Joe Biden’s F-Bomb

Zachary Watson/ Guardian

We Should Clean Biden’s Mouth out With Soap

Vice President Joe Biden’s recent unfiltered dialogue at the health-care signing ceremony is nothing short of humiliating. Sure, this reform is indeed a “big fucking deal,” but as a leader of our nation, he could have chosen more euphemistic language to convey that message.

Even though his words were intended for President Barack Obama’s ears only, it’s unsettling for the involuntary eavesdroppers (aka, all of America) to realize that one of the government’s top dogs is loosened up enough to behave like a Jerry Springer contestant. If our nation’s second-in-command can’t come up with a response that wouldn’t make half the nation cringe, maybe he should have chosen to remain tight-lipped in such a professional setting.

It’s true that even the most eloquent speakers are still humans capable of dropping an F-bomb here or there, but at the same time, there’s a time and place for elevated, eloquent language and a time and place for uncensored locker-room talk — and the public visibility of rooms in the White House should never start to feel like the latter. So for the sake of our nation and all who look up to government officials as emblems of professionalism, Biden should give his mouth the old soap-and-water scrub-down. Maybe next time he’ll remember what shouldn’t come out — making everyone a little more proud to be an American.

— Kelsey Marrujo

Senior Staff Writer

Vice President’s Statement Not a ‘Big Fucking Deal’

We can all agree that it was a bad judgment call for Biden to curse into Obama’s ear last Tuesday. But in front of a generation so desensitized to overt sexuality and profanity in the media, dropping a private F-bomb on air just isn’t a very big fucking deal.

Biden wasn’t exaggerating. Passing a health-insurance overhaul in a country where 45 million people don’t even have basic coverage is indeed a huge deal.

He didn’t say anything very offensive, either. At one time or another, everyone’s dropped a good ol’ four-letter word — just not on national television.

Biden’s slip-up is less a cause for international concern than evidence that he’s only human — and therefore just as likely as anyone to take his enthusiasm a little too far in times of extreme awesomeness.

As a response, the infamous 17-year-old McKay Hatch, founder of his high school’s “No Cussing Club,” is demanding an apology from his vice president and sent him a “No Cussing” care package — including a jar for Biden to place a coin in every time he swears. While all that’s well and good for Hatchy and his crew of do-gooders, the overblown media coverage of Biden’s mistake takes the focus — once again — off this historic news to shine a spotlight on the trivial.

— Cheryl Hori

Associate Opinion Editor

More to Discover
Donate to The UCSD Guardian
$200
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists at University of California, San Diego. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment, keep printing our papers, and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Donate to The UCSD Guardian
$200
$500
Contributed
Our Goal