NPR apparently had a story recently where a reporter asked an Army Corps of Engineer representative, “You hear people who are really pissed at the Corps. What do you say to those people?”
Some listeners were outraged. (Scroll to “Getting Angry At the Army Corps of Engineers.”)
I’m not, but I do think it’s an example of impolite language that shouldn’t be part of a public discussion. Of course, I use it all the time. So do my late-teen and early-20 children. I used to correct them when they were younger. Now, I suggest they not use it in a job interview or in a paper they’re writing.
It’s all about the coarsening of public debate, and yes, it is a “morals” issue or a “value” issue, Dems ought to accept, rather than suggest people who complain about such language are prudes.