The word on the street is probably not something your mother wanted to hear. Crowds of protesters shout obscenities. Talks show hosts and guests sound like middle school boys trying to impress one another with potty mouth talk, except that the beautiful women join right in. The networks bleep every other word but context and lip-reading leave nothing to the imagination. Sports commentators aren’t exempt, and I imagine a mouse on the wall in locker rooms and teacher’s lounges easily gets an earful.
The part of this trend that bothers me most is hearing legislators, candidates, and elected officials descend into language that characterizes members of street gangs. These are our leaders; where are they leading us?
I don’t know if they do this in school anymore, but we used to be assigned a weekly list of vocabulary words and made to write them out in sentences, which meant not only learning pronunciation and spelling, but meanings. Increasing one’s vocabulary should eliminate the need to emphasize comments with rudeness. There are plenty of other ways to speak creatively, and some of them can be quite humorous.
We get a lot of mixed messages. What people say, and what they do, ought to match, if they want to be seen as persons of integrity. How many of the pretty women, whether elected officials or simply celebrities, wear a cross while speaking snark, or worse? Our legislators and leaders often display a flag lapel pin, but most spend more time criticizing the opposition than offering creative solutions for America. Are these truly public servants?
Full disclosure: From time to time, my own mouth overloads my intentions. Some of that slime can be contagious, and if you’re standing in the hog pen, you’ll likely get dirty. So, I limit time on TV and try not to be drawn into discussions on controversial subjects. My slips generally occur when I drop something in the kitchen, so at least there’s a limited audience. The words are pretty mild compared to what seems to be the norm, but that’s no excuse. It’s been said that folks we disagree with are there to teach us a lesson, so my assignment is on the blackboard.
“It takes courage to forge a language free of vulgarity. A decision to elevate one’s language is a decision to draw closer to God.” Maya Angelou