Afew months back on this site (I'd actually forgotten about it) someone by the name of John Kerr, who has never posted since, posted several increasingly rude messages about me, focusing upon my previous role at Hounslow, accusing me of professional impotence and such like, even though he'd never met me and despite me providing some very detailed and informative explanations about the intricacies of planning enforcement.In the end, I said he was talking bollocks, because, quite simply, he was. And all of a sudden this guy tries to take the moral high ground and moans at me about using "improper language" despite for many posts before making various completely unjustified and offensive comments about my professional capabilities.To be clear, I'm all for professionalism. As my career developed public perception became increasingly important to me. I'm openly critical of people, including friends of mine, who in my view show poor judgement skills by posting things on social media sites relating to their happiness in their jobs. Indeed, that's precisely the reason why, if I was still a Council Officer, I wouldn't ever post on these forums and nor would I allow any of my staff to do so - because to be blunt there's always some awkward sod out there who's going to kick up a stink because they are going to claim they couldn't distinguish between someone posting in their capacity as a Council employee and as a member of the public...sad but true.But I think it's very different when two people who are, quite simply, only members of the public like you and I, and are not Council employees or serving Councillors, have a little online tiff with each other, and one of them posts a relatively common swear word well after the watershed.I don't agree about journalists and children reading, it's not like anyone is stood outside a school at 3pm cursing and swearing, and I'm the first person to tell other people to watch their language if I hear bad language in a public place during daylight hours - as my Mrs. says it's a wonder I never get into fights given the fact I'm never afraid to give people a mouthful for swearing in public (I am very much your straight talking Northerner), and only recently gave some idiot a right telling off for urinating within the car park ramp of the development where I live only to receive a comical outburst of physical threats littered with four letter swear words. But bearing in mind that with the tap of a couple of keys children can watch porn, torture and pretty much anything at any time of day, a sense of perspective is needed.
Adam Beamish ● 4460d