Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Pardon My French…..

Interesting thing to say, isn’t it?

I heard that phrase in a meeting today.
“Pardon my French, but….#@!! $%!#*.”

I wonder why people say that. Does that imply that the French swear a lot? I can’t recall the French being known for their fowl language so much as for their cowardliness.

It seems I hear quite often that someone will say “Pardon my French” right before they say a swear word or two.

The Bible says that we are to be mindful of the words we use, and that we are to exercise self-control. So it seems to me that if you have given enough thought to what you would like to say in that you take the time to exclaim “Pardon my French”, that you could take an extra second or two and think of better words to use than something vulgar or offensive. Don’t you think?

Given the nature of the French government towards America’s war on terror and their willingness (or UN-willingness) to rise to the defense of those who could not defend themselves from tyrants, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say “Pardon my French” right before you try to avoid conflict, or get out of helping someone out of a jam.

Or, you could just turn tail and run away.

What do you think?

5 comments:

CrazyDeb said...

Amen! (and for those who don't know Amen means "truth). I totally agree with you. From one who used to turn the air blue with my bad language before coming back to a Christian lifestyle it's true that you just need to stop and think before you open your mouth. Thanks for this blog! It's a great reminder.

Dr.John said...

I'm with you on both counts.

my4kids said...

Amen I'm with you on both!
I never understood the pardon my french thing. My mom did that after saying sh*& once in awhile although rarely said even that word so it was actually funny to us when younger.

EE said...

I have a terrible potty mouth sometimes...I don't even bother prefacing it with that phrase:o
(Don't worry, I'm working on it)

Real Life in South Carolina said...

I'm like ee. *sigh* Working on it! (Nothing like having a 1 yr. old who likes to try out new words to convict a potty mouth mommy!)

Really though, it would make much more sense if we used the phrase in the context you suggested, wouldn't it?