Wednesday, August 3, 2016

What's this with the "F" word?

Twenty-seven years ago I started writing about social issues and family strengths. I eventually published hundreds of articles all over the internet along with six books. Our society has come a long way.  A long way spiraling down the rabbit hole of bad behavior which leaves us wondering how in the world will our children will ever survive to keep our planet civilized. 

I'm not meaning to be a whiny or finger pointing person but as a parent of nine children starting in the 80's and finishing with the last one almost to adulthood in 2016, I am amazed at how our society has crept into the gutter. It's really sad.

For example, the F-Word (which I refuse to write out) has become almost common among many people. We hear it on You-tube videos, lyrics to songs, movies, in books and from other  people at work and in neighborhoods....and it's not just the F word but all swear words. I had my ears burned off for 2 months as I worked at a flower nursery with 2oo other people all saying the same swear words and didn't care who heard it.

Why is that?

Cultral Historian, Charles Murray points out that this inappropriate language is a "collapse of the codes of the elites." In earlier history, the "common" people would fashion their language after those in higher positions.  Now, most millennials don't care about those in higher positions. They speak the way they want regardless of the coarseness.
National Post's Barbara Kay says: "...unlike in my generation, where the social elites rarely swore — even in private, beyond the odd “damn” or “hell” — today’s educated elites are quite besotted with transgressive language. Obscenities of the kind one expects to hear in the street — among young people “f–cking” seems the preferred variant of “very” — are also considered cool among the intelligentsia, particularly those of the “progressive” camp."

It has now become acceptable to use such shocking language. It used to be a big no-no to use this profanity in public but now, those who tend to use it, just don't care how it offends people because they are speaking freely and telling everyone how they feel.  This can actually be accomplished without the bad language but society just accepts what they hear.

Words mean something. Our soul can feel this when we hear negative words or positive words.  What we say to each other is important so why waste our speech on negative obscenities?

Maybe our children don't understand the full affect of what we say to each other but some how our society must learn to curb our swearing and speak without guile and without cursing.

I love what George Washington said: "The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it."

Here's hoping for cleaner spoken words.