I was driving by Macoun it dawned on me that the person, or persons, I should be apologizing to are all the four-year-olds that read the paper. I have to admit, when the writer astutely pointed out that four-year-olds read the paper, I was pretty shocked.
In this job we get calls from all over the city asking us to come and take a picture of a certain event. A couple of them have even come from the daycares and pre-schools. Not once did I notice any copies of the Merc lying around the play areas. I guess they had already finished reading it or, like good little kiddies they had just cleaned up after themselves.
I know a couple of four-year-olds and although I never saw them picking up the paper, one did ask me when the Highway 39 bypass was going to be built so that should have been my tipoff.
Clearly I wasn't paying attention and for that, I am truly sorry. At the age of four you shouldn't be subjected words such as bitch (although it was used in the context of bitch and moan), a-hole, damn, WTF (not really a word, I know) or freakin' (which is just a replacement for another word you know.)
You deserve a newspaper free of "adjectives" or my "potty mouth." While we are it, we will get rid of personality and colour and anything else that doesn't fit in a neat little box. You might as well get used to people telling you to think one particular way or believe what they believe. You've seen what happens when you step out of line.
So, again I apologize to all you four-year-olds out there who eagerly anticipate their Wednesday paper only to be inundated by my "potty mouth," (I thought that phrase went out in the '50s). I will continue to take this matter seriously and pledge to use far more appropriate language in the future.
