“Corrupt Communication”
A few decades ago, comedians on television kept their language clean while telling jokes—probably because of public broadcasting standards that were in place. Those who caught their live performances probably had to endure saltier language. A few were known for their off-color language. Lenny Bruce, for example, is described by Wikipedia as “renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which contained satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity.” Then George Carlin came along with his often-cited routine, “The Seven Dirty Words.” As a student in an “American Humor” class, your congenial editor had to endure listening to this verbal assault on the ears. He was probably one of the few students who did not laugh because there was no humor in the gratuitous obscenities.
These comments are not a diatribe against comics in general—only in their selection of words. Carlin (and others), when they are clean, are absolutely hilarious. So why pepper their speech with gutter language? Is it for the shock value it imposes on the audience? Why do audiences laugh at such antics? It may be that they feel as though they are being given permission to be naughty. They would have been spanked by their parents had they used such crude verbiage when they were growing up. And they still can’t use such words commonly. So, maybe they find it humorous to hear spoken what they have often had to suppress. What ever the reasons, however, they lack sufficiency. Resorting to vulgar expressions reveals a lack of effort to find precise language.
What do the Scriptures teach? Jesus pointed out that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). So, if the heart is unclean, so will be the words that come forth from it. Jesus makes this point in the next verse: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” What’s inside will find its way out—and maybe at a most inopportune and embarrassing time! Verse 36 contains a warning that those who are freely frivolous with their speech ought to heed. The Lord says: “But I say to you that every idle word men may speak they will give account of it in the day of judgment.” This fact ought to make tossing around filthy language much less attractive.
In Ephesians 4:29, Paul writes: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Words should be chosen to edify and build up—not to lead one into coarse darkness. On some cable shows, speakers frequently use profanity. Even though the lips are blotted out, the viewing audience can probably imagine what is being said—but they shouldn’t be forced to. Salutary speech works best.