By Pat Centner, AFA Journal staff writer

September 2001 – As I made my way through the busy mall, bobbing and weaving among shoppers of every age, size, and ethnicity, my progress was hampered by a group of teenagers meandering along, talking and teasing each other as they gawked at the wares displayed in the store windows.

Following along behind them, I was shocked to realize that every fourth or fifth word they said was a curse word. And I'm not talking "mild" profanity – these were crude, vulgar expletives, the kind that only those who "cussed like a sailor" would use when I was growing up. Even more upsetting was their non-stop profaning of God's name, and the fact that some of the girls were the most foul-mouthed. Worse yet, they appeared to be typical, run-of-the-mill teenagers, the kind of young people who live next door, or perhaps - at your house?

Trash talk epidemic
Today, the use of profanity, by young and old alike, has become so commonplace in our society that words the average person would never have used even 10 years ago are bandied about in casual conversation without so much as the blink of an eye from those who say and hear them. The problem is especially prevalent in schools, where "trash talk" has grown to epidemic proportions.

Gateways to Better Education (GBE), a Lake Forest, California, organization committed to supporting Christian parents of public school students, has gathered extensive information the past few years on students' use of foul language and its impact on teachers, other students, and a school's overall success. TrendWatch, a magazine published by GBE, cites a March 1999 Zogby International poll in which New York State teachers named profanity as the number one problem in their classrooms, ranking it above disrespect and defiance. In addition, 36.3% of the teachers polled said they believed profanity use was more prevalent and frequent than in the five years previous to 1999.

Even students say cursing is a problem. Seventy-six percent of respondents to a January-April 2000 nationwide Gallup poll indicated they see the use of foul language as very, or somewhat, serious.

Partner of violence
While researching via the Internet and various publications, I found the word "profanity" nearly always linked with the word "violence." This made me wonder if there is a viable, quantifiable link between the two. 

An April-June 2000 Gallup telephone poll of 501 randomly-selected 13- to 17-year-old students indicates that fights at school are on the increase. Two-thirds of those surveyed said fights at their schools are a "very big" or "fairly big" problem. And of those, almost eight in ten (79%) indicate a fight was instigated when someone "said something that made [them] angry."

In addition, the TrendWatch issue highlighting "Cuss-Free Schools" featured an article by Dr. Larry Hensley-Marschand that speaks directly to this issue.

Having been in public education since 1972, Hensley-Marschand is principal of Southport High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Although profanity has always been against the rules at Southport High, the principal says that he, teachers and administrative staff had noticed a yearly increase in both casual and abusive profanity. Further investigation revealed that 99% of the school's physical violence incidents (fist fights, pushing, shoving) had begun with verbal conflicts liberally salted with profanities. Hensley-Marschand, who has "always been deeply concerned about school violence," says he reasoned, "if we could eliminate verbal violence and trash talk, we should see a decrease in physical confrontations."

The plan
To tackle this problem, he and the entire teaching and administrative staff created a strategy aimed at drastically reducing the use of profanity and other disruptive behaviors in their school.

At the beginning of the school year, students were told they would serve detention, and their be parents called, the first time they used profanity anywhere in the school. Parents would be told exactly what the student said. Hensley-Marschand says this step was important, because none of the kids wanted their parents to know they were using foul language. Repeat offenders were suspended and lost all credits if established absence limits were exceeded. A critical element was the commitment on the part of teachers, coaches and staff to refrain from
using profanity themselves.

Results were dramatic. From September 1998 through December 1999, there was a 54% decrease in profanity use; a 50% decline in combative acts and gestures; a 27% decrease in insubordination; and a 24% decline in fighting.

In a recent follow-up interview, Hensley-Marschand indicated for school years 1999-2000 and 2000 through May of 2001, the above statistics remained fairly consistent. He emphasized that although there were other factors involved in the overall decline of disruptive behaviors at Southport High, the initial anti-profanity program "set the bar" at a level where students knew they were expected to exhibit appropriate conduct at all times.

What's the root cause?
We should all lament the fact that our nation has come to the place where it's necessary to implement strict disciplinary programs in our public schools just to keep some students from spewing out filthy language on a daily basis. How has this happened? Some of the answers
are obvious. 

The movie, television, and music industries are among the biggest culprits. Continuous loosening of the movie ratings system in recent years has resulted in kids hearing words in PG-13 movies that were formerly relegated strictly to "mature" audiences, or not allowed in any film. Hensley-Marschand says another factor is movie theaters that don't enforce age restrictions and let young teens in to see R-rated movies.

As a result, there has been a huge increase in the number of teens viewing them. A Gallup Youth Survey published in July 1998 disclosed that nearly 50% of teens polled had seen an R-rated movie within the past month.

Television is just as bad, if not worse. Between 1989 and 1999, the use of profane language on TV skyrocketed over 500%. Without naming all the profane and vulgar words now commonly used on TV, let this mild one suffice as an example: the use of the word "hell" during a four-week period on network television increased from 56 times in 1989 to 298 times for the same period in 1999. And the past two years have seen a barrage of filthy words and expressions never before used on TV.

Add to that the filthy lyrics resonating from music CDs of several genres, and you have some fairly solid evidence as to why our culture is permeated with profanity. Other factors include homes where parents no longer teach values and manners to their kids and constantly use profanity in front of (and against) them. These same parents rent R-rated movies and let their kids watch them.

One study says many kids use profanity in schools as a way to test their teachers, to see just how far they can "push the envelope." For others, it's a way to express blatant disrespect and disregard for authority. 

Most would agree, however, that the root cause is the moral and spiritual decay of our culture and apathy on the part of Christians. 

Most of us (myself included) fail to consistently contact movie studios, television networks, and sponsors, and tell them, "We won't stand for this - we will not attend your movies, watch your television shows, or buy your products until you clean up your act and take the vile language, sex and violence out of movies and TV." 

Will you take a stand?  

Minimize Profanity exposure:

• Monitor movies and TV programs and make it clear to your children that your family will not be watching those with heavy profanity content.
• Don't allow your children to attend (and don't rent) R-rated movies (or even PG-13 movies, if they contain foul language).
• Talk with your children about inappropriate language and how it is dishonoring to the Lord. Help them understand that a stand against profanity can be a strong Christian witness in today's world, and that you realize such a stand may take courage.
• Teach them to express frustration and other emotions without using profanity. Many other words can serve just as well.
• Tell them you will follow the same guidelines you've set for them. Allow no "fudging," either on your part, or theirs.
• Purchase a device that eliminates profanity on TV shows.
• Become acquainted with your children's friends, making sure they aren't being influenced by kids who freely use profanity.