Language (3-19-07)
I am a watcher. I like to study other people, their behavior, their mannerisms, their quirks. One of the aspects of people I've been focusing on lately is language and I have to say that I am not impressed with what I've heard. George Carlin said it best: "We think in language, so the quality of our thoughts and ideas can only be as good as the quality of our language." Think about that opinion. If you use hateful, ignorant language then consequently you will turn out to be a hateful ignorant person. That's my opinion too and by that rationale if you try to use more considerate and more thoughtful language you will be a more considerate and thoughtful person. Now this is where I need to clarify. I'm not talking about being politically correct. I hate politically correct. I think the whole PC movement set us back a few years because not only could we not express ourselves truthfully but while one is being PC often times the other person or party sees the politically correct user as a liar, not knowing to what extent the softening of the language reaches. Do you know what I mean? It happens when someone uses a PC word because they think they are supposed to say and the intended party can tell and ends up wondering what they meant. The PC word sounds more uncomfortable than the word the person actually wanted to use most of the time. So politically correct is not what I'm talking about. I'm thinking beyond that into the realm of ignorance.
Have you recently gone out to a public place alone? When you go do you ever just sit back and absorb the atmosphere? Do you soak in the view and the scents and sounds? I don't go out into the public that much because it can sometimes overwhelm me but when I do I open my mind and senses to those gathered or passing around me. Like I mentioned, I've been listening to what people have been saying. I've been hearing the voice of the people, in tune to the sound of the streets. Okay you got me; I've perhaps been more in tune to the sound of the Laundromat or local coffee shop, but in tune nevertheless and I've been completely shocked and utterly frustrated with what I've been hearing.
I've always been annoyed when I'm out with friends or acquaintances in public somewhere and they curse up a storm. This is especially true if other people are around, especially children. I find myself embarrassed. If we think in language and our language is trash, are we not capable of more than trashy thoughts? I'm going to quote Malcolm X here because I think he had a very good point about this. His quote is "A man only curses because he doesn't know the words to express what is on his mind." I'm not saying people shouldn't curse. I'm saying people shouldn't be lazy with their words. I'm saying people should be aware of others when you aren't in your house or at your friend's house. It's part of living in a society. People just don't give a damn about anyone else in the world. I know it's not everyone, but it's the majority. There are some people who care about no one but themselves. Next there some people who care about themselves and those close to them, but couldn't care less about a stranger. Then there are those who care about everyone on this planet including themselves. Logically if you consider that we are living in a society that would flourish most if everyone cared for one another and contributed to making this place the best it can be you'd think that the vast majority of people in this world were in that third category. If only humans were that intelligent. The fact is there is a lot of ignorance out there. The kind that makes someone communicate a 2 minute profanity laced reflection on the night before while with their friends despite a few grade schoolers sitting only 1 table over and able to hear everything while their father is waiting for an order at the counter far enough away and out of range. Is he a bad parent? He gets his kids seated and still while he goes to a counter 15 feet away to wait a few minutes for a few coffee drinks and cookies while his children are in plain view. I stood a few feet away from all of this grabbing a few napkins. I stopped and listened. I pondered whether I should say something but a thought went through my mind; who am I to tell these people to watch their language? I didn't care that there were 3 males who were obviously somewhat ignorant and I was by myself, that wasn't a consideration. It wasn't out of fear. It was deeper than that. I just wondered whether I had the right. I'm still wondering.
Next we fast forward to the Laundromat. There's somewhere between 8-10 people sitting around waiting on washes or dries. Two of these people are college age women, or maybe more like college age girls. It's hard enough having to wait 28 minutes for my clothes to dry and have to listen to two early 20-somethings say "like" every other word, but then they started using some current slang. I'm sure you've heard it. Every bad experience wasn't lame, or ridiculous or unpleasant or even sucky it was gay. The club was gay. The clothes were gay. He acted gay. The situation was retarded. It turns out it was a pretty rough night for her because everything was gay or retarded despite not actually involving any gay or retarded people. Once again a discussion was going on inside. I wanted to tell them that they shouldn't use those words in that matter. It burns me. It's so damn insensitive and ignorant. It also seems incredibly immature and homophobic to have to use the word gay to describe things that are lame or bad. Remember we think in language. By that rationale, gay and retarded people are bad.
I've heard people over 30 say that a movie was gay. I've heard grown ups refer to a co-worker as retarded. I've seen white kids from the burbs refer to someone's clothes as ghetto. How the hell would they know? Should people be allowed to be so ignorant? I guess a better question is why are they so ignorant? Has it always been this bad? When I was a kid we called each other names. People were idiots and stupid and occasionally obscenities were mixed in for greater effect. Is it the same? Is it worse now? It seems worse now to me but I wonder if that's because I'm getting older. Maybe this insensitivity is the result of all the political correctness that ran rampant not too long ago and still does to some effect. Maybe this is the backlash. As much as I hated the politically correct movement I hate this insensitive slang and sheer ignorance even more.
There was a Peanuts cartoon. One of the characters comes upon two of the others, who are holding up a newspaper, looking at it and laughing. The first character asks, "What are you doing?"
--We're making fun of this picture in the paper.
--Why are you making fun of it?
--Because we don't understand it.
-Charles Schulz.
I am a watcher. I like to study other people, their behavior, their mannerisms, their quirks. One of the aspects of people I've been focusing on lately is language and I have to say that I am not impressed with what I've heard. George Carlin said it best: "We think in language, so the quality of our thoughts and ideas can only be as good as the quality of our language." Think about that opinion. If you use hateful, ignorant language then consequently you will turn out to be a hateful ignorant person. That's my opinion too and by that rationale if you try to use more considerate and more thoughtful language you will be a more considerate and thoughtful person. Now this is where I need to clarify. I'm not talking about being politically correct. I hate politically correct. I think the whole PC movement set us back a few years because not only could we not express ourselves truthfully but while one is being PC often times the other person or party sees the politically correct user as a liar, not knowing to what extent the softening of the language reaches. Do you know what I mean? It happens when someone uses a PC word because they think they are supposed to say and the intended party can tell and ends up wondering what they meant. The PC word sounds more uncomfortable than the word the person actually wanted to use most of the time. So politically correct is not what I'm talking about. I'm thinking beyond that into the realm of ignorance.
Have you recently gone out to a public place alone? When you go do you ever just sit back and absorb the atmosphere? Do you soak in the view and the scents and sounds? I don't go out into the public that much because it can sometimes overwhelm me but when I do I open my mind and senses to those gathered or passing around me. Like I mentioned, I've been listening to what people have been saying. I've been hearing the voice of the people, in tune to the sound of the streets. Okay you got me; I've perhaps been more in tune to the sound of the Laundromat or local coffee shop, but in tune nevertheless and I've been completely shocked and utterly frustrated with what I've been hearing.
I've always been annoyed when I'm out with friends or acquaintances in public somewhere and they curse up a storm. This is especially true if other people are around, especially children. I find myself embarrassed. If we think in language and our language is trash, are we not capable of more than trashy thoughts? I'm going to quote Malcolm X here because I think he had a very good point about this. His quote is "A man only curses because he doesn't know the words to express what is on his mind." I'm not saying people shouldn't curse. I'm saying people shouldn't be lazy with their words. I'm saying people should be aware of others when you aren't in your house or at your friend's house. It's part of living in a society. People just don't give a damn about anyone else in the world. I know it's not everyone, but it's the majority. There are some people who care about no one but themselves. Next there some people who care about themselves and those close to them, but couldn't care less about a stranger. Then there are those who care about everyone on this planet including themselves. Logically if you consider that we are living in a society that would flourish most if everyone cared for one another and contributed to making this place the best it can be you'd think that the vast majority of people in this world were in that third category. If only humans were that intelligent. The fact is there is a lot of ignorance out there. The kind that makes someone communicate a 2 minute profanity laced reflection on the night before while with their friends despite a few grade schoolers sitting only 1 table over and able to hear everything while their father is waiting for an order at the counter far enough away and out of range. Is he a bad parent? He gets his kids seated and still while he goes to a counter 15 feet away to wait a few minutes for a few coffee drinks and cookies while his children are in plain view. I stood a few feet away from all of this grabbing a few napkins. I stopped and listened. I pondered whether I should say something but a thought went through my mind; who am I to tell these people to watch their language? I didn't care that there were 3 males who were obviously somewhat ignorant and I was by myself, that wasn't a consideration. It wasn't out of fear. It was deeper than that. I just wondered whether I had the right. I'm still wondering.
Next we fast forward to the Laundromat. There's somewhere between 8-10 people sitting around waiting on washes or dries. Two of these people are college age women, or maybe more like college age girls. It's hard enough having to wait 28 minutes for my clothes to dry and have to listen to two early 20-somethings say "like" every other word, but then they started using some current slang. I'm sure you've heard it. Every bad experience wasn't lame, or ridiculous or unpleasant or even sucky it was gay. The club was gay. The clothes were gay. He acted gay. The situation was retarded. It turns out it was a pretty rough night for her because everything was gay or retarded despite not actually involving any gay or retarded people. Once again a discussion was going on inside. I wanted to tell them that they shouldn't use those words in that matter. It burns me. It's so damn insensitive and ignorant. It also seems incredibly immature and homophobic to have to use the word gay to describe things that are lame or bad. Remember we think in language. By that rationale, gay and retarded people are bad.
I've heard people over 30 say that a movie was gay. I've heard grown ups refer to a co-worker as retarded. I've seen white kids from the burbs refer to someone's clothes as ghetto. How the hell would they know? Should people be allowed to be so ignorant? I guess a better question is why are they so ignorant? Has it always been this bad? When I was a kid we called each other names. People were idiots and stupid and occasionally obscenities were mixed in for greater effect. Is it the same? Is it worse now? It seems worse now to me but I wonder if that's because I'm getting older. Maybe this insensitivity is the result of all the political correctness that ran rampant not too long ago and still does to some effect. Maybe this is the backlash. As much as I hated the politically correct movement I hate this insensitive slang and sheer ignorance even more.
There was a Peanuts cartoon. One of the characters comes upon two of the others, who are holding up a newspaper, looking at it and laughing. The first character asks, "What are you doing?"
--We're making fun of this picture in the paper.
--Why are you making fun of it?
--Because we don't understand it.
-Charles Schulz.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
maligne:
I would LOVE if you made me a CD!!! I'll send you a list later of the bands yoiu listed that i have not heard of for you to incliude!! I can be your first! (shipment to Canada ; )
northstar:
hahaha... never.