HERCULANEUM

This shit is CRACKING ME UP. And of course, it's true.

The other day, my nephew Nick told me about this series of Public Service Announcements.

Nicholas is the handsome devil in the middle. My oldest brother, Christopher (Nick's Father) is on the left, and my Father, LCDR Steve C. Charnas, is on the right. Nick is in flight school right now with the U.S. Navy and will be the 3rd generation in our family to be a U.S. Navy Pilot.

A couple of years back, Nick and his then girlfriend (now wife), Rachel, were staying with Will and myself in Santa Barbara. We were out and about, probably stumbling out of a winery, and Nick referred to something (other than Will or myself) as being "SO gay", meaning that that something was either bad or stupid.

I informed him how I felt on the matter (probably slurring the whole argument) of using that terminology to denote something bad. And I think that after I fully explained to him (through hiccups and more slurs) about an oppressed group "owning a word", he got it. He understood.

So, his understanding has come full-circle and he was the one to tell me of these PSA's, which I happen to find rather funny, though sadly true.

But honestly, I don't believe in a fascist society where we have to censor anything. (On a side-note, I find it rather peculiar that on television, we censor language and nudity, but not violence.) I don't wish to censor speech of any kind. I'd rather people censor themselves. I'd rather have people say what they're going to say, revealing how insensitive or sensitive, how hateful or thoughtful, how stupid or educated they really are, and that way I'll know WHO they are right off the bat. I'll know who I'm dealing with.

Because insensitive, hateful, stupid people?? Well, they're SO Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh.

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