Can we talk?

Words Today

    Remember when gay meant happy?  And 'ho' was a gardening tool?  'Crack' was just something that plumbers had, and 'making out' meant getting by on what you had? And if you let 'crap' slip from your mouth, you felt really guilty and apologized.
   
    And in the sixties, 'chick' was an offensive word for woman, as was 'broad'. Today those terms are mild, and young women, especially, don't object to the names they are called. So much for equality fighters.

    Just last Christmas at a work party for about 200 people, a thirty year old male approached a coworker about early to mid sixties from some other background, perhaps eastern Europe. He meant to compliment the man on a beautiful wife, maybe 10-15 years younger, who was, obviously--to the discerning observer-- a conservative person like her husband. But what came out of the young man's mouth was, "Your wife is beautiful, you big old pimp, you." A major incident followed, since the wife thought the brash guy was calling her a prostitute. Several people intervened to smooth things out. When they told his supervisor, a store manager, his response was, "What's wrong with that?" until someone explained how normal people would interpret such a statement. He, too, thought it was an acceptable compliment, except that the church going employees were sticking up for the older man. The couple were gracious, if unforgiving, and the older man transferred to another location with fewer young employees as soon as possible.

    Why have we become such a crass society? Has gangsta rap taken such a hold on our imagery that we can't even pass compliments without being crude or thinking in materialistic, sexual terms? How did the women's movement fade away leaving women more victimized than ever and reduced to nothing but sexual objects to the younger generations?

    I know every generation has its double-entendre. Shakespeare is full of it, but only as it adds meaning to the story. Moliere would not have been a writer if double-entendre were not permitted on the stage. Maybe American culture is becoming a cesspool. I met a teacher/medical envoy to Africa who was home on furlough with the family. They couldn't wait to go back to Africa to get away from the sexual images thrown at your senses all day long every day, the obsession with violence, the materialism, and the close proximity to drugs.

      I suppose I am really frightened by the rise of crassness in comparison to the decline of values. I mean values like human life, safety and welfare of others, honesty, hard work, cleanliness, respect for age and infirmity, justice, brotherhood, equality, and liberty. Why isn't standing up for what is right and defending your beliefs as important as obtaining the latest unnecessary technology or designer shoes or other priorities? Where is nobility and selflessness and chivalry? Why is making a lot of money more important than pursuing a goal or preserving beauty and expression?

    Instead of calling women crass names, why aren't young men concerned with being their defenders and their heroes? The arts are being neglected for making a big name or record deal. Young people don't know what's in the Bill of Rights or what freedom really costs. Politicians run for office without acknowledging or fighting for the basic freedoms. What really counts is being replaced by crudity, self-centeredness, and personal pleasure. We have lost our focus as a nation and as a people. But we know how to be vulgar.