GN Commentary: December 9, 2008 - Freedom to Be Profane?

While the media may influence our choices, we still bear the ultimate responsibility for what we choose to say and how we choose to say it.

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Video Transcript

Last week Cincinnati Court of Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman gained national attention after he sentenced two people—first a gang member and then an attorney—to six-months in jail for contempt of court after each of them allegedly used profanity in the courtroom.  Both men were shocked at the sentences, and civil libertarians are up in arms.  The phrase "freedom of speech" is being thrown about as if the Bill of Rights guarantees the right to say anything to anyone at any time with no adverse consequences.

Language that was once considered crude and offensive has become an accepted part of everyday conversation.  The entertainment media have led the way in portraying rude and profane language as both normal and acceptable.  Movies, television, and even popular music substitute vulgar expletives for meaningful content.  Some entertainers seem to be vying with one another to see who can be the most offensive and vile.  While the media may influence our choices, we still bear the ultimate responsibility for what we choose to say and how we choose to say it.

The use of profanity has been described as an attempt by a lazy and ignorant mind to express itself forcefully.  Others have called profanity the refuge of the witless.  People who have such a poor command of the language that they are unable to express themselves effectively often rely on profanity to impress and shock others.  Above all else, profanity is an expression of disrespect for the hearers.  In our attempt to instill self-esteem, we have lost the proper esteem for others.

Well I have news for those who think profanity is impressive—we're not impressed, and we never will be impressed by those who show such contempt for others.  Those who choose to use profanity are showing an immature disregard for anyone but themselves.  No matter how important or valuable their ideas may be, when they are surrounded by verbal pornography, any hope of honest communication is destroyed.

Freedom of speech does not remove the responsibility for that speech.  The person who speaks is responsible for the impact his words produce.  As the two men in the Cincinnati courtroom quickly learned, the wrong words can produce painful consequences.

And one more thing to consider—the words we choose to use reveal the kind of person we are.  A person who is willing to use coarse, base, and offensive words, in public or in private, is a person whose character should be seriously questioned.  Men and women of character learn to express their ideas in words that are both powerful and respectful in order to influence others for good.

For GN Magazine, I'm David Johnson.