Great eye opening article on what examples we use in both language and action that teach our children how to behave in future generations,! People need to hear this loud and clear. Thank you. I'm definitely sharing your article with others.
Thank you for reading and sharing, Cindy. If not now, when? I figure these horrible things will pass with time. They seem to get worse. #ItTakesAVillage
I first saw one of these flags before the 2020 election on a main highway going through a little town in western Iowa. It was flying high on a flagpole. We happened to be in a funeral procession at the time but I couldn’t get over the thought that it was in full view of many children in school buses that took that route each day. It also occurred to me that some of the same people who fly these flags likely support banning books in school libraries that contain “bad words.”
A friend used to swear all the time as a rebellion against puritanism & an attempt to appear casual. She grew out of it and called it a bad habit. It's ironic that now it's a part of the "puritan" vocabulary.
"Perhaps the only precept taught me by Grandfather Wills that I have honoured all my adult life is that profanity and obscenity entitle people who don't want unpleasant information to close their eyes and ears to you.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus
There seems to be a positive correlation between wild Substack success and the degree to which one has a “spicy” (a.k.a. profane/gratuitous/sophmoric/juvenile) writing style, but I routinely block posters using unbecoming language. I remember being a teenager and getting a fizz blurting out newly-discovered profanity … but I grew up.
If people put half as much energy into writing lucidly as they appear to spend coming up with nicknames for Donald Trump and the Republican Party or cursing every few words, that’d be great. "Dump", "Drumpf", "tRump", "TFG", "Cheeto", "Mango Mussolini", ... it sounds like an elementary school playground. People didn't give the tyrants of history nicknames; the guy's name is Donald Trump, and he's an existential threat to American democracy. There is way too much at stake to allow unbecoming, juvenile, and gratuitious language to detract from the very urgent alarms that need to be raised right now.
Phoebe, I just came across this important post. I'm telling you, as an hourly Amazon Fulfilment Center employee, whenever I hear my coworkers fling that word around I'm not standing for it and they are pretty much are aware. About 3 years ago, when I was hired, there was one 50-something year old caucasian woman, who supposedly had multiple decades in restaurant management, who verbally attacked me and my black female co-worker, and I made it clear to HR and management how I felt, and how that profane and vulgar language WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN from this woman. And, just a couple months ago, for some unknown reason, management assigned a worker who was hired "under special (disability) circumstances" to be more less the unit leader, and it was obvious this fellow in his mid-to-late 20's was, and is, unable to handle stressful workplace conditions because he went off in an uncalled for manner with the F-bomb when I advised him my shift was ending, and according to my co-workers who remained, this "special circumstances hire" fellow kept repeating and repeating the F-bomb for the next couple hours, raising alarm to my coworkers. The next day, after I informed management of this issue, the fellow came up to me to apologize, so with another person in our presence, I cordially and sternfully advised him to watch his profane language when approaching people, because on any given bad day, his profane words may and could provoke violence in the workplace, and he will lose his job. I think the message was clear to him. Site leadership is well aware of my stern feelings on the subject matter.
All good things to think about. Setting a good example is about the easiest way to both help yourself and others.
Nothing shocks me anymore than the change in some Americans that civility doesn’t matter anymore! The Biden signs are disgraceful, buts it’s free speech you know.
One of our politicians now running for President unleashed hate and prejudice being “OK” to share in public.
Couple quick thoughts: such brazen use of words at the very same instance in which the very same people I’d argue care little about words. Society seems to think this is a freedom of speech— to say whatever we want yet it’s really the opposite.
Ironically, Facebook pulled down my column because they said it violated community standards. Multiple readers have said they tried to share on social media and have been prevented from doing so.
I was in an 11th grade high school typing class the day/time president John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas...and when the principle came on the speaker system announcing it...about half the class cheered. I was not one of those, because even though we lived in a solid red area of Houston, I knew better.
Why? Because as conservative as my parents were...they never approached a high level of modeling a behavior that would have prompted me to join in with the cheering of a public person's death...and a violent death, I might add.
Thinking twice about integrating the F-word like one would use damn or hell would be a good start toward diffusing a behavior pattern I see all too often today. Thank you for your thoughts!
No your column is NOT abusive, but some on Substack are beyond the pale and I have just quit reading them. You make some really good points and I agree with you. Dennis
Great eye opening article on what examples we use in both language and action that teach our children how to behave in future generations,! People need to hear this loud and clear. Thank you. I'm definitely sharing your article with others.
Thank you for reading and sharing, Cindy. If not now, when? I figure these horrible things will pass with time. They seem to get worse. #ItTakesAVillage
I first saw one of these flags before the 2020 election on a main highway going through a little town in western Iowa. It was flying high on a flagpole. We happened to be in a funeral procession at the time but I couldn’t get over the thought that it was in full view of many children in school buses that took that route each day. It also occurred to me that some of the same people who fly these flags likely support banning books in school libraries that contain “bad words.”
Thank you for reading and sharing your experience. I just have no words at this point.
A friend used to swear all the time as a rebellion against puritanism & an attempt to appear casual. She grew out of it and called it a bad habit. It's ironic that now it's a part of the "puritan" vocabulary.
"Perhaps the only precept taught me by Grandfather Wills that I have honoured all my adult life is that profanity and obscenity entitle people who don't want unpleasant information to close their eyes and ears to you.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus
Dear Gunnar, Thank you for reading and sharing the fantastic Vonnegut quote. You nailed it.
There seems to be a positive correlation between wild Substack success and the degree to which one has a “spicy” (a.k.a. profane/gratuitous/sophmoric/juvenile) writing style, but I routinely block posters using unbecoming language. I remember being a teenager and getting a fizz blurting out newly-discovered profanity … but I grew up.
If people put half as much energy into writing lucidly as they appear to spend coming up with nicknames for Donald Trump and the Republican Party or cursing every few words, that’d be great. "Dump", "Drumpf", "tRump", "TFG", "Cheeto", "Mango Mussolini", ... it sounds like an elementary school playground. People didn't give the tyrants of history nicknames; the guy's name is Donald Trump, and he's an existential threat to American democracy. There is way too much at stake to allow unbecoming, juvenile, and gratuitious language to detract from the very urgent alarms that need to be raised right now.
Such an important post. Thank you. In Knoxville, Iowa, there is a sign on a main route through town. I Albia, Iowa there is one just across from an elementary school. And, just before I read this, I saw the latest Iowa Poll! maybe this terrible time will soon be over! https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/iowa-poll/2024/11/02/iowa-poll-kamala-harris-leads-donald-trump-2024-presidential-race/75354033007/
Phoebe, I just came across this important post. I'm telling you, as an hourly Amazon Fulfilment Center employee, whenever I hear my coworkers fling that word around I'm not standing for it and they are pretty much are aware. About 3 years ago, when I was hired, there was one 50-something year old caucasian woman, who supposedly had multiple decades in restaurant management, who verbally attacked me and my black female co-worker, and I made it clear to HR and management how I felt, and how that profane and vulgar language WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN from this woman. And, just a couple months ago, for some unknown reason, management assigned a worker who was hired "under special (disability) circumstances" to be more less the unit leader, and it was obvious this fellow in his mid-to-late 20's was, and is, unable to handle stressful workplace conditions because he went off in an uncalled for manner with the F-bomb when I advised him my shift was ending, and according to my co-workers who remained, this "special circumstances hire" fellow kept repeating and repeating the F-bomb for the next couple hours, raising alarm to my coworkers. The next day, after I informed management of this issue, the fellow came up to me to apologize, so with another person in our presence, I cordially and sternfully advised him to watch his profane language when approaching people, because on any given bad day, his profane words may and could provoke violence in the workplace, and he will lose his job. I think the message was clear to him. Site leadership is well aware of my stern feelings on the subject matter.
Newsrooms are generally filled with profanity, so I'm used to it.
When children are exposed, that's a different thing for me.
All good things to think about. Setting a good example is about the easiest way to both help yourself and others.
Nothing shocks me anymore than the change in some Americans that civility doesn’t matter anymore! The Biden signs are disgraceful, buts it’s free speech you know.
One of our politicians now running for President unleashed hate and prejudice being “OK” to share in public.
Couple quick thoughts: such brazen use of words at the very same instance in which the very same people I’d argue care little about words. Society seems to think this is a freedom of speech— to say whatever we want yet it’s really the opposite.
Ironically, Facebook pulled down my column because they said it violated community standards. Multiple readers have said they tried to share on social media and have been prevented from doing so.
Right...simply right!
I was in an 11th grade high school typing class the day/time president John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas...and when the principle came on the speaker system announcing it...about half the class cheered. I was not one of those, because even though we lived in a solid red area of Houston, I knew better.
Why? Because as conservative as my parents were...they never approached a high level of modeling a behavior that would have prompted me to join in with the cheering of a public person's death...and a violent death, I might add.
Thinking twice about integrating the F-word like one would use damn or hell would be a good start toward diffusing a behavior pattern I see all too often today. Thank you for your thoughts!
Thank you for reading and sharing, Roger. What a powerful (and horrifying) memory. We can be better.
No your column is NOT abusive, but some on Substack are beyond the pale and I have just quit reading them. You make some really good points and I agree with you. Dennis
Thank you for reading, Dennis. I appreciate your feedback.
Perhaps the abusive writers on Substack also need to take this post into consideration.