Bad language is already normalised

As I walked past an outdoor cafe a teenager uttered a stream of obscenities.

I turned in astonishment, wondering what I’d done to upset her so much. However,  her abuse wasn’t directed at me, and although she was talking loudly, she didn’t appear to be angry, she was merely conversing with her friends.

Outgoing chief censor, Bill Hastings, said it may seem hypocritical that language which is the norm in the streets is censored in films, but it would be damaging to young people if that sort of language was normalised.

I’m not objecting to the censorship, but I think the battle is lost.

The story I recounted above is not unusual. Language which used to be offensive to most, and still is to some,  is part of ordinary conversation for a growing number of others.