As many on this blog know, I have long griped about the loss of civility and basic standards of conduct in our society. Whether it is a halftime show or television broadcast or some fan or some athlete acting like a thug, we seem to be quickly abandoning any sense of decorum or decency. When M.I.A. used bad language and flipped the bird during a Superbowl game, many like the New Yorker insisted that she should not apologize and that such standards of decency that are nothing but a remnant of the fifties we haven’t shaken.” I remain unconvinced that our society has now abandoned such standards as historical relics. While I have opposed efforts to criminalize speech, I do believe that as a society we should enforce standards of civility and decency. My concerns were raised this last week again with scurrilous attacks on President Barack Obama and a profane laced Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia.
First, let me begin by saying that I have never understood why people find Joan Rivers (or her younger version Kathy Griffin) to be funny in the slightest. I actually recoil while watching Rivers like seeing a car crash repeat over and over. However, that lack of talent was matched with a lack of decency last week when she called President Obama “gay” and the First Lady a “tranny.” It is an example of what passed for humor in today’s trash talking culture. I also fail to see why anyone would consider that attack on the First Family to be funny.
Many might say that such insults are just part of the New York culture. However, in Nebraska, families cheered a float in a small-town parade on the Fourth of July that depicted the “Obama Presidential Library” as an outhouse. While the organizers said it was protected political speech, my gripe is with the lack of maturity and respect to create such a float in a Fourth of July parade. I have been a loud critic of President Obama for his attacks on civil liberty and his violation of the Separation of Powers. Yet, I consider it shockingly inappropriate to parade such an insulting display as part of our celebration on the Fourth. He is still the President of the United States and we should be teaching our children some modicum respect even if we disagree with his actions. Moreover, the Fourth is a time when we celebrate our common beliefs and values as a nation. Trashing our President seems fundamentally at odds with the values of that day — values that we should be working hard to instill in our children. When people object to the rapid decline of civility and decency in our society, they need to look at displays like the one in Norfolk, Nebraska and consider the impact on kids. I did not see the display as necessarily racist, but I view it was wildly inappropriate for a Fourth of July parade.
Then there was the profanity laced Fourth of July concert in Philadelphia. While Mayor Michael Nutter said that he did not notice the profanity, many families were shocked by the profanity filled concert that is heavily attended by families and children. Concert broadcaster 6 ABC actually had to entirely cut away from live coverage of Roots frontman Black Thought at the start of the show because of all of the foul language. Then, just as families thought they could relax and take the hands from the ears of the kids, Nicki Minaj appeared in a skimpy outfit and proceeded to repeated as a virtual mantra words like “bitch,” “shit,” and “motherf*****” into every song. Then Ed Sheeran finished with his own f-bomb laced performance.
I just don’t get it. If you cannot sing without profanity, stick to the clubs and concert halls. These performers wanted this gig and were contractually required to keep the performance family friendly. This is after all a public concert for everyone, including families, to celebrate the Fourth of July.
I will admit that I no doubt sound like a prude and an old crank. Perhaps we have come as a society, as advocated by the New Yorker, of treating good manners as a “remnant of the fifties.” However, we are hardly a better society for it.
JIm22:
Only you could conflate a demeaning depiction of the President of the United States, himself a progressive by comparison, to some harbinger of the age of progressives. Do you ever climb off your ideological horse to look around and see that your side does not have a monopoly on virtue?
Welcome to the age of progressivism. We are just reaping what has been sowed. And, the elephant in the room is, replacing religion with govt. Now, let all the personal attacks begin.
The obscenity in public is a different matter. The BBC has recently decided that several of George Carlin’s ‘bad words’ are now alright for the dinner hour.
I think the 4th of July is the perfect day to protest Obama. And I think the idea of the outhouse for the Obama library symbolizes the lack of transparency of this administration. What the heck is going to go into the library? He has slow-played every investigation. He has both the IRS and EPA with missing emails and computer crashes.
People blame this on the cultural shifts of the 60’s and 70’s, but seem to forget about Reagan and the 80’s ‘greed is good’ culture. The 60’s and 70’s relaxed social norms and then the Ayn Rand neocons came in and pushed the notion that everything is about you, there is no ‘community’ to consider and is okay to demand your rights without regard for your responsibilities. The result is a culture of thoughtless, whiny, perpetual victims who don’t want to be held to any standards, won’t take responsibility for themselves, and abuse the very rights that others have fought so hard to attain. We are a nation of spoiled children and instead of being relegated to a time-out corner when we misbehave, 24 hour news media go out of their way to document the tantrums.
Now who’s a prude and old crank?
So political correctness and decency still has a place in our society, that is good to hear.
It is too bad that the Obama haters are so stupid and lacking in decency and taste that they can only do what children do when they dislike something or person. I remember a best selling record album when JFK was President. it was called the First Family which was hilarious parody of the Kennedys. Of course, it takes some intelligence and wit to produce something like that, and to appreciate it.
Comedy is not pretty. I think there are few taboos in comedy. With the perniciousness of PC, comedy is our best defense. The vulgarity in music is another thing. Hip Hop is the black addition to the coarsening of our culture in music. The Brittany Spears, Miley Cyrus horseshit is the white contribution. Together they make a potent one/two combo of audio and visual depravity. Who thought we would long that nice punk music..
The main cause for this is that a person or employer can’t discriminate about a persons beliefs. If the word got out people would turn their backs on these a holes
Additionally, the real gripe here is more about false advertising than moral or cultural decay, though it’s the latter that’s always touted as the problem.
If contracts were signed and then breached, well ok. But the article’s arguments are more designed against alleged profanity generally and not just a breach of terms, which, as I said, is ironically offensive itself.
Parents are responsible for monitoring the content consumed by their kids; it’s not the responsibility of networks or video-game makers or government. Getting upset by Minaj is like being offended by a Dave Chappelle routine: what does one expect.
One person’s expression is another’s offense. Accusations always are relative and often boringly empty, too.
What is deemed “profane” changes with times and attitudes, and therefore should never be trusted or needless to say imposed.
Change the channel or do research ahead of time before plopping kids in front of televisions. Or if, as an adult, one becomes so offended that it spurs requests for societal action, wear blinders and shut the lights and read a book (though don’t dare read, for instance, Lady Chatterly’s Lover: it’s immoral and banned!).
If people want to protest or mock their president during a July 4 parade, to me it highlights how great of a country we live in — and not the opposite.
All this offense offends me.
squeaker: Your dad has it backwards
Well, like my father says, part of the reason we have a dissappearing middle class is we have dissappearing middle class values. He says this goes back to the 60’s when people started thinking that the very notion of “public morality ” was wrong. He also says “no values, no civilization and no rules, no civilization.” And that “libertarians ” on both sided of the political spectrum are to blame. FWIW.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
I noticed the cultural shift into infantile crudity first in the eighties. It seemed to arise out of the child-centred ideology that children shouldn’t be encouraged to have standards. Result – our culture is swamped in the filfth of infantile minds.
So, who is a good role model these days?
I agree totally with Bettykath. “Those who require profanity to make a point seem to be lacking in vocabulary and/or argument. Those who require profanity in their performance seem to be lacking in talent.” It’s worth saying twice.
Whatever John; perhaps you should check the housing market in Norfolk, Nebraska. You’d fit right in.
I don’t think she was trying to be funny. She and many others see this man for what he is. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck….
Guess I’m a prude and an old crank, too, because I’m in total agreement.
Those who require profanity to make a point seem to be lacking in vocabulary and/or argument. Those who require profanity in their performance seem to be lacking in talent.
We find out level, and this determines the kind of attention we receive as well.