Thank goodness for the asterisk... it's handy for words like "f**k"

I said I wouldn't be posting anything on politics today. So...

Today, I'm amazed at the sanctimonious hoo-hah over an 11pm (late night!) show on Channel 5 that inadvertently let slip a singular uttering (ie just once) of the F-word. A blogger commented about it. An MP then got into the act, sounding more preachy than a preacher.

While I agree that the F-word is inappropriate in public discourse, we should cut some slack for what I believe was an honest mistake on the TV station's part (likewise, why all that puerile hoo-hah over the earlier incident in which an NTU valedictorian -- in her exuberence -- had uttered the F-word once).

In this latest episode, the Media Development Authority is now investigating! Thanks to the asterisk, I can give my two cents' worth on of this absurdity: "What the f**k!"  

Here's the Shin Min story, as carried by insing.com:

http://news.insing.com/tabloid/f-k-word-seen-on-channel-5/id-0e913e00

All this storm in a teacup reminds me of a "set-up" trick you can play as a parlour game (no kids around, of course):

First, tell the players the game is about opposite two-word combinations. So, the opposite of, say, "good-sad" is "bad-happy". Try a few more.

Then ask for the opposite of "near-queen". Gets 'em everytime!

To wrap up, I came across this tongue-in-cheek "English language lesson" on the F-word:

http://crocjokes.com/dirtyjokes.php?ID=983&o=3&S=alltime_added&cat=%