How will you explain Kerry's use of F word to the children?

[MIMStigator]

I dread discussing it with my kid so much I think i'm going to just give him up for adoption.

[asjr]

1. Do you mean

there are still children out there who have not heard the word?

[Endangered Specie]

2. Just tell him its only used to describe lousy presidents

.

[The Zanti Regent]

65. ...and lousy candidates

Toss in the chips along with your pink tutu, Kerry. You're toast.

[JailBush]

3. I assume you're joking.

If you're really that traumatized, then you better not tell your kid that President George W. Bush called a reporter an as*hole, either.

But if you want to tell him that thousands of people have been maimed and killed by Bush's regime, that's perfectly kocer.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. Is this flame bait or is there a real point to this thread?

[NJCher]

5. now come on

You can't see the humor in that? I laughed as soon as I read it.


Cher

[southerngirlwriter]

6. I will say....

Dear Child,

Some people are liars. They pretend they don't think what they really think, and that they don't feel what they really feel.

Some people are truth-tellers. If they feel very angry, they express it. Sometimes, that anger can sound harsh and ugly. That's okay -- anger is poison, it's much better to spit it out than to swallow it. Mr. Kerry was angry, and he said a word that I don't want you to use. It's not bad to say that word, but it's sort of like driving a car or getting a tattoo -- it's okay for grownups, but not kids. Do you understand?

If child understands, give them a hug and move on to something else.

If child doesn't understand, keep talking until they do, then give them a hug and move on to something else.

[MIMStigator]

9. what if he asks if Mr. Bush is really a F- up?

do I lie and say no?

[southerngirlwriter]

10. That's an opinion question.

So, you say, "I believe he is" if you believe he is and "I believe he isn't" if you believe he isn't.

[Guaranteed]

13. Just for the record, Kerry didn't

call Bush a "fuck up" (although he most certainly is)....he said that Bush "fucked up," (which he MOST certainly did)....he only used the term while referring to what Bush did. He didn't name call....so...

I don't know if any of that matters. ;) I just don't want lurking freepers to get the wrong idea.

[duhneece]

45. Name calling

I DO see a huge difference in labeling a person versus labeling what that person did. I always felt it was wrong to say, "you're a bad boy"...that it was right to say, "what you did is bad."
When Bush is taking innocent lives, mass-murdering and lying to the US public, Kerry is right to be so upset as to use the phrase,"...he fucked up." I can explain to my children and grandchildren that there is an appropriate time and place to use such strong words.

[DemBones DemBones]

32. Southerngirlwriter, you make me proud to be another GRITS!

Children have no problem understanding the "rules" about bad words.

Explaining to children why people hurt and even kill other people is the most difficult job for a parent.


Edit: fuckin' typo! :evilgrin:

[ComerPerro]

7. Hmm

Well, I figure it is along the same lines as explaining to your children why Bush used cocaine and was an alcoholic.

[sistersofmercy]

8. So don't or does your child read Rolling Stone?

[AngryAmish]

11. I believe I detect sarcasm.

(And bad spelling)

[PurityOfEssence]

12. Hey, Short Guy: even a fucking stoic gets carried away at times

This hereditary nobody in the White House inspires all sorts of anti-social behavior. The only way we're going to tidy up this world is to send him packing.

The world's going to sulfurous hell in a goddam handbasket and the goody-two shoes are out swooning over profanity. O, woe is them.

Surely the Deanies will allow Kerry a break or two for letting his mouth run on ahead of him...

[ClassWarrior]

14. Honey...

See? Daddy's not the only one who uses those words when he's angry.

Yes, Senator Kerry owes a quarter to the swear jar.

[Left Wing Democrat]

15. The F Word

Tell your children that it was a calculated effort by a candidate who is slipping in the polls, to appeal to younger voters. Unfortunately, such a tactic is usually a sign of desperation. The candidate will now have to deal with the issue of his "character" instead of the real issues for the next couple of weeks.

[bobbieinok]

21. ?????????????? act of desperation by a failing candidate???????????

......

[sistersofmercy]

28. Oh

what-fucking-ever! Yes, I put a quarter in the potty-mouth jar!
But welcome to DU anyway :hi:

[Egnever]

29. Ding Ding Ding

We have a winer! :party: :toast: :party:

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:


:yourock:

[NegSpin]

16. Andy Card Goes After Kerry

I saw Andy Card interviewed by Wolf Blitzer today. It seems that John Kerry's use of a certain four-letter word starting with F offended him!

Here is the relevant part of the transcript from CNN:

BLITZER: A couple of political questions before I let you go. John Kerry, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, your home state, running for the Democratic nomination, in a new issue of Rolling Stone magazine says this: "When I voted for the war, I voted for what I thought was best for the country." He then goes on to say, "Did I expect George Bush to f*** it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did."

I'm anxious to get your reaction to that.

CARD: Well, I've known John Kerry for a long time, and I'm very disappointed that he would use that kind of language. That's beneath John Kerry, and I'm disappointed that he did it.

NickC at DailyKos says, "Andy Card has a problem with this quote, because he believes it was wrong of Kerry to use profanity. I kind of laughed about it, because everyone has used the word fuck several times in our lives, but politics has to be so cut and dry that when a candidate says it, it's demoralizing."

But I wonder if Andy Card has a problem with language when Bush uses it and if he is so "very disappointed" on those occasions.

What about Tucker Carlson's Talk magazine interview with Bush in the September 1999 issue, where we find these quotes?:

In front of staff, Bush stood up, grabbed Bullock by the shoulders, pulled him forward, and kissed him. "If you're going to fuck me," Bush said, "you'll have to kiss me first."

"They think it's like a high school election, where if you beat up your opponent enough you can win. They've lost their fucking minds." -- Bush

Bush enjoys saying what he thinks, and seems liable to at any moment. No presidential candidate can afford to be too candid -- "He used to say 'fuck' a lot more before this all started," says one of his advisers -- but after five years as governor Bush still has the capacity to surprise.

Bush doesn't even wait for me to finish the question. "I don't care. I really don't care. Does anyone ever say 'Fuck you'? I don't care if they do," he barks.

So, let Andy Card criticize THOSE quotes if he has something to say!

[fujiyama]

27. How's this?

Fuck Andy Card!

[newyawker99]

35. Hi NegSpin!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[kskiska]

50. Andy had better stay out of Karl's office

if he's offended at bad words.

[Zero Gravitas]

63. Well Bush* is a worthless weasel

so saying "fuck" is not beneath him. Card says that Kerry is a classy fellow and that using profane language is beneath him. He may have a point, but when it comes to describing a classless incompetent boob like Bush*, that sort of language is appropriate.

[Liberal Veteran]

17. Crap....just tell him that Kerry said that word he hears when watching...

...The Sopranos.

[AP]

18. Tell them it's the thing Clinton DIDN"T do with Lewinsky.

Right?

[sistersofmercy]

20. ROFL! AP...

you are one of a kind!

[LoZoccolo]

19. "Fuck" means "to beat against".

I'm serious.

Pretty benign, iddn't it?

[Old and In the Way]

25. From Merriam-Webster

Main Entry: fuck up
Function: verb
Date: 1951
intransitive senses usually vulgar : to act foolishly or stupidly : BLUNDER
transitive senses, usually vulgar : to ruin or spoil especially through stupidity or carelessness : BUNGLE

I think that Kerry chose the correct verb to explain the governing results of this unelected administration.

Maybe next time the SCOTUS will reconsider that maybe the collective wisdom of the majority might be why we've became the country we were, prior to 2000.

[LoZoccolo]

26. Sorry I should have mentioned...

...that that was the meaning like five hundred years ago or something.

[Old and In the Way]

22. Bush has fucked things up.

Personally, I can't think of a better, more succint way of explaining the Bush junta's management of our domestic economy and international relations.

[mikehiggins]

23. Tell him the Senator heard it on the school bus. He'll understand n/t

[Ellen Forradalom]

24. "He talks like Mommy does when she's mad."

He'll understand.

[Fleshdancer]

30. ROFLMAO!

I haven't read the responses to this thread yet...I'm laughing too damn hard. That has to be the funniest response I've ever seen to a typical "what do I tell my children?" nonsense.

I hope you don't mind, but I'm stealing this one.

Oh, and for the record, I support Kerry 100% on this. We're all thinking exactly (if not worse) what he said...don't shoot the messenger.

[killbotfactory]

31. Adults use language like that.

Especially when pissed.

I'm sure the current president could offer up several examples.

[Gringo]

53. No. Adults know WHEN to use language like that.

An interview on the presidential campaign trail is NOT a clever place to employ the word "fuck".

[maggrwaggr]

33. if he's old enough to read Rolling Stone I think he can handle it

If he's not, what the fuck are you letting him read Rolling Stone for?

[FDRrocks]

34. Kids don't vote...

They dont really give a shit about politics. WTF is the point of this discussion.

[0007]

36. Ignorance begets ignorance -Violence begets more violence

Watch South Park!

[sendero]

37. the same way I explain..

... things like that to my kids. Grownups are allowed to use profanity, kids are not. Largely because grownups are able to (mostly) judge the appropriateness of using it in a given situation and kids are not.

I'm no Kerry fan, but I'm not about to fault him for this.

[moz4prez]

38. why do you have to mention it in the first place?

[Bridget Burke]

39. Teach your child the time-honored military terms:

SNAFU & FUBAR

These useful words get the point across without setting off the "F-word" alarm!

[OldSoldier]

40. "You know that bad word...

daddy used when he put a hole in the living room window with a hammer? And then he used it again when you couldn't go to Scout camp because the new window cost us $1900. You remember that, don't you, son?"

'Yes, daddy.'

"And you know mommy used the same bad word when she dropped the Thanksgiving turkey on the floor, the dog ate it and we had to buy salami at the gas station to feed to fifteen relatives."

'Yes, daddy.'

"Well, there's a man who lives in the White House without the permission of the people. And he started a war that killed thousands of children and hundreds of the soldiers who protected us. One of the men who voted to let him start this war said a bad thing about how the man has run his war. And I don't want you using that word. Do you understand?"

'Yes, daddy.'

This only works if your son is three or under. For children up to nine, this works better:

"Son, if you say that word Senator Kerry used to describe Bush's handling of the war, I'll turn you over my knee."

Now, for children older than ten, this is better:

"Son, you remember John Kerry said Bush fucked up the handling of the war?"

"Yes, dad."

"He was right, wasn't he?"

"Yes, dad."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

41. If the little types aren't aware of the "F" word by age 7

they're living in a bubble. I'm certainly not a Kerry supporter, but this "controversy" is purely a RW media invention. But, it will play well with the more backward members of the electorate.

[Gringo]

55. That's not the point.

Of course most kids know the word. But they might wonder why a man who wants to be PRESIDENT is using a word their parents have taught them NEVER to use because it's impolite. My kids don't use profanity around adults, and hopefully don't use it gratuitously around other kids. The problem is that Kerry doesn't seem to know about when and where it is appropriate to curse.

[leesa]

42. Funny, I keep wondering why we never hear the infamous propaganda

question: "What will we tell the children?" being asked about our Resident launching two unprovoked wars against sovereign nations and killing tens of thousands of innocent people in the process.

How will we explain THAT and the American lack of concern about it to our children??

[UTUSN]

43. Children Should Not Be Privy to Adult Things n/t

[Lefta Dissenter]

44. OK, my kids laughed

but they're 22 and 19. I would tell my little child that "I agree with Senator Kerry, but would have chosen to use a different word, and he should have his mouth washed out with soap."

My daughter's riding instructor just told me (privately) that my daughter needs to learn to say "Fuck" more often and with better emphasis. I guess he thinks she holds things in. Now, he hasn't heard her when she's away from me, when she probably says it just fine.

By the way, my kids also thought it was just great when Clark said that Rush Limbaugh was "full of shit." Now we don't do a lot of swearing in this household, but there are some situations or people that just drive you to it!

[ecstatic]

46. shit happens

:-)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

47. If your child is older than seven and has yet to hear the word being...

...used on television, in the movies, by other adults, or by some other kids at school, your kid must lead an incredibly sheltered life.

It's a "brave new world", and the media has been a major part of making a change for the worse.

[SoCalDem]

48. Ask 100 twelve year olds who John Kerry even IS

and most will probably ask "Is he with a Band"?.. "Is he on Survivor"?..Is he on "The Bachelor"?..

"kids" probably use the "f" words a hundred time more than adults anyway..

Should he have used the word?? probably not.. Did he use it to show he was "hip to the kids' lingo".. maybe..

Does it even matter??..nope

The phony "so-sweet-it-would-melt-in-your-mouth" language that the professional politicians use with each other and on tv, is nauseating at best.. We all know they hate each other's guts and would probably hire a few hitmen if they thought they could get away with it :evilgrin:

[ibegurpard]

49. Don't have a child

And if I did, I assume that he/she, were he/she old enough to be reading Rolling Stone, wouldn't need anything explained.

[John_H]

51. I just said, "OK fuckers, its time to talk about John Kerry's use

of the F word"

[Gringo]

52. I teach my kids exactly what curse words mean,

and then teach them that it's not polite to use them most of the time. What's okay with your friends is not okay in a job interview. The election campaign is a protracted job interview, and Kerry showed astonishingly poor judgement in KNOWINGLY cursing on camera. I'm no prude, but cursing all the time in polite conversation is really low-class, and very inconsiderate of the people to whom one is speaking.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

54. same way you explain Uncle Charlie's use of the F-word?

Much ado about nothing - good for Kerry for telling it like it is. Americans will appreciate his candor, even if it was a bit crude.

[LeinesRed]

56. Simply explain that Mr Kerry was wrong

He should have said that the President "Really F*ucked Up"

[buddhamama]

57. lmao !

relax people--jeez. my son has heard me slip before. i don't normally use that language, and he knows it. he also knows it only comes out when i am very upset. people have a right to be upset, including Kerry.

[truthspeaker]

58. here's what I would say to my kids (if I had any)

Children, that man on TV said the situation in Iraq is fucked up. He's right. It's fucked up because our president is a lying sack of shit who is just a figurehead for a group of power-hungry war-mongering assholes.

[Paxton_Free]

59. You say...

"Well son/daughter, when you fucking fuck up a country as much as this fuck head did, people start to lose their cool in the national media."

easy.

[BigMcLargehuge]

60. How will you explain Santa Claus' use of the F-word to children

that's what I want to know.

[welshTerrier2]

61. Tell Your Children

that it's OK to use profanity when commenting on fucking war crimes committed by a bunch of fucking criminals in the white house ...

the world can be a very ugly place ... i would suggest to you that you should be far more concerned about the endless stream of obscenities committed by bush and his buddies than about the use of a "naughty" word ...

get your priorities straight ...

[JVS]

62. Tell them that sometimes when you fuck up your chance at the nomination...

by voting for a fucking war that you should have fucking known would be fucked up by the fuckwad in cheif and his fucking fucks, that you have to fucking flail about and try to get some fucking attention by doing drastic fucking things that will cause a fucking controversy and get you some fucking publicity. Or you could just realize that you fucked up and withdraw from the race.

[eissa]

64. I fucking hate it

when those fucking politicians use the those fucking swear words; it's fucking rude!

Not an issue -- Kerry was 100% correct. And if my child is that interested in politics at such a young age (instead of trash reality tv or what Britney is wearing), I will be elated.

[bobbyboucher]

66. What dribble.

Does your kid read Rolling Stone?

If you discuss this with your kid you're nuts. How fucking trivial.