Is it just me or has the use of profane language completely permeated every part of society? It almost seems to me that we can't communicate without dropping one of those four-letter-words that we have all learned to love and hate.
I am a huge proponent of free speech and am no angel when it comes to this. When stuck in traffic, I have a choice few words for every other driver on the road, as I am sure that they have for me. But I have been making an effort to limit the use of such language in the hopes that one day I won't feel the need to use it to express myself.
Television, music, and the media have all made profanity a regular part of our lives. I can't tell you how many times I have put in my headphones or tuned in to my favorite television series, only to hear at least ten of these all-too-familiar words by the time I'm five minutes into my playlist or show. It didn't really bother me before, but as soon as I started thinking about it I realized that it was everywhere. And I just don't like how uncomfortable it has made me feel.
The moment that really sparked my drive to be more aware of how I communicate occurred when I visited an elementary school as a volunteer. It was so fun for me to see the children changing classes, visiting their lockers, and giggling over something that I probably wouldn't understand. Seeing it all took me back to my own elementary school days - when we had cubbies instead of lockers. Then, I passed a group of fourth-grade students who were dropping four-letter-words that I didn't even use. And they were doing it frequently. I just remember staring at them as they walked off, too flabbergasted to actually intervene and tell them to watch what they were saying. At the root of it all, I knew that they were picking this up from their parents or their support structures, if they had any.
But where do we draw the line? Is this really what we want for our future business leaders, politicians, and schoolteachers? What's your view on profanity? I'm inherently curious, so please feel free to drop me a comment and share this page with your friends.
~TWBTM
I am a huge proponent of free speech and am no angel when it comes to this. When stuck in traffic, I have a choice few words for every other driver on the road, as I am sure that they have for me. But I have been making an effort to limit the use of such language in the hopes that one day I won't feel the need to use it to express myself.
Television, music, and the media have all made profanity a regular part of our lives. I can't tell you how many times I have put in my headphones or tuned in to my favorite television series, only to hear at least ten of these all-too-familiar words by the time I'm five minutes into my playlist or show. It didn't really bother me before, but as soon as I started thinking about it I realized that it was everywhere. And I just don't like how uncomfortable it has made me feel.
The moment that really sparked my drive to be more aware of how I communicate occurred when I visited an elementary school as a volunteer. It was so fun for me to see the children changing classes, visiting their lockers, and giggling over something that I probably wouldn't understand. Seeing it all took me back to my own elementary school days - when we had cubbies instead of lockers. Then, I passed a group of fourth-grade students who were dropping four-letter-words that I didn't even use. And they were doing it frequently. I just remember staring at them as they walked off, too flabbergasted to actually intervene and tell them to watch what they were saying. At the root of it all, I knew that they were picking this up from their parents or their support structures, if they had any.
But where do we draw the line? Is this really what we want for our future business leaders, politicians, and schoolteachers? What's your view on profanity? I'm inherently curious, so please feel free to drop me a comment and share this page with your friends.
~TWBTM