I long ago lost count of how many times I’ve gotten in trouble for letting bad words spill from my mouth in a split second of carelessness. I’m from Revere. It happens.
When you run off at the mouth, people can be quick to judge you and label you for life. But those who judge forget how easily verbal gaffes happen. I saw a video clip on Youtube yesterday that reminded me of this. It’s from three years ago. Susan “Sue” Simmons, the lead female news anchor at WNBC in New York City, is heard dropping the F-bomb live on the air, and she’s forced to apologize after the commercial break:
I’ll admit that I laughed hard and replayed it many times over. In my defense, I was sitting in the airport bored and tired.
It’s hard for me not to sympathize with Simmons. Sure, it was unprofessional and offensive. But it was human and we’ve all done something like it. The difference is that she’s got a microphone clipped to her collar.
It only takes a split second to embarrass yourself.
Something to remember next time we feel like ridiculing someone for doing the same thing.
