The Way We Talk

Mark Twain was a master of words.

 Am I the only one who has noticed increasing vulgarity in everyday speech?   This blog looks at changes in what is acceptable in social speech and how it has changed over the years.   

It may surprise you that in the English language, very early curse words evolved from the Bible, because utilizing the Bible in expressing contempt was the worst means of hatefulness.  Also, a disgusting insult was calling someone the name of a different race or ethnicity.  

All of these vulgarities evolved over time, but it is thought that a great change occurred when in WW II when war correspondents were permitted to quote soldiers directly, bringing some 'colorful' language to civilian vocabularies.  Gradually, words that would probably never have been used by earlier generations embedded themselves in our vocabularies.

In recent decades, swearing has become more widely acceptable.  People swear in casual conversation to emphasize what they are saying, or to create humor.  It is also common to show agreement with others by repeating the swear word they had spoken to show their agreement.   

Years ago, the world was shocked when Vice President Cheney spoke directly to candidate Sen. Leahy, using a vulgar expression.  Cheney's words became the headline in many newspapers.  Although politicians had long used curses in private, in public they rarely did so.  There were examples of politicians being overheard using a curse word, or of being caught on a 'hot mike,' but in general politicians avoided cursing publicly.  However, times have changed, and some politicians, even those of high rank, curse openly.  

The way we talk has changed.  I doubt that we will ever go back to Victorian days during which women's speech was genteel, her words as tightly bound as her corset.  Men would never have intentionally sworn in the company of ladies.  

I confess that I do prefer that professionals maintain a certain public dignity and reserve their more colorful language for friends in private conversations.  Unfortunately, I fear that the less that people read, the worse their vocabularies shrink. The great speakers of the past may no longer exist in significant numbers.

Can the 1st Amendment be called upon for help?  Freedom of speech is a highly treasured right, and it seems unlikely that courts would become involved in the now ordinary vulgarity heard today. Most of us are familiar with the prohibition that you cannot stand up in a crowded theater and scream "Fire," putting people at risk of harm as a joke, because of the likelihood that people could be injured in their desperation to escape the theater.  However, common vulgarities are unlikely to receive the Court's attention, unless there is some risk of harm or exceptional circumstances.  

The position of the First Amendment emphasizes the importance of these freedoms:  religion, speech, the press, assembly, and petitioning the Government for redress of grievances should be a reminder of their importance.  However, their very placement should also be a reminder of the respect they are due.     

  

The Concerns of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was only 14 when his father died, and he inherited the responsibility of the family estate.  In his youth he had studied Latin, French, and Greek, Math, and History.  He was well prepared for entering the College of William & Mary, where he studied law.  Later, he married a well to do widow, and fathered 6 children, only two of whom survived into adulthood.  His wife was frail, and soon after the death of her last child, she died.  There was help for raising his children, but only 2 of them reached adulthood.

What history knows best about Jefferson are his political roles.  He is largely credited with writing the Constitution, although John Adams played an important role in its drafting.  Nearly unknown today is that in the first draft of the Declaration of Independence there was a passage blaming the slave trade on George III.  That clause was quickly                                                                                     deleted.  

In 1782 Jefferson served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in Paris.  When he returned in 1789, he served as George Washington's Secretary of State, assisting with matters of foreign policy.  All of this had occurred before the serious rift between Jefferson and Adams. 

Politics were very ugly during this time.  Washington had warned against the trouble political parties could cause, and this period represented an example of just how ugly opposing parties could get.  Adams had served one term, and he planned to follow Washington's example by running for a second term.  Jefferson decided to run for the presidency, in opposition to his friend, and opposing parties became personal.  Adams was displaced, and Jefferson became President.  The false and hateful tactics during the political campaigns severed their friendship.  Jefferson served two terms as President, the Louisiana Purchase generally regarded as his greatest achievement.  

The ultimate part of his legend, however, may be the reconciliation of their friendship.  John Adams reached out first, and their back-and-forth correspondence continued for the remainder of their lives.  The letters of both men were preserved for history, a total of 158 letters between 1812 and 1826.  Their deaths could not have been written better as a Hollywood script.  The two friends died on the same day of the same year, slow correspondence of that era causing both of them to die without awareness of the death of their friend.  Even more remarkable was the fact that the day of their deaths was the 4th of July. 

The example of the political ugliness engineered by political parties between two men who had been friends is an example of what concerned President Washington.   Washington realized that political parties could do great harm if they cared more about their candidates winning than they cared about the things for which our constitution stood.  It remains a good example.      

Jefferson also had concern about threat to the system of government that our founding fathers devised, if the original purpose of the three branches ignored the original purpose.  During his two terms in office, he expressed his warning that "Our government is now taking so steady a course as to show what road it will pass to destruction..."  His fear was that the loss of the original purpose of the three branches of government was being ignored.  He warned:  "The great object of my fear is the federal judiciary.  That body, like gravity, ever acting with noiseless foot and alarming advance, gaining ground step by step and holding what it gains, is engulfing insidiously the [state] governments into the jaws of that [federal government] which feeds them." 

And here we are...with similar problems existing today. 

The Guidance of Lincoln

 Over the years, I have had reasons to admire various Presidents, but Lincoln always impresses me.  What a challenge he faced.  But he never wavered about the Constitution.  His wisdom saved the Nation.  I turn to Lincoln in our troubled times, and I am sharing four of his quotes to guide us through our present challenges.  Lincoln's words are in dark print.

        Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution.  That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our nation. 

The simple fact that our nation has endured for generations, when other nations have failed, is evidence of the amazing wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who so wisely established the checks and balances of our Constitution.  Benjamin Franklin feared that it would be "well administered for a course of years"...(until) "people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being unable of any other."  Franklin was wrong.  The wisdom of the Founding Fathers has endured.  Our responsibility is to respect our Constitution and leave it alone. 

        The people - the people are the rightful masters of both congress and courts - not to overthrow the constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it. 

America is in trouble when ordinary Americans forget that they have the responsibility to protect and preserve the Constitution in order to protect and preserve America.  Our ancestors protected it for us, and it is now our responsibility to protect and preserve it for future generations.  It is not for us to change the Constitution, but rather to vote wisely and judge carefully those we have entrusted to preserve the Constitution for the children living now, and generations that follow.

        Stand with anybody who stands right.  Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.

Sometimes we may feel helpless.  What difference does my single vote make?  We may or may not always believe we voted wisely, but our vote is not the only action we can take.  Write to the people you voted for to let them know you are grateful for their work, as well as writing to tell them when you are dissatisfied.   Attend town hall meetings.  Visit with friends.  Run for community and state offices.  Encourage the teaching of civics in your schools.  But, always protect the Constitution.  

      Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's Character, give him power.  

We learn from experience, and if we do not learn anything from disappointment, how are we going to avoid future disappointments.  If you are pleased with the person to whom you gave your vote, let him or her know, and if disappointed, let them know that as well.  Even if you did not vote for the person, you can still let him or her know how you feel.  Just as Lincoln said, the people are the rightful masters of both congress and courts, and those we elect need to be reminded that they serve the people...all the people.  But above all, they took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and the oath they took did not include an oath to reshape it to their liking.      

  

 

        

A Reader's Comment

A reader responded with the following words:  The problem is that many school districts do not require a basic course in civics.  Back in Hays when I was growing up every student needed to take that course in 8th grade.  

It is what got me interested in political science which led me to major at FHSU and to get my master's and then later my Ph.D. at Missouri.  It shaped my whole career in both public and academic realms.  

Obviously not everyone needs to do that but if you do not have the basic understanding of checks and balances, separation of powers, the Constitution and the kinds of democracies that exist you are not doing your job as a citizen.  

Democracy only works if you have an "informed" citizenry.  If you do not then you are on a slippery slope.  We have been on that slope for a long time and now those running the executive branch clearly do not have that basic understanding. 

Comment by B.J. Reed, Sr. Vice Chancellor (retired), University of Nebraska at Omaha authorized for publication in response to "Understanding Our Government."

Understanding our Government

 

A few weeks ago, I posted a diagram of how our government works.  You may want to return to that blog to review the diagram; however, I hope you enjoy this additional explanation of our system.

First of all, I want to explain something that may be confusing.  The provosion of checks and balances has three separate but equal branches of the Government--the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch.  However, within the first branch there are two different houses--the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.  Together, they are spoken of as the legislative branch, but they operate separately. 

  The Legislative Branch.  The House of Representatives, known as the Lower House, is so important because it makes and passes Federal Laws, including the power to initiate all revenue bills.  It also is entrusted to initiate the impeachment of the President.   The United States Senate is referred to as the Upper House.  In a way, they are the watchdogs on the House and the President.  They have the power to pass or defeat federal legislation, to approve or reject treaties, and to revoke or approve the impeachment of the President. They also have the power to vote up or down the president's choices for his Cabinet.  This check & balance on the President's choices is not intended necessarily to be a party vote but rather an evaluation of the qualities of the persons selected for the job,  

The Executive Branch.  Now to the Executive Branch, headed by the President of the United States.  The President is charged with implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress.  He is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and he selects the members of his cabinet, subject to the approval by the Senate.  

The Judicial Branch.  The third branch, part of the effort of the founding fathers to create a balance of power from becoming too strong for any one branch, is the legal branch.  Article III of the Constitution invests the judicial power of the United States in the federal court system, but Article III gives Congress the power to establish inferior courts, the authority to create the lower federal courts, and the ability to decide how to organize it, which has included over the years altering the number of Associate Justices.     

The genius of the Founding Fathers was to create a system of checks and balances.   Each branch has its own authority but is subject to the check of another part of the system.  These checks and balances keep any one part of the system from assuming full control.  Our system fails if the checks and balances are ignored.    If any branch attempts to dominate another branch by intruding into its authority. our system is threatened.  If we as citizens do not understand the importance of the Three Branch system or intentionally facilitates wrongful use, we threaten our democracy.  

Unfortunately, most of us do not fully understand exactly how this works.  I don't recall a civics class in school, although some schools have included civics' classes.  The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey found that less than half could name all three branches of government. When asked to name the protections in the First Amendment, Freedom of speech was cited by only 62%, Religion by 24%, Freedom of the Press by 20%, Right of Assembly by 16%, and the right to petition the government only 6%.  All of these were down from previous survives. 

If we are to protect and preserve our precious Constitution, we must know how it works.  The survey quoted above suggests that too many of us have neglected that responsibility.