62% of respondents 18- to 34-years-old admitted to swearing several times a week. 39% of those aged 35-and-over admitted to the same amount of swearing.
32% of the men admitted to using the "f-word" weekly, and 23% of the women.
The only upside, according to the article, was that many of those who swear regularly still think it's wrong to do so. But, as Miss Manners points out in the article, people hearing the swear words pretend not to be shocked, and eventually they won't be shocked.
I was actually not that surprised to read these stats. I was almost surprised they weren't higher, given the language I hear out and about. (Actually, my guess is that the respondents lied downward to make themselves look better.)
No, here's the reason the article stuck out to me: The following quotes:
But even though we can't print [the words] (we do have our standards), we can certainly ask: Are we living in an Age of Profanity?
Price, 31, still gets mad at himself for doing it, worries about the impact of profanity (especially from TV) on his children, and regrets the way things have evolved since he was a kid.
Note the use of the word "profanity." But actually, there was no profanity at all discussed specifically in the article. Obscenity, yes. But no profanity.
Because profanity is that which profanes the name of character of God. Profanity may use "dirty" words. But it may not.
Obscenity, on the other hand, varies from time to time, from culture to culture, from language to language. The "f-word" (which certainly belongs to the category of obscenity, not profanity) derives from a perfectly acceptable Old Germanic word meaning "to join." It has socially acceptable synonyms. It is certainly, in our time, culture and language, an extremely vulgar word, not to be used in polite society (or one would wish). But it doesn't rock the heavens.
Profanity, however, is not specific to time, language, culture. Profaning the name of God is bad. Always. Everywhere. It can have (who knows -- it may always have) eternal consequences. It is wrong, no matter how you spin it.
Okay, fine, I'm being too picky. But I love precise language, and it seems to me the distinction between obscenity and profanity is one worth keeping. And, as Miss Manners points out regarding swear words, if we deliberately let the distinction blur, eventually there won't be a distinction anymore.
And that would be a $&#*)&% shame.
1 comment:
You've hit on something that I've been thinking about recently. It has to do with our perception of holiness.
Or more specifically, the loss of a sense of holiness in our culture at large. There doesn't seem to be a general perception of purity, or the ideal being sacred and to be valued and treated with respect. Instead, there's a growing idolaization of... well, idols. (American Idol, anyone?)
I think because we've (ie, the culture at large) profaned the whole of the world around us, the concept of offense against what is holy has been lost. And thus, the distinction between "profanity" and "obscenity". Consider this: do you think many people outside of religious circles even grasp the concept of "blasphemy" these days? Think about the confusion so many Westerners had over the Muslim outrage at images of Muhammad, especially the mocking ones. We are confused at seeing outrage at a perceived sacriledge. The sad part is that we almost take it for granted, because we've resigned ourselves to seeing Christian imagery abused ... and profaned.
It's obscene.
4.8.06
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