Kick Ass Hits Theaters April 16

Kick Ass Hits Theaters April 16

When I was really young, "ass" was a swear word. You couldn't say it on television or at school--the two main arbiters of what is and isn't permissible.

Once, I remember a precocious friend of mind showing me the soul of his "GASS" shoes during an assembly at the school's library. He covered the letter "G" with his hand and we all snickered.

Back than, "ass" was a funny word.

When I got a little bit OLDER, friends of mine used the phrase "kick ass" to highlight something positive.

"That VHS tape is kick ass," said Mike.

"The new Genesis game is kick ass," said Jennifer.

While the phrase was fun to say, it was still only uttered amongst friends. It wasn't something you said to your grandmother or Aunt Eunice or the lady at Hi-School Pharmacy.

Now that I'm OLD, Hollywood has released a mainstream movie called "Kick Ass." So in my lifetime, "ass" has gone from a swear word to a movie title.

The word doesn't "offend" my sensibilities. I've heard far worse. However, I do find the word quite coarse and its use quite lazy.

Not only that, but it's a gateway curse. Before we know it, a mainstream movie will have the "F-word" or the "C-word" or the "J-word" in its title.

Again, I've heard them all but do we really need those type of words popping up in the titles of mainstream movie? Aren't we better than that?

Look at it this way: the words "snot," "booger," and "poop" aren't swear words but I wouldn't put them in the title of my movie.

I would hope to show more imagination.

Kick Ass is set for release on April 16.