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Shocking me is not an easy accomplishment. I spent much of my childhood in a bar. But today a woman who I don’t know set her mouth to flying in response to someone practically drag racing down her road.
She used the phrase Jesus Christ on a cross as a substitute for cussing. That was the first shock of the day. The second was when our big horse decided to take a section of fence out. Thankfully, my horse is okay.
Society has its own checks and balances, making corrections where needed, and even undoing some of the corrections that weren’t needed. But something has upset the balance. Something has influenced our minds in such a way that people just don’t say what they want to say and need to say to set things right.
Back in the 70’s and 80’s in the barroom with my mother. Men and women sipped their drinks and talked with one another. There was a lot of good natured joking and heaps of smoking.
Everyone knew that dropping expletives in the presence of ladies and children was totally not cool. Sometimes there were slips, but do you know what would happen next? Someone nearby would gently say, “Keep it down,” or “None of that here.” These kinds of corrections were followed by good natured snickers and chuckles.
A correction, gently stated, was needed today. That woman’s expletive was way out of bounds. I give her the benefit of the doubt. I don’t think she realized what she said. After all, no one would deliberately speak of someone’s death in the way that she spoke of Jesus’ cross.
If this had happened when I was a child in the barroom, customers would’ve spoken up. I can almost hear them now, “None of that in here,” but this time there would be no snickers and no chuckles.
I’ve spent some time thinking about this incident. I’ve shared some of my thoughts with you. I’d like to know your approach to this. Would you have said something to her? If so, what would it have been?
Wishing you a lovely day,
Pamela