I wrote several times about our society's shift from venerating age and tradition toward the idolization of youth. (See "Trophy Spouses", "Cranky Old Man?", "All Life in a Day, or, How Our Mistaken View of History Distorts Our Understanding of Events", "Self-Serving Cynicism and Our Cultural Immaturity", "More Off Topic Musings", "Some Absurd Statements", "The Problem of the Counter-Culture" and "A Sign of the Times".) I talked about the many consequences of this shift, but the one I mentioned several times was the rapid erosion of all standards of behavior. ("In Defense of Standards", "Addenda to "In Defense of Standards"", "The Fascination with Change") In the posts I wrote I described it as a consequence of children's need to "push the envelope" to prove they are independent. However, as our cultural fascination with youth and novelty forces adults to adopt the values of children or teens, the envelope against which the children push is often just a variation on the values they themselves hold. Where, in the past, children would rebel, then grow up to adopt their parent's values, leaving those same values for their children to rebel against once more, our new social model leaves children growing up, but maintaining the same values, even adopting the more liberal values of their own children, leaving those children to rebel against an ever more permissive set of standards, forcing them into ever more extreme acts while destroying all social norms. ("Our Complete Lack of Creativity", "Hoist By Your Own Petard", "Juvenile Intellectuals", "Graphic Novels, Comic Books and Cultural Barometers", "Tired and Annoying Theme", "A Thought On the Watchmen", "Self-Interest Versus Narcissism")

Just today I thought of an ideal example, as it shows not only how standards can quickly erode, even when there exist forces trying to hold those standards in place, but what consequences that erosion brings, and also how subtle those effects can sometimes be, causing changes no one notices until much, much later.

And what is this perfect example? Simple. It is our attitude toward the use of obscenities in public.

This occurred to me when I was watching television today, and realized how many casual obscenities are tossed around today, so many that we sometimes seem to forget they are even obscenities. For example, think back to prime time television of the 1970's, and recall that you could not even say "damn", much less "as*" or "hell". Oh, all three could be said in very specific contexts (damn as an act of condemnation, as* as a beast of burden and hell as a specific element of Judeo-Christian theology), but saying any of the three as an interjection would likely land you in trouble. At the very least it would make others see you as uncouth.

But today, these words and stronger are tossed about on television, on the street, in mixed company, even around children without anyone raising an eyebrow.

Which is exactly what I would have imagined would happen, had I been thinking about social evolution back in the early 80's, when "b**ch" was first uttered on network TV (Dynasty to be specific). But I was not even a teen yet, and so I had other things to consider (Was Darth Vader really Luke's father?), and so I did not notice until the process was pretty well advanced. But, since many of us probably overlooked it as it took place, let us examine the ways in which we have treated obscenities, how they parallel our general social change, especially the erosion of standards, and what consequences have come about as a consequence.

Let us start by looking at the function of obscene words. I know for some they work as an all purpose filler, the way "um" or "like" function for others. They simply insert their favorite obscenity every two or three words to cover up their lack of ideas. But they are the exception. For the most part, obscenities function as a form of emphasis. It is, admittedly, an easy out, a way to create energy without having to think about word choice, but as many people are not terribly adept at communicating, the obscenity has long been the favored form of emphasis, when an extreme reaction is needed.

Yet, thanks to our cultural changes, we are losing this ability to apply emphasis. By allowing obscenities to become not only tolerated, but acceptable, even commonplace, they have lost all emphasis. If you doubt me, think of the most famous parting line from Gone with the Wind, not only did the use of the word "damn" make the statement shocking, the fact that a man would use it when speaking to a woman gave special emphasis.

Today it would be impossible to convey the same message without using hundreds of words. The meaning implicit in the use of an obscenity in mixed company, as well as the special emphasis given by using an obscenity at all, that spoke volumes in a single word. But today, as we have lost that meaning, we need to communicate at much greater length if we wish to send the same message. Though, more often, we simply accept that our conversations are impoverished, and just allow our discussions to convey much less information.

To see how this works, think about the world around you today, and compare it to Gone with the Wind. If you were to hear a man say "I don't give a damn," would it even give you pause? Would you find it anything other than a passing statement of indifference? Even if he pointedly said it in the presence of a woman, maybe even to that woman, it would convey no special meaning. Even if he used a much stronger word, it would probably carry little meaning*, at most indicating he felt strongly about the topic, giving it the use of an obscenity the same function as a slightly raised voice. Nothing more.

It may seem a trivial loss to some, the fact that we cannot now convey the same meaning we once did with the same economy. Or, in fact, may not be able to convey the same meaning at all, as some of the emphasis is lost by using more words. But that loss may not matter to many. However, it is part of a larger picture. This specific loss may not mean much, but there are others which might. For every loss that does not matter to you, there is likely another that does. And every day, as we "push the envelope", as we cherish novelty for its own sake ("The Fascination with Change", "All Life in a Day, or, How Our Mistaken View of History Distorts Our Understanding of Events", "Self-Interest Versus Narcissism",  "Hoist By Your Own Petard"), as we embrace the folly of youth as our highest good, we lose more and more of our cultural heritage. We no longer possess the social controls which made us behave through persuasion ("Shame and Behavior", "Our Rude Behavior", "Social Controls", "Changing Thoughts on Marriage",  "A Brief Thought on Patience", "The Sky Is Falling! Again! Really! We Mean It This Time!"), and so we find ourselves turning to the state to either bully or bribe our fellows into behaving well. ("The Carrot and the Stick - Or How to Create a Fat, Lazy, Surly Donkey")Likewise prison no longer caries the stigma it once did ("Violence and Culture", "Shame and Behavior", "Social Pressure"), and so we find ourselves inflicting ever more severe punishments. ("A True Conservative Platform", "Symmetry and Asymmetry in Government", "Compassionate Execution", "The Death Penalty", "A Rational Approach to Punishment", "The Ends Justify the Means?", "Fair or Functional?", "Not Completely One Sided", "Motives Unimportant", "Sunday Morning Talking Heads", "Civilization and the Fear of Death")

And the list could go on forever.

The loss is there, if we but look for it. And it is a serious loss, even if the severity is not recognized by many among us. Perhaps constant exposure, and the gradual nature of the early stages have made us blind to the changes. Perhaps we have come to embrace enough of the cultural norms of our new, juvenile culture that we no longer question the ever increasing permissiveness. Or maybe, having been overwhelmed by the more extreme forms of license we see around us, the lesser forms pass unnoticed. Whatever the reason, we need to remain vigilant and fight to keep our culture from eroding any more. At least if we wish to preserve those things that we prize in our traditions.

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* I grant there is a difference in the degree of sensitivity to obscenities, largely varying with geographic location, though social class plays a part as well. However, as our pop culture tends to create a homogeneous culture, and our emphasis on youth tends to reduce that culture to the most permissive version, these differences are rapidly fading outside of intentionally insular communities.

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POSTSCRIPT

The most interesting aspect of this particular form of license is that it is often pushed by self proclaimed intellectuals, who believe that eliminating stodgy old rules about expression and removing artificial constraints on speech, they will be able to express themselves with more clarity. However, by eliminating any social meaning attached to obscenities, by making them into nothing more than alternate interjections, they have actually impoverished our speech, and left us less able to express ourselves.

Of course, that is nothing new. Many found the worship of youth and novelty and "energy" a font of limitless creativity, but time has shown that the destruction of norms, the flight from any sort of value judgments in art, or judgments apart from the completely arbitrary, has not unleashed a wave of creativity, but has led to juvenile efforts to shock,  trite jokes meant to "enlighten", and pointless trivialities such as white canvases. ("Self-Interest Versus Narcissism", "Our Complete Lack of Creativity", "Hoist By Your Own Petard", "Juvenile Intellectuals")

It is interesting how often supposed "liberation" doe snot truly free, but rather enslaves us to even less pleasing norms. Perhaps freedom and license are not identical as some think, and having some norms may actually provide us a better framework in which to freely express ourselves than an entirely licentious environment.

POSTSCRIPT II

I know I come across to some as a stodgy, boring old philistine. ("Cranky Old Man?") Before assuming that, I would mention that I am a rather unsuccessful fiction writer, and my writing is far from what many would imagine having read my blog. In fact, my politics have very little influence on my writing at all. Religion and philosophy in general have more influence, but even there I am more fascinated with the conflict between ideas rather than espousing a single point of view.

It is odd, the times in which we live. It seems that both the right and the left are unwilling to stand for tradition with any force. And those who do tend to go to the wrong extreme and endorse using government coercion to enforce their own view of tradition. I want to make clear, I am not in that camp. ("Culture and Government", "The State and Morality", "A Bit More Explanation") While I think tradition and received values are of inestimable worth, it is still an individual choice to follow them. Society can apply pressure to make it more likely others will do so, but I do not agree that we should use force to make others adopt society's values. All I want is for our culture to return to its former practices, to valuing received wisdom, to understanding that youthful folly is not something to be embraced by adults, and to no longer fearing to using social pressures to demand others live up to our established standards of behavior.

That such a position is seen as radical by most (and too weak by the "social conservatives") is frightening to me. And it makes me worry for our future.