Interesting factoids.

Do you know why a gentleman held his cigarette aloft in a manner some might now term effeminate?

A gentleman would hold his cigarette between two fingers, his hand held aloft, to avoid annoying his company with the lingering smoke drifting into the parties faces.  Lifting the cigarette away from himself also helped avoid lingering smoke odor on his clothing and fingertips.  As he exhaled, he would tilt his head back while unobtrusively releasing the smoke into the airspace above the party, so as not to 'contaminate' the atmosphere.  Drama queens would do likewise, but with great flourish and extravagant gestures.

That's a load of crap.

Profanity online.

Should blogging Catholics watch their language?

Larry at Acts of the Apostasy asks that question after he came across a post by a Patheos blogger.  I didn't read the post he referred to - just what Larry had to say about it.  Obviously Larry doesn't read my blog, because I tend to use words like BS and a--h--- when some news item really irks me, or as my dad might say - burns my a--.  To be honest, I agree that is not the best use of language.

So anyway.  I remember a time when some bloggers used bad language all of the time and I actually wrote something about it myself.  Yup.  Back in the olden days I wrote:

I have wanted to comment on the fact that I've noticed Catholic bloggers using the F-word in various contexts within their posts, actually printing the word - I find that just a horrible word for a Catholic to deliberately use online or in private. Unfortunately, I've used, "effing" or "f-ing" on occasion when I've been passionate about an issue, but I usually come to my senses, realize what I've done and go back and remove it.

.

Very often our self-righteous anger is just that, self-righteous, while we remain smug, defending our rights, often unaware of the scandal we give.

Larry is right to suggest a higher standard for Catholic bloggers, and I'm going to try and do better.

BTW - I wrote about the matter within the context of something Archbishop Chaput wrote regarding letter and emails he received at the time:

The Archbishop also said this, "The left mail I get will use terrible words but be less vitriolic. They use the F-word and things like that, call me names like that. But the right is meaner, but they’re not as foul." - Archbishop Chaput

Read Larry's post here.  And watch your mouth you filthy animal.

I know that!

I didn't say that!

You said that!

I didn't say that,

you said that!

I knew that!