We are flooded with the culture of profanities

Aug 30, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,

When was the last time you watched a movie on the television and did not have to change the channel or quit watching all together because of the immoral content? When last you travelled in a mini-bus, passed through a market place, or walked along any busy street and were not disturbed by profane language? When last you attended any sporting event such as a football match, a domino competition or a cricket match and were not affected by distasteful and colourful language? I think that the common answer to those questions is “I don’t know”. I was motivated to ask those question because of the April 9th, 2011 column by ‘Mr.’ Peeping Tom’ under the caption “Watch Your Language”.
I am not sure exactly when we –as a nation – surrendered in ‘The War on Bad Manners’ which included profanity , but what I am certain of is that values such as ‘Please, Thank You, Excuse Me , I am Sorry, etc., and palatable speech are all causalities of that war. To a limited extent the absence of “Please,” “Thank You,” and so on, may be tolerated, but when profanity becomes the order of the day, moral and social indigestion of a chronic nature is the result. One often wonders what is responsible for the decline in moral standards in so far as the use of profane language is concerned. One possible answer is the motion picture or movie and more specifically, the television which these days are permanent fixtures in our lives.
I think that the impact which the television and smart phones have on the culture of any society is beyond debate. That is a settled fact which need not be revisited here. Within the realm of profanity it is no secret that the “F” word and its derivatives are definitely the most used. They are the most disgusting, distasteful and most annoying. These days people- young and not so young -seem to find pleasure in using the “F” words in the most disrespectful and unmannerly manner. Could you imagine that policemen, school teachers, businessmen, public servants , lawyers and doctors and school children using the “F” words in public places with comfort and without regard for those who are within hearing distances? Well to tell the truth; it happens everyday.
I do not have the empirical data, but it is not unreasonable to conclude that the “F” words seem to have become a permanent feature of our everyday vocabulary because of the frequency with which they are used in the movies shown on television these days. Yes, these days, there are very few ‘movies’ which do not feature the “F” words and that makes it extremely difficult for a decent family to watch most of the movies which are shown on the television .
We already know that blood, sex and crime sell but it seems to me that the producers of the movies believe that without profanity the movie would not sell. If that is true it would mean that the world has become most crooked and sinful.
As a matter of fact, a study conducted by Wikipedia has shown that in the worst five movies the “F” words were used, a total of 2508 times. Indeed, in the worst of them all, the words were used for a total of 824 time or once every 9 seconds. Why on earth would anyone treat themselves to that amount of filth is beyond comprehension. Too many movies which could have otherwise been deemed to be excellent have been condemned because of profanity and that is very sad indeed.
Francis Carryl

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We are flooded with the culture of profanities

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