Joe Scarborough can get away with it, but salty language in public can cost you

By now, you may have heard that yesterday morning, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough accidentally used the F-word on the air. He was just talking, and threw out an expression that involved the word, and he didn't even realize he had used the word until about 30 seconds later, when it was pointed out to him, and then, of course, he apologized profusely.

The incident occurred on his program Morning Joe, and I'm guessing a few members of his audience, simply out of surprise, spit out their coffee when they heard the F-bomb drop. Not that anyone over the age of 18 years old hasn't heard the word -- or, okay, 13 years old -- or maybe every 10-year-old? Actually, I remember being in second grade when I first heard it with any regularity. Some kid named Marcus would run around practically chanting the word before school, during recess and after school -- whenever teachers were out of earshot.

So most of us have heard the word a lot. That doesn't mean we want to hear it, of course. And, in fact, depending on your luck, if you do use the word in public, it can cost you big-time. Or if you play your cards right, like going into rap music, you may just earn money. So just to help everyone out, here are a few of the do's and don'ts of cursing in public.