Remember this post: Words You Don't Hear Anymore... ? (Just so you know, it's going to briefly come up again tomorrow.) Anyway, this was a post about not hearing certain words because you are now a professional.
But you know what? Sometimes we just don't want to be professionals. Being professional isn't always fun. Actually, it's pretty much never fun. Usually, not having fun is the first indicator that you're at work and therefore need to behave professionally. The little switch in your brain clicks on and you separate your fun vernacular from your at-work professional vernacular. Usually.
I knew I had said it as soon as it came out of my mouth. It was still in a bubble next to my head like in cartoons. But there was nothing I could do except hope that I shot just under the offensive line that it would be allowed to fly right by. I wasn't screaming, and it wasn't even that offensive of a word- I would argue it's less offensive and more just, well, funny.
It was simple really- I said douche to a person who, at times, is my boss. I didn't call him a douche, in fact, if anything, I called myself a douche. Nothing came to a screeching halt, and in fact there was laughter around it. But after the moment passed I still thought "Hm, I should not say that here." I started to justify it by arguing that they say it on TV. I didn't get very far before I realized just because the standards people let things go by on TV doesn't mean they become appropriate workplace banter. Oh, but I wish it did mean that.
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