How many of you grew up in a home with a swear jar, or are currently living in one? Drop a swear word, drop a coin into the jar. A good way to save for Christmas! We never had a swear jar in our home. I have no moral objections to swearing but my husband and I did try to instil in our son the recognition that swearing is not acceptable at certain times and in certain places.
In some cases swearing conveys exactly how you feel, but most times it’s simply a lazy way to express your thoughts or a way of “fitting in” with your peers. Look, for example, at the many different usages and meanings of the “f” word. It can be used 10 different times with 10 different meanings in the same conversation. It is used as a verb, an adjective, an expletive. It takes its meaning from the sentence context, the situation in which it is used. There are probably people out there who would find it quite difficult to express themselves without using this word. But swearing is a choice which can easily become a habit. We can communicate without it.
The same goes for another language choice - the use of blanket terms to indicate ethnic origin, religious affiliation, social status, sexual orientation. When we use such words to describe a person (eg. Paki, Muslim, illegal, homo, Newfie, redneck, snowflake, squaw, chink, rag head, meth-head ...) we are pigeonholing them into a stereotype without knowing them or their story. Sometimes we use these words in humour, sometimes to describe actions that we consider stupid, and sometimes to indicate disapproval. In any case we are generally not saying something nice.
There is more than one religion that requires men to wear turbans or women to wear head scarves. Not all Conservatives are rednecks and not all Liberals are snowflakes. Not all street people are meth addicts or alcoholics deserving of their fate. Being a Native woman, or man, does not automatically mean you have no understanding of time. Islam is the religion of the Muslim people, not a race, and not all Muslims are jihadists. Illegals are usually people who have overstayed their VISAs, not escaped criminals fleeing prosecution, etc., etc..... But, use a derogatory word for a group and we paint everyone in that group with the same colour. The qualities that make them unique individuals fade into the background. We magnify people’s differences, assume beliefs and behaviours, promote a culture of “us and them”. Yes, they may have similar characteristics due to upbringing or culture, but they are not all alike anymore than we are all alike.
Though not as frequent as swearing, we probably don’t realize how often these negative descriptive words jump into our conversations. Maybe we need someone to call it to our attention? Another type of swear jar perhaps? You may think I’m advocating the formation of a language police force. I’m not. There’s too many words already being removed from the “acceptable” list. Political correctness has gone overboard. There is a price to be paid for using all the replacement words popping up to keep from hurting people’s sensibilities. Some would say good riddance. Some would say we’re losing our history or we’re getting too thin skinned. It’s up for debate. Language is a reflection of culture and culture, very slowly and with great reluctance, does change. Regardless of your opinion about what I’ve said here, our use of language does say something about us. It’s worth taking a look inside.
