Our potty-mouth “culture”

Do mothers still say “potty-mouth”?

President Trump gave the commencement address at the University of Alabama. The speech was noteworthy for two things. First, the president did not wear an academic gown at Alabama. I know of no other commencement speaker so unattired. Second, in his speech, the president said that the internet people once hated him but now they ”kiss his ass”. I was shocked at the language and offended. Talk like that would have been unthinkable (and unspeakable) in such a public forum only few years ago. Yes I know that presidents in the past have been foul-mouthed, Richard Nixon and especially Lyndon Johnson come to mind. But that language was usually uttered in private. What was once private is now out in the open.

Our speech has coarsened and I wonder if I am the only one offended by it. Scatological speech seems to be accepted in today’s “culture”. I reported earlier on how the democrats have taken to cursing with aplomb. In stump speeches, in television interviews, on the floor of congress and even in hearings they are swearing like the proverbial sailor. I am sure that the republicans are doing so too but the only one frequently publicized as  using vulgarities is Donald Trump with a few f-bombs scattered here and there. Remember the president referring to some countries as “s-tholes”?

Even Kamala Harris has dropped an f-bomb. Jasmine Crockett would probably have been expelled from the congress in an earlier era and especially likes to spice up her language. How about“Somebody slap me and wake me the f-k up because I’m ready to get on with it.” Or when she told Elon Musk to “F-k off.” Ilhan Omar also told a reporter to “f-k off”.  Remember Rashida Tlaib when she said about Trump, “We’re gonna go in and impeach the motherf—er?” And this before a crowd that had plenty of children.

There is actually a website called Govpredict that listed 1,722 instances of politicians swearing last year. Also disturbingly is the florid use of s -t. The media is complicit by actually printing the words for all to see. This is the Chinese year of the snake but it is also the year of the f-bomb. Cory Booker said in reference to the president, “Listening to the president. Such a bulls-t soup of ineffective words.” Why, that maybe the world’s shortest word salad. Booker has also said “We are not going to give thoughts and prayers, which to me is just bulls-t. I’m sorry to say that as a man of faith, but I was taught that faith without works is dead.” Eh, Cory, what faith is that which you are a man of? Booker’s fellow democrat senators posted social media videos fact checking the president, each of them calling his claims “s-t that ain’t true.” It seems that the democrats all read (and apparently curse) from the same playbook. I guess their polling told them that the best way to connect with the American public is to curse. WTF.

I wonder what their mothers might said to their potty-mouth children?

I admit to being somewhat old-fashioned. I never heard my parents curse- except for that time that Dad dropped a bag of concrete mix on his foot. I have never cursed my children or used that language in there presence. Only on rare occasions do I curse. But that’s me. It is noteworthy that none of my friends curse either. Maybe I am living in a cocoon.

Yes I know that for a few years now we have been subjected to verbal abuse from loud foul mouth rappers. I am still amazed at all the vulgarities that blast out of cars these days. But it saddens me that this coarseness is now so acceptable and seems to be a natural partner of our moral decay. I guess that we should now accept all the coarseness, vulgarities and cursing of our modern “culture.” But pardon me if I don’t participate.