WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE! (OR DELETE THAT EXPLETIVE!)

Victor Bloom MD

It is interesting that a great, unique and creative teacher is being held to account for using bad language. At the same time, a group of teenagers is not being held accountable for driving recklessly.

What is there about our language, that some language is good and other language is bad? Bad language has been defined as:

1. Profanity --- Taking the Lord's name in vain.

2. Obscenity---Offensive to modesty or decency; abominable, disgusting, repulsive; lewd and indecent

A person of my acquaintance said she had her mout‚h washed out with soap when she said goddamit. It was OK to say dammit, but not goddammit. The dictionary defines profanity as disrespect for the sacred. Obscenity has to do with revulsion and disgust of taboo sexual behavior, such as mfsob.

These words are in the dictionary. We must all learn the time and place for uttering them. Certainly not in church or synagogue, certainly not at a solemn gathering. Such words are meant for the locker room and all other places where vulgarity is appreciated and enjoyed. What about in school? Or in the parking lot?

Is there a place for bad language in school or outside the school? I am sure the First Amendment would apply and if offensive to anyone, the situation must be analyzed. Sticks and stones... What was the provocation? What happened to the concerned parties earlier that day? Sometimes an expletive serves the purpose of venting steam after the pressure builds up. This letting off of steam for the most part is mentally ‰healthy. I think we are all 'guilty' of letting off steam from time to time, because life is full of maddening frustrations. Nobody should be punished for taking care of his/her mental health.

Bad words usually come from the primitive unconscious. People have said things they've later regretted when impulse overcomes controls. A mentally healthy person has some access to the unconscious, which is the repository of instincts and drives. This is especially true for creative people. The unconscious is full of mythic fantasy, primitive language and magic. These are the sources of art. The conscious part of the mind is full of constraints, attempting to adapt to social and personal reality. We try to be realistic, rational, logical.

Emily Post and Miss Manners have given us many good pointers on how to be polite and appropriate in various situations. They deserve attention and re-reading. While bad language may not be the most proper thing to do, consideration for the persoén and his context should always be paramount.

Grosse Pointe South is not known for the politeness of some of its students. Bad language abounds because it is 'cool'. Ever since the sixties, teenagers have pushed the envelope on language. The musical "Hair" was full of it. The Vietnam demonstrators were full of it. Rebellion became cool and Western Civilization was under the process of deconstruction. We no longer need to pay attention to DWM's (dead white males), such as Plato, Socrates, Shakespeare and Freud. The New Age looks into the future, not the past. Having cast off the painful realities of the past, it emerges blithely serene.

But all is not serene in the real world. As long as people are frustrated, there will be bad language. The bible and Shakespeare do not consist entirely of good language. There is a difference between words and actions. If a teacher says a bad word, and high school students have bad actions, which is worse?

I wonder how most Grosse Pointe adults feel about the defensive positions teachers are put in by angry parents and students. This negativity interferes with the learning process. Children learn better when they admire, respect and like their teachers. Respect means giving the teacher the benefit of the doubt. It is easier for a teacher to give her best when she is treated well by cooperative students and their supportive parents.

Each person is entitled to a modicum of dignity, so that a great teacher who uses bad language should quickly be forgiven and 'nuff said.' As for the offending schoolkids and their parents, I wish they could be helped to see the big picture.

Dr Bloom is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University. He welcomes comments and questions at vbloom@comcast.net