Having words about profanity.

By Wil Crois

Special to the Express

While scrolling through Facebook one day, I paused to listen to a woman speaking live about radiation discovered in the Love Canal area.

She appeared to be an attractive, well-dressed woman, somewhere between thirty and forty years of age. She spoke loudly and clearly, her voice rising and falling as she emphasized each point she was trying to make.

But nearly every sentence was filled with profanity.

"I'm tired of this stuff. I've had enough of this fing bull**. Those motherfers never cleaned up this f*ing place."

You get the idea.

I concluded that she had fallen into the habit of using vulgar language without even hearing herself. Profanity seemed to have become her everyday speech, with hardly a sentence passing without a curse word.

She also mentioned that she had three children. I could not help but wonder whether they would eventually adopt the same habit, if they had not already. Sadly, this is no longer uncommon; it has become increasingly accepted in many parts of society.

A decline in language often reflects a broader decline in conduct. When respect for speech, dress, manners, and morals is neglected, the consequences can reach far beyond words themselves. Small habits, left unchecked, can become the foundation for larger problems.