Several days ago in the tram someone swore, rather loudly, on the phone. It was at night and most people were on their way home from the office. No children were in sight. Yet, almost everyone turned to that man and looked momentarily before turning away. It was a clear message to that person that such behaviour was not acceptable. This, in a society which is increasingly tolerant of swearing in public.

I confess I love watching Gordon Ramsay on television. He swore like a seasoned sailor. I enjoy watching cook shows so I tend to look past the swearing, telling myself that is a fact of life. It was however, a big issue with Melbourne and most people were dismayed he was allowed to be screened during prime time.

Swearing in public is still frowned upon by most people, and well it should be. If you are young perhaps you get more leeway. If you are a fully grown adult, it becomes less acceptable. Unless of course, you are in places like the docks, the construction sites, or say, the fish market (where I spent over 5 years and picked up the nasty habit for a while). I still do, unfortunately. But I try to use as little of it as possible.