Our (Not So) Wonderful Behaviour
The choice of words used today adds to the polarization evident around us. The Kingston Trio’s lyrics from 1959 strike a chord, particularly the phrase “…and I don’t like anybody very much”:
The Merry Minuet
They're rioting in Africa. They're starving in Spain. There's hurricanes in Florida and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls. The French hate the Germans. The Germans hate the Poles.
Italians hate Yugoslavs. South Africans hate the Dutch and I don't like anybody very much!
But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud for man's been endowed with a mushroom shaped cloud.
And we know for certain that some lovely day someone will set the spark off and we will all be blown away.
They're rioting in Africa. There's strife in Iran. What nature doesn't do to us will be done by our fellow man.
The values my generation was taught about good behaviour, respect and language seem to have disappeared in some circles. In one of the recreation spots I frequent, my friends remark that some of the others there need a dictionary, as they can’t seem to utter a sentence without using multiple “F--ks.” As grating as it is to my ears, not many other people seem to notice, or care. Swearing has become accepted and commonplace. If that represents the words we use around people we like, what do we say to those we don’t like?
Mainstream media is disfavoured, and social media has taken its place. I recently heard from a Globe and Mail author about the extent to which the editors fact-checked her details before printing an article about international students being set up to fail. No disinformation allowed there, unlike on social media. How do we know what to believe anymore? No matter what is said, somebody will object, often vehemently. Don’t get me wrong. There are always three sides to every issue, black and white, with grey in the middle. But why does the language have to be so disrespectful? Notice the comments section of some online newspapers, whereby about the third remark, whatever the issue is, it is the Prime Minister’s or the Premier’s fault. It is rare that those positions are not dragged into the discussion. We certainly don’t know where the comments originate, human or AI, but we are inundated with disapproval.
People have commented on how distasteful it is for schoolchildren to attend events or listen to broadcasts from some supposedly respected elected representatives in decision-making mode, such as question period. Adults also take offence. Snide remarks and playing the blame game while “fighting for change” could be replaced with “seeking collaboration for solutions.” Is this possible? What would it take?
Our society tends to favour highlighting the ways in which we differ from one another, rather than how we come together for the common good. Or is there a common good anymore? As various factions clamour to be heard and recognized over the other voices doing the same, what are we losing? Can we not all gather at one community function instead of having three separate events because “…and I don’t like anybody, very much?” I wonder if people would feel more heard if they wrote a letter to their respective order of government with their polite views, rather than gathering on the front steps, waving placards. It would tie the administration up for weeks, trying to answer all the letters.
Referring to the lyrics, the discord and disrespect we see and hear in the language used by our “fellow man” have become too normal. Although the spark has not been set off yet, I fear we are coming too close. Is there a collective will to change our ways?