What Makes a Word Bad?

The very first amendment in The Constitution of the United States is freedom of speech, so how can the government use censorship?  Freedom's Curse discusses words which can "corrupt the moral order."  What is it that makes a word or phrase immoral? What does it mean to be a "bad word"?  If no one thought of "fuck" as an offensive word, would it still be?  Any word could be used offensively, just in a matter of context.  So why does America feel the need to protect children from such naughty words?  On the National Coalition Against Censorship website it states how television and media are treated differently because of the mass audience it reaches and that "the most-cited rationale to justify restrictions on indecency and attempts to restrict violence i the interest in protecting children from potentially harmful material"  The reality of it is people are going to hear these banned words at one point or another.  Kids are going to learn about guns and sex, so why not educate them instead of pretending it doesn't exist.  In the article Not in Front of the Children: A Reply to the Critics Marjorie Heins rebuttals the criticisms of her book which argues society today is overly sensitive to speech and media.  She brilliantly compares todays television and movies to Roman and Medieval times when people watch other people battle to the death as entertainment.  She compares Shakespeare to video games, which, when you think about it, Shakespeare can be much more 'offensive' in these terms.  The greatest writer of all times explores stories of love and hate, sex and violence, the disturbing truth of human nature.  So why are love affairs and suicide acceptable when written in old english terms, but porn and gunning unacceptable in todays entertainment?  By parents trying to protect their children they are just making matters seem worse.  If a parent just sits a child down and explains a video game is not reality, and that in reality violence it not okay or that sex is a natural part of adult life but one must wait to participate in it, children will understand the truth about the issues.  Saying no to a child about something teaches it is bad in all circumstances.  America is at war, violence is the world's reality, and sheltering children is unhealthy.  Heins emphasizes that parents and the government are making the error of "assuming that there is a necessary conflict between free expression and the welfare of kids" and this wrong assumption is the cause for most censorship.  If this country would focus more on the education of truth about the issues freedom of speech wouldn't need to be questioned, because children would learn their values at a young enough age to know the reality of violence, sex, and the world.

http://www.ncac.org/action_issues/Radio_&_Television.cfm

http://www.ncac.org/literature/20011001~USA~Marjorie_Heins_Responds_to_Critics_of_Book-Not_in_Front_of_the_Children.cfm