Curses Or Not

Are people using obscene language more today? I wonder about that, because I surely hear allot of it. As a group, in particular, I think teenagers use profanity more often and too casually because society seems to think it's ok to curse. Well, I think it's not. I don't curse, never had, and probably learned that habit from my parents and other relatives, who also never cursed and imparted the idea that cursing is not only offensive language, but a poor substitute for the use of higher language. They always told me that small minds use four letter words because those small minds don't know enough other words.

I don't claim to be a saint because I don't curse. The rumor is I have many other faults. And surely, people who use profanity might have fewer other faults than people who don't curse. But cursing is like a slap in the face to the listener. It says, "I don't respect you, so I will be profane in front of you." If we demand our children not curse at home and in school, why do we remain silent when adults curse in front of us? Are we not deserving of respect too?

Probably, the commonality of profanity and the general acceptance of "dirty language" is a reflection of the permissiveness in society as a whole. There are far fewer things today that people are not allowed to do, so cursing also gets a free pass from most of society's members. When was the last time you heard one adult berate another for cursing? Probably never. Instead, we just keep quiet and listen to the filth because "almost everyone curses". Society once viewed cursing as a more (serious matter) but now sees it as a folkway (non serious one). It is a pity because cursing is not nice and not nice is not good for us.

Language is the highest form of communication in a society. Should it not be used carefully, respectfully and with civility? How can any society be civil if the members are given sanction to use uncivil language? One need only examine the mediums of communication, as in TV, to see the coarseness used and accepted as normal today.

Oh well, you probably don't give a ---- about this anyway.