Do not make a mountain out of a mouthful

I will never figure out America’s obsession with 'rude words'. Kids can take a toy gun and pretend to kill everyone in the vicinity but they will not be allowed to say “stupid”.
According to Dictionary.com, the word ‘stupid’ means lacking quickness, keenness of mind ; tediously dull; foolish; and even slang for terrific.

So what is rude? What if you really need to say someone did something really, well, stupid??? Would saying 'dull of mind' make it less hurtful? Would saying it in another language make it less malicious - if that is what the intention is? What if you say 'idiot' affectionately?

Words are cast out of polite lexicon only because some overzealous parents foolishly (stupidly?) think that stopping a child from saying things they consider impolite will actually make them behave better. Oh Please! Would you rather have someone who is justifiably angry yell out 'shut-up' or throw the vase at the wall??

Human beings are by nature emotional. And everyone needs to express those emotions. Sometimes a well-chosen word can diffuse built-up frustration, specially when its expressed spontaneously.

Children have not learnt the emotional intelligence required to control and redirect feelings - and they especially need to blurt out things. So let them say something 'not nice' once a in a while. It is better than having them go kick someone a few days later.

I am really frightened by parents who go pale at a 'get lost' but will happily hand their child a video game where the child goes about blasting an earthful of people. What mind games are they playing: 'Words are bad, use action'????!

Any word can be really mean if you intend it that way. When I was a child I would say 'Cherry Basket' under my breath when I really hated something or someone. It was me at my rudest, but would you think so if you heard it?

With people of all cultures and languages mingling in the melting pot of an increasingly smaller world, let us free language of our prejudices. One set of people may use 'stupid' more easily and with an entirely different connotation than you are used to. Do not make a mountain out of a mouthful.

Rudeness is not dependent on what we say, but how we say it and why. Words are never rude, we are.