News Anchor Gets Fired For Swearing

AJ Clemente had a tough first day on the job at a NBC affiliate station in North Dakota. Without knowing that his microphone was live and that he was on the air, he said a few cuss words. Within 24 hours, he was fired by the station. Of course, the video went viral (not shown below because school is not the right context - read below) and people had all sorts of comments. He has appeared on many national entertainment shows including, David Lettermen, The View and Live with Kelly and Michael.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqC2Pc-Na3I (Live with Kelly and Michael)

Author's Perspective: First, let's get this out there - people swear. In almost every culture and in every language, there are "naughty," "bad" or "dirty" words.  In America, swearing is not dependent upon how much money you make, what color you are, what part of the country you are from or how you vote. Specifically, 72 percent of men and 58 percent of women swear in public (what about when they are alone and kick the dresser with their toe?). 74 percent of 18 to 34 year olds swear and 48 percent of people who are over age 55 do the same.  For more stats on swearing:
http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/article/New-poll-Americans-swear-allegiance-to-1199629.php

The president of the United States admittedly has a foul-mouth as have many other presidents. The last two vice-presidents of the US were caught dropping the F-bomb. Doctors, teachers, principals, counselors, ministers, soldiers... swear.  Many don't, but many do. Truth is, I, "The Character Guy" swear. Get me on the golf course and I am known to let 'em fly. I have certain friends and family members that can't put together a sentence without swearing.

Context: While I can swear with the best of them, I don't swear in schools or around children. I don't swear around people I don't know and I usually don't swear in mixed company. Why? While many do swear, many don't - and many find that kind of language offensive or inappropriate - hence the term "bad" words. So, we all must learn context. When is it inappropriate? With whom? And, if I have to error, I error on the side of caution. You will never regret not swearing, but you will regret swearing in the wrong circumstance.

Contradiction of Terms: Even though I swear, there is nothing worse than hearing it used so casually in a public place, like a movie theater or a mall. I even confronted two guys at Arby's last year who were using very colorful language at a nearby booth when I was with my four children. They looked at my children and immediately apologized, as they should have. When I enter a school, I am bothered by students who casually swear and it is a quick way to judge the climate of a school.  Fair or not, we need to have rules of "naughty" words and context is crucial. 

Back to the Story: I am a big believer in second chances and I think AJ Clemente made an honest mistake. He did not do this with intent or purpose. I know many people complained and probably demanded that he be fired. I also wonder about the silent majority who didn't call, but feel the way I do. With a simple apology and some self-deprecating humor, this could blow over pretty quickly. I say give the guy another chance.

Your Turn (follow us & tweet responses @CDandLeadership using #CDandL): 1) Would you have fired him or do you think he should have been fired?
2) If you swear, do you know how to filter yourself when and where it is not appropriate to swear? Do you understand context?
3) As a class, can you come up with a list of do's and dont's when it comes to swearing?
4) How closely do you think swearing is tied to a person's character?