Words That Explode

I read an article recently by a famous churchman from a previous generation. W.H. Elliott was a Church of England cleric who, among other things, wrote articles for The Sunday Pictorial. His homespun wisdom and popular style endeared him to many. His words are still worth reading, even though they seem to come from a different world. Elliott died in 1957.

In an article entitled Words That Explode, contained within a book of reprints called Workaday Religion, Elliott complains, goodheartedly but seriously, about the prevalence of swearing. He finds it childish and unbecoming, a blight upon society that adversely affects our children and offends womankind (to use his terminology). He wonders whether the women should not be the ones to put a stop to it, at least by recovering the common courtesy of men not swearing in the presence of women. And then, towards the end of the article Elliott comes out with a word of prophecy: "It may be, of course, (that swearing is) one of the signs of a nervous, outworn, and decadent civilization." No sooner has he had the thought than he dismisses it. Surely that cannot be true.

We recently returned from a visit to England. The place has changed immeasurably since we moved, sixteen years ago. I will have something to say over the next few weeks about the sorry state of my old denomination, the United Reformed Church. But for the moment let me express the opinion that society has become harder, more cynical. There seems to be an absence of joy. Admittedly our experience was in the economically depressed North, but even there life used to possess a sparkle. When I grew up, in Blackburn, I was expected to be courteous and respectful. Now, that seems to have disappeared. On our recent trip I grew tired of reckless drivers, tail-gating then pushing their way passed; I cannot remember the number of times I witnessed a young person deliberately refusing to yield the pavement, elbowing their elders out of the way. No one holds doors open any more; there were no friendly greetings in the street; everyone seemed to be scowling at the floor. But what struck me as much as anything was the abuse of language. Men, puntuating every sentence with expletives is one thing, but when you hear mothers speaking to their children in the same way, and infants seemingly unable to talk without polluting the air with the foulest of language, then you know that something has changed.

Lancastrians always used to be known for their good humor, but now the stranger is greeted with curses that make your toes curl. I've heard it said that swearing is good for you, that it helps to relieve tension and can reduce pain, but I'm not buying it. Some people argue that it is only a change in social convention, and that it does not matter. But I think that it does matter. It is a symptom of the degeneration of society. Is it too simplistic to say that the charis of the Gospel has been replaced by the crudity of godlessness? Perhaps Elliott was right, after all?

Or, perhaps I should just get a life and buy myself one of these?