Where would they get the idea that Americans routinely punctuate their speech with foul language? After all, one rarely hears profanity in an American diner or department store, nor does it appear in our newspapers. Perhaps part of the cause can be found in the tinny pop music that echoes from every iPod and the repartee issuing from the lips of our golden, glamorous film stars. Among "artists" profanity has become as cool in the 21^st century as smoking was in the days of Bogey, Bacall and Billie Holiday.

In 1939, Rhett Butler shocked cinemagoers by tamely declaring, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." One can only imagine what "Gone with the Wind" viewers would have made of five minutes of Quentin Tarantino dialogue?

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