You may not have heard, but Joe Biden is a big fucking deal.
The vice president’s word faux pas has become bigger news than the healthcare bill that created his verbal exuberance.
Biden made a poor choice, but I doubt most of the viewing public was listening with virgin ears. It’s certainly not Biden’s first public diarrhea of the mouth.
President Barack Obama also has experienced a few slips of the tongue during his early days in office, with perhaps the most memorable being when he called Kanye West a “jackass” for his treatment of Taylor Swift at the VMAs.
Is healthcare reform a big fucking deal? Absolutely. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s a big deal.
Was Kanye West acting like a jackass? Jackass probably is kind.
Is the profanity necessary? Of course not. I have explained these word choices to my children by saying “these words are words that people use when they’re not smart enough to use real words.” But word choices are exactly that – choices.
Perhaps the real question we should ask is why this has become a focus of attention during an important time in our nation when at least a portion of the population still doesn’t know what’s included in the bill.
Shouldn’t these subjects be the overwhelming news agenda?
Furthermore, if the media are going to focus on this aspect of the story, shouldn’t they at least be willing to report the words involved in the news they’re attempting to tell? I’ve seen “Biden drops the f-bomb” Biden says **** on national television,” etc. Are these words truly offensive in this century? Should the media report on something that they’re unwilling to repeat or, in the CNN clip above, even show on a computer screen?
Instead of studying up on what the healthcare bill means and using critical thinking to determine if we support it or not, many, including the media, are looking to the easy source of infotainment.
Will the healthcare bill fund washing Joe Biden’s mouth out with soap? Now that could make for some good headlines.
