Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

An observation is in order. During yesterday's broadcast, in reference to the "Man about a Horse" topic, Martha observed that on another website there was a reference to this idiom's origin. Martha's quip used the term "filthy joke" or "filthy reference" to the sexual aspects of that reference. My question would be, why should an expert on words, harbor such philistine attitudes to notions of sexuality, especially sexuality in print? Even as a child, I can remember a teacher telling the class that a "dirty joke" was when a white horse fell in the mud. To the degree that these comments take Martha to task, I apologize. But sex is not filth and I would expect expertise flowing from a professional in the linguistic arts to know better and think differently. Perhaps you should dedicate a program to this very topic. Rape stems from these kinds of mis-references and stilted thinking. Having also hosted a successful radio broadcast in San Diego, I appreciate that your time on the airwaves can be used positively here. And Martha's notation hailed not just a "dirty" joke but a "filthy" one. Oh well!