Apparently the ad wizards over at The Oregonian saw another reminder about their dying industry and needed some click bait to get web traffic up.
This "article" summarizes the recent hullabaloo around something a guest columnist from Clownville posted to The O's site.
This is nothing new. Recall, if you will, this gem from 2009. (Apologies for linking to a Canzano piece, but honestly...he's not the problem here.)
The Timbers Army has been dealing with more than its fair share of Flanders families in recent memory, and will likely continue to do so over the foreseeable future.
As a parent of a 1-year-old girl, I finally feel justified in engaging with this topic. I stand within the parent outpost known as Del Boca Vista (a.k.a. section 208) of the North End at Timbers matches. When I'm able to make it (read: when the kid allows) to a match, I'm surrounded by other parents, many of whom bring their kids along. All of these kids range from infant to teenagers.
We bring our kids because we feel 100% comfortable doing so. We feel that way because we are among friends and professionals who know how to conduct themselves accordingly. It's the rare individual who makes an arse of him/herself. If that happens, they are asked to leave before security even steps in. We police our own, and we're better for it.
When it comes to curse words, I hate to break it to Mr. Mancini, but it's nothing your kids haven't already heard. I don't know your kids, but I'm willing to bet a large amount of my annual income on them having heard a curse word in their short time on this earth. It's a fact of life. It's YOUR job as the parent to explain to them the reason why you may not want them repeating such words.
I try not to curse around my kid. But I'm not so ignorant to think she'll never hear me curse, or that she'll be a teenager in high school and not use those words herself. I'll be proud if she doesn't use them, but I won't condemn her if she does. They can be a crutch, used for cheap laughs. Jerry Seinfeld has a great reason behind why he doesn't curse on stage. (Warning: this clip has cursing in it.)
My approach will be to actually have a conversation with her, explaining why curse words are cheap, and that she will sound smarter without using them. Then, when she's an adult, we'll go to a Seth Rogen film festival and LOLZ all over this scene from 'Observe and Report.' (Warning: that 1:51 clip has more cursing in it than all of 'Scarface.')
Bad words happen. I'm not proud of using them, but it's who I am. You can decide to like me because of it, or not. If not, you're free to carry on about your business.
Mr. Mancini, nobody held a gun to your head forcing you to take some kids to Starfire last week. (Lord knows that's what it would take to get me back there.) If you're not dad enough to talk to your kids about what they just heard, perhaps you should've just gone to church that night. Nothing scandalous ever happens there.
This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the TA.
