I'm always interested when language, speech and the first amendment that is meant to protect it in the U.S, are among the headlines. Recently, much debate was stirred by the Supreme Court's dismissal of a policy that considered all reference to sex or bodily functions as “always indecent”.
In the wake of this polemic, Terry Gross emerges as the Queen of the Always Indecent. Following her interview with the comedian Louis CK, Mississippi Public Radio criticized the show as including “gratuitous discussions on issues of an explicit sexual nature” and proceeded to ban Gross' show Fresh Air from its airwaves.
The idea of language use and control in the media and among our politicians, journalists, and other public figures is something I've been muling over ever since the frenzy that resulted after Obama's use of the word “ass” in the course of an interview with Matt Lauer, referring to which ass, or asses, he should kick in the wake of the BP oil spill. I'm all for Obama's idea of transparency, even though I don't believe it is possible or advantageous for him if he wants to excel in the profession of a manufacturer of consent, which is essentially the job description of any American president or politician.
What bothers me most, is that I don't think that American presidents, or any presidents, journalists, or any one that we're supposed to take seriously in the event of attempting to suspend our disbelief and buy into the democracy idea- even for a minute- need to pander to and cajole us by using informal and colloquial language. To a certain extent, I think that- no matter how much we resist it- Americans are an amazing sort of bilingual. Able to understand everything from “for shizzle my nizzle” to “Whan that aprill with his shoures soote he droghte of march hath perced to the roote” we excel in adapting to and adopting several dialects, registers and forms of argot. I love that. And I appreciate that. Which is why I think we should maintain our “elevated” or “formal” speech while having fun with all the other types. I don't mean we should put more value on one over the other. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pure Labovian- but I'd hate to see any of them die, even Standard, oh-this-old-English, English.
So, I am torn when it comes to threatening the passing on and acquisition of formal and informal registers, which is why I'm not sure that politicians should talk about kicking ass. But do they? Yes. And sometimes they do it on air. And do normal people talk about sex? Yes. All the time. And is that bad? No. It isn't, especially not when it's a respectable journalist like Terry Gross who, along with interviews with actors, comedians, and artists, also covers stories on "journalists reflecting on Iranian unrest" and "turning poverty into a multi-billion dollar industry". Her show is popular and well loved and maintains an ethical approach to reporting and diffusing political and other relevant stories. Her skills as an interviewer or particular and appreciated because she is able to identify with and bring out her interlocutor, and sometimes she probably does that by adapting his or her register and speech habits. And we benefit from it.
I agree that language is important, that we should value and monitor it. That what comes out of our mouths is artistic and our responsibility. But these are also reasons why we should expect the same of others and trust that they know what they are talking about.
