Today I dropped in and out of a Slack conversation that was chewing over the use of expletives in professional language, particularly in the infosec community. The conversation went along what are now predictable paths, with some arguing that being offended by strong language showed an overly sensitive disposition. I, along with several others, took an alternative stance that while you may choose (or feel forced to) use expletives in a professional setting, that inability/unwillingnes to avoid words that some find objectionable means that your message will not be heard by some. In fact, for a portion of your supposed audience, they may be inclined to go in an opposite direction simply because of that presentation. Such are the trials and tribulations of adulting. Perhaps I’ve gone past the event horizon on some age scale that I find having to engage with people in my profession on this sort of topic exasperating and a very real distraction from the work that desperately needs doing.