You can say Butt in public these days

There were certain words that were frowned upon in our house growing up. I previously wrote a column dedicated to the words we were allowed to use as replacements for less acceptable expressions of frustration. Terms like “Ah, foot”, “For Pete’s sake,” and “Dad-gum-it,” to name a few. Some words weren’t necessarily “wash your mouth out with soap” words, but could- if they slipped out- cause you to get stared down by a parent. In our home today, we call these “cold” bad words. An utterance like “stupid” qualifies as an example. The word “butt” was a cold bad word in our house growing up. As my brother and I grew up, it’s lack of social acceptance faded- partially because we were older but mainly because society in general forced it into the cultural mainstream vocabulary. I have grown accustomed to the use of this term nowadays. People openly brag about their favorite sports teams kicking butt. And of course there is the butt of a gun or a cigarette and the always unfortunate butt of a joke. But even Forrest Gump in his movie a few years back had the decency to refer to it as his “buttocks” as in- “ I got shot in the buttocks.” The way he pronounced it made it sound more like Botox. These days folks openly say it without reservation. Someone announced in church recently- “We’re selling butts to try and raise money.” And I saw a sign somewhere that read, “Get your butts here,” and another that simply stated, “Butts for sale.” And I heard one mother tell another recently- “I’m thinking about cooking a butt tonight.” Of course we’re talking about Boston Butts here. I looked them up on the internet and learned that a Boston Butt actually comes from the front shoulder of a pig. Go figure. And the only place around where they don’t call it Boston Butt is- you guessed it- Boston. The reason it’s called Boston Butt is because they were originally shipped from Boston and the containers they were shipped in were called “butts.” And I think the reason Bostonians don’t call it by that name is because they reserve all butt references for the New York Yankees. So why not call it the much more socially acceptable “Rump roast?” Because it’s not the same thing. It’s usually a cow, and Rump roast truly does come from the backside of the animal. Comforting. Hardly anybody sells Rump roast as a fundraiser. But they’ll cook up Boston Butt and sell it in a heartbeat. I think it’s a sign of the times. We couldn’t even say “Butts” thirty years ago- now they’re shouting it in the streets and selling it to us in neatly packaged bundles. Not that I’m complaining. A good Boston Butt is one of the most mouth-watering items that can travel down your esophagus. And the fund raiser people who sell Butts all seem to be associated with good causes. So it’s a win-win these days- except for the poor pig- who wishes Rump roast would become the top choice for fund raisers. And he won’t like it when I tell you to get out there and support a good cause by buying yourself a butt today.