The Last Word

You’re sick of it, we’re sick of it, Bono’s sick of it, the FCC isn’t. But here’s an eminently quotable Bono on the subject of his linguistic naughtiness, in a New York Times piece by Frank Rich on America’s new obsession with “indecency” —

I guess I don’t speak American, but I thought I did. There are some obscenities in our culture, and this is nowhere near the top of the list. I never meant to be offensive. That language was genuine exuberance. It was a great moment for our band. If you’re Irish, you love language, and if you do, you’re going to fall on the occasional expletive; it’s the percussive side of language. For me, it is preposterous to have good, conservative people whom I like and respect taking on an expletive while the right to pack heavy ammo goes by. It says something eloquent, if not pretty, about where we are.