It was certainly one of this year\u2019s more memorable Australian radio moments. For all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n
A high profile NRL (Australia\u2019s National Rugby League) player swore multiple times during a live interview with Triple M, immediately after his side blew a second half comeback to lose an important game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all right mate, honestly, f**k, it was shit in the first bit, just a hard game \u2026 f**k, we showed what we were about \u2026 but I\u2019m very happy, scored 100 tries so that\u2019s something to celebrate tonight. Yeah, everyone doesn\u2019t give a f**k, but anyways.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care if I\u2019m swearing boys, honestly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Online sporting sites joined the pile on: \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing when he knows kids are listening and he says he doesn\u2019t care that he\u2019s swearing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Others asked: How many small children would actually be listening to Triple M\u2019s NRL coverage at 10 o\u2019clock on a Thursday night?<\/p>\n 2GB Afternoons host Michael McLaren raised an interesting topic this week when he questioned whether swearing has lost its potency. Have we become so desensitised to it, that we now just accept it as part of our everyday speech?<\/p>\n McLaren says there was once a time where you\u2019d never swear within earshot of a stranger. But now it\u2019s a bit of a free-for-all, if a recent trip to his local shopping centre was any indication.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe how many people were just openly swearing as they went about their business, either chatting on the escalator or using the phone \u2013 you name it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cF-this, F-that, F-off, F-me, for F\u2019s sake, I\u2019ll be effed! And they were the jovial ones!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n McLaren notes that swearing can be effective and funny in some instances. Take Billy Connolly\u2019s brand of comedy, for example.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, the F-word, the S-word \u2013 let alone the old C-bomb \u2013 seem to weave their way into every second sentence you\u2019re going to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n Use of the F-bomb is so common in the podcasting realm, most of us would barely even notice it.<\/p>\n But imagine applying it to some of history\u2019s most famous quotes:<\/p>\n \u201cGod save the Queen, because nothing will save the f**king Governor General.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one small step for man, one giant f**king leap for mankind.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFrankly, my dear, I don\u2019t give a f**king damn.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Swearing on radio is regulated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and varies based on the context, time of broadcast, and the type of content in question.<\/p>\n A decade ago, a bunch of kids broke into a community radio station in Western Australia\u2019s remote Kimberley region and managed to put themselves to air, for a live, impromptu, late-night show full of swearing.<\/p>\n The first that police knew of it was when a listener phoned them, concerned that swear words were being heard on the local airwaves.<\/p>\n Have standards declined? Does it matter if schoolkids swear like sailors? Are we just taking the lazy way out?<\/p>\n You be the judge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n