Professor Who Called Students ‘Vectors of Disease’ in Video Is Suspended

[AussieMick]

Rob, I'm sure all (ok, most of them anyway) of our mothers would have had heard of those words. But I dont think we would have dared use them in their presence. We would be happy to hear a 7 year-old use such words? I wouldnt. The whole point of using words like that is their relative rarity and relevance. In the correct situation they serve a purpose. But over-use and for shock effect makes them near pointless or even counter-productive (we only remember the words but forget the context).

Its true that most of the young people listening to that old man would have been very familiar with the words. But perhaps 5% could have been genuinely shocked and even distressed (for example if they came from a religious background). Thats why TV and radio still maintain a bit of control over such words.

Finally, I'd suggest that anybody wanting to make a strong argument about something about which they care deeply must maintain control. Otherwise they appear foolish and fail.