I'm On My Soap Box!

                I’ve noticed a disturbing trend and it’s popping up everywhere-in everyday conversation, emails,  blogs, YouTube videos, Twitter, Facebook, and most recently, on the red carpet at the Oscars.  What is this horrible thing?  It’s the constant use of slang and crude, profane language and it has gotten completely out of hand.

                Last night, my family and I were watching the red carpet coverage of the Oscars and a lovely young lady was being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest.  Lovely, that is, until she opened her mouth.  I can’t recall if she actually used the word “dude”, but I know she said “stoked” a few times, and the overall effect was not charming.  Not only was I flabbergasted that someone at an event as respected as the Oscars could sound so stupid, but even my children were appalled.  Now, she didn’t curse, but her use of informal language and slang at such a formal event was almost as bad as if she had.

                I’ve also noticed a few ladies in the beauty community who love to sprinkle their hauls and tutorials with various four letter words.  I’m not sure why they feel the need to do it-I think they believe it makes them sound edgy, witty and tough-girl, but to me, it makes me reach for the “unsubscribe” button.  It’s distracting, tacky, and has no place when describing beauty products. 

                We all have our favorite people that we like to watch on YouTube in the beauty community.  There are so many talented people making wonderful videos for us to watch.  But there are a handful of them that truly stand out, and the minute I see one of their videos in my subscription box, I do a happy dance.  Apart from their amazing skills, the one thing they all have in common is their gift at speaking.  Yes, Lisa Eldridge is one of the most talented makeup artists on the planet, but a big reason why she is so popular is because she is so eloquent.  Nur (nurberxo) is the first person I ever saw on YouTube that peppered her videos with multi-syllabic words and SAT level vocabulary.  Yes, she’s beautiful and that helps when watching her.  But I think that those of her who love watching her can also say she is incredibly witty, and yet nary a profane word escapes her lips in her videos.  It’s their lack of profanity that makes them stand out among a sea of slang dropping sailors.

                Now, I’m not saying that I use perfect speech.  I can curse like a trucker and when I’m not on camera, the F-bomb slips out on a daily basis.  It’s a problem, and I’m working on it.  But I never swear on camera.   I had a revelation last night about my cursing problem.  I realized that if I can make a conscious effort not to swear on camera (and I never have, not even the edited out portions), then why can’t I do that in my daily life?  I clearly have the ability to refrain from cursing during a business meeting, a conference with my sons’ teachers, or when speaking to my rabbi, so why should it be so difficult to just stop cursing completely?  It shouldn’t!  So, I am declaring to all 90 of you who follow this blog, from now on, no curse words will fall out of my mouth, EXCEPT if I am startled or if I have just stubbed my toe.

                I don’t know if this trend will ever turn around.  With electronic communication quickly replacing all forms of formal written and oral communication, it may not. I can’t control mainstream media, but I can take control over my own mouth.  So no more BLEEPING profanity from me!