12.26.25
“Profane Language Causes Violence – New Year’s Resolution”
By Donna Garner
It is getting to the point that our society has adopted cuss words, profanity, and swearing as the norm.
Even outstanding leaders from all political parties often use foul language to try to make a point.
Those words are written and heard throughout our culture among uneducated as well as educated people.
MY EXPERIENCE AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER
I was an English teacher for eons, and I tried very hard to help my students to develop sufficient vocabulary skills so that they could express their deepest feelings without using cuss words or name calling.
I tested each student’s vocabulary skills and placed each student in individualized vocabulary workbooks that would challenge each of them to learn new words.
We also spent great amounts of time reading text written by classic writers (those whose writings have stood the test of time).
Most of these classic writers had the ability and the wisdom to express themselves beautifully by utilizing appropriate verbiage.
Thankfully, there is a surge of interest across the country to place students in schools where classical curriculum is used.
MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I was blessed to have two wonderful parents and three amazing brothers.
My three brothers, however, decided early on to call me “TUB” as a nickname.
None of them ever meant me any harm.
They simply did what brothers do to tease their sister; they adopted a name that would get an immediate rise out of me.
At first, I knew it was only my three brothers trying to tease me; but over time I became very self-conscious about my weight.
As I have looked back on childhood photos of me, I really was not obese; but the nickname soon made me feel inwardly that I had a terrible weight problem.
I spent most of my life feeling fat, ugly, self-conscious, and would never be seen in a bathing suit or shorts.
I dieted constantly to keep from gaining any extra weight.
Fortunately, when I was in my 50’s, a doctor finally diagnosed me with conditions that were causing my weight-gain problem.
The appropriate medicines were prescribed; and at last, I was able to control my weight without having to starve myself.
VALUABLE LESSON LEARNED
Through my personal experience of being teased by my brothers who labeled me with the “TUB” nickname, I learned how damaging “name calling” can be to a person’s sense of self-worth.
Yes, it is acceptable to attack a person’s ideas and beliefs but not to attack that person’s self-worth.
In today’s world, it is getting hard to find people who do not lower their everyday language by using cuss words and defamatory nicknames.
Social media is the worst and makes the public (and our children) think that they cannot express themselves well without using vile words!
And it is not just our children:
I am constantly disappointed by people at all levels of the political spectrum who regularly use cuss words, name calling, and ugly/suggestive/crude/disrespectful words when referring to their political adversaries.
PAST EXAMPLE – MARY WHITEHOUSE
I am reminded of a British social campaigner named Mary Whitehouse (1910 – 2001).
She believed that television and public language in the 1960’s and 1980’s should be cleaned up, and she established an organization called National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association.
Whitehouse attempted to help the public, the broadcasters, and the script writers to learn to express themselves without swearing or using profane language.
Mary had real success when her organization besieged the media with slews of letters from parents who were concerned about protecting what their children heard and read.
Unfortunately, however, her influence did not last very long.
ANOTHER PAST EXAMPLE – JAMES V. O’CONNOR
Around 2000, another person named James V. O’Connor from Illinois tried to change the downward direction of language.
His organization was called “Curb Your Cursing.”
He wrote a book which turned him into a sort of “swearing expert,” and he became a popular guest on various talk shows.
An actress, who is still famous, admitted publicly to O’Connor that one of the things she truly disliked about herself was her habit of swearing; and she said that she was going to try to quit.
O’Connor explained to the public that swearing occurs when a person is venting frustration, pain, anger, out-of-control behavior, lack of patience, poor vocabulary skills, and/or no self-control.
TODAY’S SOCIETY -- VIOLENCE
The serious problem in today’s society is that such language easily instigates violence.
Today we are seeing people lose their lives as incensed, out-of-control people get involved in riots and end up killing each other.
Here is a polite suggestion for all of us.
A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
What about considering a New Year’s Resolution in which we resolve to quit name calling or saying very personal things that deliberately infuriate and demean other people?
What about “lowering the temperature” by using civilized discourse with any and all?
By recognizing that each person is made in God’s image, let’s resolve to treat one another with respect.
No, we certainly do not have to agree with them and should definitely use our influence through well-chosen words to share the Truth.
However, we do not need to use language that demeans and disparages their self-worth, arousing their violent outrage which may not end well for anyone.
Even though we may not completely achieve our New Year’s Resolution, God’s grace allows us to keep striving without our feeling crushed by failure.
In time, we can break bad habits that cause hurt in others and create discord.
MORE INFORMATION
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Whitehouse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuss_Control
https://prabook.com/web/roland_douglas.sawyer/278099
Wilbur Fisk Crafts (a.k.a., Wilbur F. Crafts, Jr.) lived from 1850 – 1922 and crusaded against profanity as a moral sin because it was “spiritually harmful to both the speaker and the listeners.”
Please do a search for “Anti-Profanity League” which was a movement supported by concerned, historical leaders.