A column simply oozing with bad taste …

There is ëbad tasteíand there is ëpoor tasteí; there used to be such thing as ëgood tasteí, but it appears as if there is less and less of the latter in todayís society.

I suppose there may be a category covering ëno tasteías well. Anything goes in todayís world and one of the things which has gone into hiding is ëa bit of taste.í

The word ëdisgustingíis a very strong word and one I donít believe we have used previously in YCBS. A former Garda Commissioner used the word unwisely onetime, but I feel that a majority of you will agree that its inclusion is well justified here. Read on please Ö

Old world sensitivities are just that; old world. Disrespect when addressing those in authority; crass rude comments and the hateful stuff posted on social media, are all just par for the course.

(Note we havenít used the word ëdisgustingíyet ñ but it is coming.) Alot of basic standards of decency have been eroded in recent years.

Etiquette is something to be made fun of and itís almost as if points are being awarded for blatantly doing the opposite to what was once expected.

I have heard some dreadfully inappropriate speeches by the best man at

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weddings in recent years. Stories that might be OK for me and the Lads in the pub, but certainly poor taste for a mixed gathering at a family event. Being funny is one thing ñ and we all can enjoy a bit of mirth, but too often ñ and fuelled by froth or bubbly and the feeling of being the most important man there, wedding guests are forced to listen to tasteless and indecent tales about the bride and groom.

We can all be guilty sometimes ñ or at least I can, of inadvertently saying the wrong thing in bad taste, or doing something unbecoming. The quick quip that you know is disastrous as soon as it clears the tongue. The best advice when this happens is just to shut up and not try for damage limitation.

I had the great honour of sitting next to the legendary Billy Rackard at the Texaco Sports Awards of 2001 (I think). Billy was accompanied by his lovely daughter, a veterinary surgeon. I wonít indulge in further name-dropping, by telling you who else was at our table ñ as well as Mrs Youcantbeserious.

Hurling was naturally the main topic of conversation, and the fact that Wexford werenít doing particularly well got a mention early on. Around this stage of our chat, Billy men- tioned that he had five daughters. ëWasnít that an awful pityí, sez this clown Ö and I can still see the expression on the faces of the seven other people seated at the table! Aquick, witty remark that is genuinely funny, can carry a little ëoffcolourílanguage, or even the ëF wordí, but the person forcing it, or relying solely on sarcasm, will quickly drift into the realm of poor taste. Everything you hear on the radio or see on TVisnít necessarily in good taste any more. With ever more programme presenters taking calls in real time this is understandable and an occupational hazard.

There have been some horrible TV adverts over the years, but none as bad as the one that is our main focus here. There has been ëpoor tasteí, ëbad tasteíñ but this one is disgusting.

Awoman is sitting on the toilet bowl, bare legs and bare knees spread apart, as she espouses the necessity for females to purchase the tampon she is using. This has to be the most tasteless advertisement of all time. If you havenít seen it, we wonít go into any detail of what she is saying Ö but you get the picture. Now, and before a sizzling sister lambasts me for being sexist and screams that I should get fired, let me quickly add that if there appeared a TVadvert of a bare-kneed man, straddled on a toilet bowl, exalting the advantages of a certain toilet roll, and explaining how nothing would be left to chance with one wipe Ö you can picture it yourself Ö I would be equally disgusted! The only difference would be that there would have been an outcry long before it got to this column. Bad taste seems to be more acceptable in some quarters. Obviously there are advertising agen- cies out there who believe that the impact of bad taste will force the viewer to remember the brand and buy the product.

On the other hand, it has been shown that bad or discourteous driving by trucks emblazoned with the name of a product, has changed peopleís attitude to purchasing that brand.

I hope it is the same when it comes to a disgusting TVcommercial Ö

DON’T FORGET

Advertising is the science of arresting the human intelligence long

Mobile services and Pay TV rank highest in satisfaction

The Competition watchdog has published findings on user satisfaction for household services, with mobile phone and Pay TV ranking highest, and with energy companies at the opposite end of the satisfaction scale.

67.1% of users are satisfied or very satisfied with the mobile Internet access service and 65.2% with the mobile telephone service. Electricity comes out as the worst valued service, with dissatisfaction of 22.2%.

135 Year Prison Sentence For British Paedophile In Madrid

The Supreme Court has sentenced a 33-yearold British man to 135 years in prison for distributing photos and videos on a paedophilia forum of about thirty girls whom he cared for in their family homes, or who he taught to English at a college Madrid.

He was sentenced for 41 crimes of pornography in total. The man had previously been convicted of child pornography in England in June 2016, but changed his name prior to moving to Spain.

SPANISH WATER RESERVE NOW AT 51.3% CAPACITY

The Spanish water reserve is at 51.3 percent of its total capacity. The reservoirs currently store 28,775 cubic hectometres (hm?) of water, finally increasing in the last week by 242 cubic hectometres (0.4 percent of the current total capacity of the reservoirs), with still a long way to go to make a significant difference to the drought situation.

Segura is at 34,1%, Júcar 59,7% and Ebro 53,1%

TWO EURO TO GO TO THE FLICKS (FOR PENSIONERS)

On Tuesday, the Government will approve a program that will allow those over 65 to go to the cinema on a set day for only two euro. The announcement was made by the PM Pedro Sánchez, and will, be introduced by over 90% of cinemas across Spain". He said that the move will encourage the elderly "to go to the cinema, providing support to a very important sector of our cultural activity."