Comedians curse and audiences laugh; perhaps you have a relative who adds colorful words to his or her stories, which amuses your family members (“That’s Uncle Mike for you!”). This was not the case for A.J. Clemente who cursed on air on his first day as a broadcaster for the North Dakota NBC affiliate KFYR. Clemente later explained that he was practicing his lines and nervously uttered the offensive words without realizing that his microphone was on; he also offered an apology for his behavior on Twitter. But in the end, he could not undo the impression he left with his new employer and was ultimately fired (ABC News, 2013; Grossman, 2013). Recent years have seen an increase in swearing over mediated channels (Butler & Fitzgerald, 2011), and some critics believe that public outrage over sex, violence, and profanity seems to have waned in recent decades (Steinberg, 2010). In fact, in the wake of Clemente’s outburst, more than fifteen hundred fans wrote supportive notes on the station’s Facebook page asking managers to reconsider their decision to let Clemente go. Twitter supporters also showed their support with #FreeAJ and #KeepAJ.

Profanity includes cursing and other expressions considered, rude, vulgar, or disrespectful. Such words get their social and emotional impact from the culture and can be perceived positively, neutrally, or negatively (Johnson, 2012) based on factors like the social setting (for example, friends at home watching televised sports) or the relationship. If A.J. Clemente had uttered the exact same words at a bar surrounded by friends, it would not have made national news. Rather, he cursed in a formal, professional environment.

Regardless of whether language is viewed as rude or appropriate based on the relational, cultural, or situational context, it should meet some standards of civility, the social norm for appropriate behavior. Crude, offensive, vulgar, and profane language can create uncomfortable and unproductive relationships and work environments (Johnson & Lewis, 2010). Following are five guidelines for the production of more civil language in the workplace (Troester & Mester, 2007), but most of them are applicable outside of the business context as well: