As I sat and pondered the use of profanity that is used daily in the trades, I was also coincidentally listening to the Howard Stern show. My new Ford Transit 150 comes with a free trial of Sirius Satellite Radio. I used to listen to Howard fifteen years ago when a local radio station picked up his morning show. Back then, his show didn’t include swearing. Now, while on Sirius, Howard drops a well placed F bomb everyone once and a while and in my opinion, it enhances the message he is trying to convey.
In the future, there is a real possibility you will find me starting up my own podcast to discuss the HVAC trade from my own view point and in the social media space I’m currently in, I feel it is good to have an ear to the ground. If you work in the trades and haven’t dropped a well rounded mouthful of profanity, you are indeed in the minority. One thing I promised myself when I started up HVAC Know It All, is that I wouldn’t shy away from edgey or polarizing topics in fear of being looked down upon by certain individuals. But, within that promise is an oath to myself to bring those topics to you in a well thought out manner. In the past on social media, I have asked the good techies of the world if they would be offended by profanity within blogs and just recently, I asked the same question regarding profanity within podcasts. Not a scientific poll by any means, but the answers came from real, hard working HVAC technicians and the majority were down for it, not only were they in favour, but some relayed the fact that it would be expected. Now, I’m no potty mouth, but my vocabulary includes strategically placed uses of words your mamma would wash out your mouth for saying.
This is real language, from real people with real lives. Why should we pretend that it doesn’t exist. We work in a trade that is tough on our bodies and minds. I had a horrible day a couple of weeks ago, I was at work knowing that that evening I was taking my dog to the vet for a one way ride, some of you may have read my post from that week. I was working inside of a freezer, I couldn’t concentrate and nothing was going my way. I walked calmly over to the sliding freezer door and closed it. Now that I was alone inside, along with two evaporators and several skids full of ice packs, I screamed out “FUCK”, man, talk about therapy!
There are articles out there that speak on studies that have proven that swearing can actually reduce stress levels. A wise man recently reminded me of comedian George Carlin. George paralleled profanity with adding spice to a recipe, you don’t need to add spice, but things can get boring real fast without it. I also reached out to some well known executives within the HVAC industry, who will remain nameless, but their take fell into the majority of those who condone the act of dropping a good stress reliever every now and then. In the end, we are all individuals and none of us are perfect. Self expression differs from one person to the next. Whether you decide to swear or not, it doesn’t somehow change the person you are within, now get back to work you filthy animals. Oh and by the way…Happy Fucking HVACing!
