You’ve heard of the f-bomb: well, how about the “j-word”?

I’m not a fan of the f-bomb.  These days people toss it into everyday conversations like an overzealous Olive Garden waiter dumping cracked pepper on a wilted Caesar salad.  We've become a nation of gutter mouths.  But times change.

Believe it or not, back in the 1940s, the “j-word” was the one the enforcers of the production code found most offensive: the ratings board instructed film director Frank Capra to leave the word “jerk” on the cutting room floor when editing It’s a Wonderful Life.  Apparently “jerk” was the f-bomb of the 1940s. 

In sixty years, maybe the f-bomb will seem as innocent as calling someone a jerk is now.  Maybe it will even be in Toy Story 25, when the toys are unearthed in an archeological excavation and brought back to life.

It’s food for thought, even if that same food (or Olive Garden salad) does have too much pepper.