Are you offended by bad language? By Brendan Conboy

Bad language, colourful language, swearing, profanity? Are they necessary?

Mark Twain famously viewed profanity as a necessary relief, arguing it provided comfort "denied even to prayer" during trying times. He regarded it as essential, jokingly stating it was "more necessary to me than is immunity from colds", and maintained that one could still be a gentleman while swearing if done "affectionately."

George Washington, the first President of America, famously condemned "the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing" in a 1776 general order to his officers, calling it a "vice so mean and low" that it detests all sense of character.

Whilst the Apostle Paul frequently condemns "filthy language" and "corrupting talk" (e.g., Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 3:8), urging Christians to use words that build up rather than tear down.

I know that this subject has been raised before, and I am sure that it will continue to be debated. So, why am I raising it now? I recently visited a friend in Dorchester and gave her one of my poetry books as a gift. This prompted her to suggest that we visit a local pub, where a group of creative writers held an open mic evening.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take part, as I had previously entered a secular poetry slam, where the preferred entries were abusive rants about men, politicians and sexual behaviours. Needless to say, most were laced with a plethora of what are regarded as offensive words. I thought, ‘Maybe my previous experience was just a one-off.’ Sadly, I was wrong.

The event in question started ok with some heart-warming attempts to entertain the gathered crowd, though each of them exceeded the allocated five minutes. This slightly niggled me. I then brought two of my poems, which received fantastic applause. That felt great.

Next came a young person in their early 20s. They seemed to have many axes to grind as they delivered four extensive pieces of abusive rants. Once again, men were the subject of condemnation and accusations. The extent of profanity would probably even have made Mark Twain cringe.

As I sat and watched, I thought, ‘Is this what art has become? Is this creative writing or destructive writing?’

The crowd loved it, and the next act was even worse, so we left.

The next morning, I reflected on the words of Maya Angelou, ‘People will rarely remember what you say, yet they always remember how you make them feel.’

I felt abused and wondered if I would ever participate in another secular event.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Brendan Conboy aka Half Man Half Poet, is the author of 16 published books, including two fascinating autobiographies, The Golden Thread and I'm Still VALUED.  In 1986, Brendan invited Jesus into his life, and God blessed him with the gift of rhyming words.  He used that gift as a Christian Rap artist for 25 years and has written 6 poetry books, including the entire Book of Psalms in Rhyme.  He has 3 published novels - Issues, Invasion of the Mimics and Legacy of the Mimics.  He is the creator of Book Blest.