LEDGER COLUMNIST

Did your parents ever wash your mouth out with soap when you were little?

I am not sure how common mouth soap washing is in households with small children today. I think this is a good practice for curbing the trend towards overuse of bad language that has become an epidemic in today's society.

Like many kids, I went through a phase when I used a couple of choice words that I had picked up from friends while playing. I quickly learned my parents did not approve of hearing those words in the home.

Soap doesn't taste good and neither does paint thinner. I've personally tasted paint thinner and lived to tell the tale after confusing it with apple juice at the age of 5. That's a story for another column.

I have been stewing for awhile over the increased use of bad language in everyday life. I find it increasingly difficult to find something good and clean to watch for laughter while watching movies to wind down after work.

The latest example was when I recently rented the movie "Superbad."

I understand it's a favorite movie among some teenagers these days. I found parts of the movie humorous and similar to how I viewed certain subjects as a teenager.

Yet the overriding memory I have from watching this film was the characters frequent use of bad language. When I searched the Internet Movie Database, I stumbled on a trivia fact that one unpleasant word is used in "Superbad" a total of 184 times during the 88-minute-long movie.

The frequent swearing cut down on my ability to enjoy the film. I have noticed for several years this trend has become more evident in many movies.

It makes some of the all-time great comedies like "Animal House," "Caddyshack" and "The Breakfast Club" seem clean in comparison.

Characters in the older movies didn't need to use bad words to be funny and cool.

I have a long list of movies I do not feel comfortable showing my nephews and niece when they get older. My list keeps getting longer every year.

Maybe I am overreacting about profanity. Perhaps this use of bad language is just a sign of the times or I'm completely missing the humor.

I'm certainly not a saint in the use of language. Occasionally, I will let a choice word fly when I'm particularly aggravated with someone.

I have become quite adept, though, at finding other ways to express hostility. My favorite alternate word is "brilliant."

I wanted to see if there were any research studies out there about profanity.

It's amazing what you can find on the Internet these days just by using a search engine.

I typed in the phrase "overuse of profanity" onto a search engine and was directed to a little blurb about a 2007 study done by researchers at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.

The researchers claimed in the study letting workers swear at will on the job can benefit employees and employers. The study found regular use of profanity allowed people to express their feelings, such as frustration, and develop social relationships through solidarity with coworkers.

I wonder if what the researchers really meant is breeding "dysfunctional" relationships in the work place.

Personally, I find no humor in excessive swearing and actually find it quite offensive.

My opinion is people who feel the need to use bad language on a regular basis either don't have a broad enough vocabulary or simply are ignorant about the impact these offensive words have on others.

We live in a R-rated society. It seems the community standards for what is acceptable behavior in public sinks a little lower every year.

The language police aren't likely to take care of the profanity issue anytime soon.

After all, we live in a country blessed with freedom of speech and the right to say something however we please.

We also have the right to be offended when someone uses vulgar language and react with disgust when we hear someone talking openly about a bad habit like spitting in a trash can.

Do me a favor. Clean up your mouth, please.

Scott Powell (spowell@gaffneyledger.com) covers education issues for The Gaffney Ledger.