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Have you ever called anybody �bastard� and didn�t face any verbal or physical retaliation. Rarely, I think. The possible reason for this kind of behaviour lies in the fact that the word bastard actually targets parents and their relation. And in the Indian subcontinent, people take it very seriously if some body abuses their parents.
I was really surprised to listen one of my colleague when he exclaimed, �I am bastard� and that too in accepting tone! It was first time I heard such kind of confession by anybody. My eyes were wide open with surprise. Realising that he explained, �Because my parents are not married�.
The incident seems to be unimportant but his acceptance forced me to think more about the word �bastard�. First thing I did was verification of its meaning in Oxford dictionary. According to dictionary, bastard means � person born out of parents not married to each other. Then I realised that his acceptance is merely the tip of the iceberg. It is well known fact that unmarried parents are increasing in the western world by an alarming rate. They are doing nothing but increasing the number of bastards in the society! The legitimisation of illegitimate act makes the word �bastard� meaningless.
What I foresee that if the trend continues, after some time, one may dare to call some body �bastard� without and consequences which we face now days.
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