As you know, Lindsay, it was me who asked you to make the change in a humor story for One Minute Wit. But I truly hope you don’t think I was reprimanding you. I was just asking you to change “smells like shit” to “smells like poop” in a cute humor story about a dog where the language seemed harsh to me.

I realize “family friendly” is a ridiculous, almost meaningless term, and every family is different. And I should have explained it better, instead of going the lazy route and using the term “family friendly”, but I want anyone (like my mother) to be able to read One Minute Wit without seeing F-bombs or other stronger swear words.

When I started One Minute Wit, I decided I wanted it to be different than the other humor publication where politics, sex, and swearing are commonplace. I chose a different way. A lighthearted, silly way. I have allowed swear words on One Minute Wit, but there are some that I simply don’t want to read in my publication.

I worked for 28 years in a blue collar job loading airplanes. There is literally nothing I haven’t heard or that will shock me. I am immune. But that doesn’t mean I want to hear (or read) it all of the time.

If a character in a novel swears, I have no problem with it. But if someone is writing an essay about writing and they say, “Outlining is a F-ing pain”, it weakens the essay for me. I will probably quit reading it. It may be the writer’s natural voice, but it seems out of place in an instructional essay to me.

We probably all know someone who puts “f-ing” before every verb and noun in every sentence. It looses all effect and just gets tiring to me.

Yes, swearing can be very funny. Most comedians swear. And, yes, clean humor is harder to write, but I prefer it. It is my personal choice for my publication.

I hope I have explained myself a little better than in my private message.

🙂💚