2/11/17, 9(25 pm How pop culture can (and should) change legal views on swearing Page 1 of 5 https://theconversation.com/how-pop-culture-can-and-should-change-legal-views-on-swearing-74539 Author Elyse Methven Lecturer in Law, University of Technology Sydney Academic rigour, journalistic flair Warning: The following article contains explicit language. A bedtime storybook urges children to “Go the F . . k to Sleep!” The Wolf of Wall Street, one of the sweariest movies of all time, contains 506 “f-bombs”. And in this year’s Triple J Hottest 100 countdown, the word “fuck” featured 82 times in 32 songs. So should uttering the “f-word” in public be a crime? And what about the “c-word”? In Australia, swearing is ubiquitous. Yet each year, thousands of Australians incur fines or criminal convictions for swearing. The use of offensive, indecent or obscene language in public is punishable in all Australian states and territories. Police typically punish people for saying the words Adam Briggs and Trials from A.B. Original, winners of this year’s AMP Australian Music Prize, use swearing to make a political point in their music. Tracey Nearmy April 12, 2017 11.09am AEST How pop culture can (and should) change legal views on swearing