What the (Bleep), Can You (Bleep, Bleep) Thank You
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
I have been sitting here this morning reading the lovely comments on whether to schedule or not and by the way, I have decided to just be free. But I will look at editing my layout when time permits. Thanks Ginny The Sock Monkey, I needed that validation.
Like I said, I have been reading comments and was listening to morning television jibber in the background when a most alarming theme emerged. It made me take notice and ask myself, “What happen to the English language?” Where are these people when I play Scrabble?
Point in case: the clip being presented showed a Senator disagreeing with an issue before the Senate. The sound bite, “Hell, no.” Which made me question, “Is he saying no to hell or is “a resounding” to much for his notes?” Does not this sound a tad bit more Senatorial; “A resounding, No to my colleague.” Maybe he forgot his dictionary?
This sound bite was followed by: “Bleep, you,” “Bleep, yourself and sit the (bleep) down,” Bleep, bleep, bleep. By the time the story had completed I thought there was a storm warning being issued. Was there even a news story here? I’m still not sure.
Then I heard several stories in which I presume it was a “question and answer” story. With each segment, just as they got to the punch line, “BLEEP.” After awhile I just started saying, ”Sorry, Alex says your time is up, the answer; what is _ Alex.” I found myself making a game of finding at least a six-letter word to fit the bill.
I only counted 3 sound bites in which the stations “Bleep” alarm was not triggered and it made me wonder how are we going to explain future Jane and Johnny’s potty mouth? “ Oh, he or she watched the news this week, was that not the assignment?” Is this what we Americans have come to? Have we cheated the education system so drastically that four letter words are all we can afford? Does the BBC even have a “Bleep” alarm?
Now I am not a goody two shoes. I rather enjoy sailors and their colorful dialect but in moderation and never in front of children. I recall the first time I took my niece to a movie. Her exact words; “I hope this movie don’t have words.” “What words?” I asked. “I don’t know but mommy says we can’t watch movies with words.”
That is the future I want her kids to have. One where they only know bad words exist and those words are not for children. Yes, I will now take off these rose colored glasses. But before I go let me ask you…
If we truly want to be uncensored, if we want to be free to express our views and anger and if we do want to have the ability to sway others, why then do we use such small, meaningless words?
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14 comments:
Hate to one up you but how about the language of Bleep outside church on Sunday morning?
Is Bleep Language for foreign language credits in school?
Mary
Jules, no kidding! Great post!
~ that rebel, Olivia
I think the use of curse words shows lack of knowledge about our language.
Other words may be censored too. I do have some favorite words that I avoid because they are so strong, such as hate...never allow that word.
My grandson asked me one time when he would be old enough to use the S-word. I spilled my speech about learning to use our language with skill and not using these words. Then it dawned on me, I asked, what S-word are we talking about??
"Shut-up" was his s-word!!!
My children don't like their children hearing bleep words but once they start school they come home with words even their parents don't use, We can explain that some words are not acceptable in every conversation and it's not nice to hear but they have minds of their own and I trust common sense will take over.
Loved the read Jules.
Yvonne.
Foul language is a sign of a poor vocabulary. Yes, if I'm mad, I'll use an expletive, but I don't use those words in every day conversation.
This is one of my pet peeves. I hear language like this all over the place and even see it on T-shirts and bumper stickers. I think the whole concept of "Freedom of Speech" has been obscenely misinterpreted.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Maybe it's my upbringing, maybe it's my faith, or maybe it's how expletives feel on my tongue, but cursing isn't for me except when I break toes.
Another great post.
T
I agree 100%!! Love this post!! I think THIS should be linked up on my AWARENESS HOP!! (((HUGS)))
LOL @Gail!!
The "other" S words in our house are Stupid & Shut-up
I just had to add what a turn off it is to read blogs that can't express their emotion without cursing throughout... I have to leave those. They're not for me, either.
Looks like I'm in GOOD COMPANY here!
One more reason I don't have TV :)
Loved the read, and will come back again to read you flippin' blog, lol!!!!
It is nice to know we all look for BIG words instead of small minds.
Thank you all for commenting :D
This reminds me of an incident recently in which I was talking at a party and said, "I swear,..." My eight year old said to me, "Mom, you just broke a commandment!"
I said, "Oh, really? Which one."
"You swore!"
Now, my husband frequently uses colorful language and I try very hard to avoid it, so this was pretty funny.
Regarding big words: I used to have a much better vocabulary, but I found that people thought I was stuck up so I intentionally "dumbed down" my conversation around the time I was eighteen. For a while I worked at a university and cherished the intellectual conversations there, but when I came home again I turned it off.
Very sad. You should check out my latest post, which includes an excerpt from a novel written in the 1930's. It is witty, fast-past dialogue but it is also intelligent. And no bleeps.
I do not have children of my own, so I can't really say how I would raise them. I do know that my sister chose not to shelter my niece from expletives and other harsh realities of life, but was very good about telling her what she considered acceptable. My niece has turned out to be a caring, articulate young woman, so I think that in this particular case, the correct decision was made.
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