28 September 2009: Phuck the Farisees!

The f-word has been used in the theatre, in the movies and on premium cable television, almost as long as the 18-year-old freshmen we are teaching at our universities this fall.  Just listen to the way many of our students talk to each other on the streets, in bars and coffee shops, and sometimes even in the classroom before classes begin.  So, really, what’s with this brouhaha over Saturday Night Live newcomer Jenny Slate accidentally uttering the f-word during the season premiere of SNL last Saturday?  Are we all hypocrites at heart? What does the Bible teach us about “pharisaical scandal,” about those pharisees who publicly profess to be outraged by that which they privately practice?  Phuck the Farisees!