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Adam_Holz
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The Language of George Lucas

Posted by Adam_Holz on Jan 25, 2012 8:24:28 AM
lucas.JPGIn my formative years, there wasn't any nuance or mystery when it came to words I wasn't supposed to say. The f-word and s-word were definitely out of bounds. But so were some other common vulgarities that, while not as harsh as the really nasty stuff, were still very much considered profanity in my family. I'm talking about words like "d‑‑n" and "h‑‑‑."

 

These days, however, fewer folks seem to be concerned about these so-called "mild" profanities. Consider George Lucas' new film, Red Tails.

 

Before I reviewed the film for Plugged In last week, I was heartened to see this quote from Lucas, who bankrolled the movie and has been trying to get it made since 1988. "I wanted to make it inspirational for teenaged boys," he told The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. "I wanted to show that they have heroes, they're real American heroes, they're patriots that helped to make the country what it is today."

 

Lucas' desire to give young viewers role models really raised my expectations for Red Tails. And in many ways, this cinematic story of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II delivers. These pilots show great courage in facing both the fierce German Luftwaffe and the deeply entrenched racism of their own country.

 

But there was one glaring aspect of the movie that was anything but heroic for me: about 70 profanities.

 

Granted, the majority of those words, about 40 instances, were of the "milder" kind: "h‑‑‑" and "d‑‑n." Still, there were also about a half-dozen s-words and several instances of "g‑‑d‑‑n." In short, there were enough language problems that I definitely couldn't land my review in an unqualified positive place, no matter how inspirational the story itself was.

 

As I was writing my review, I came across another quote from Lucas that I found to be quite curious in light of the film's language issues. Speaking to The New York Times, Lucas described the pitch he made to various Hollywood studios. Among other things, he said of the film, "There's not really going to be a lot of swearing in it."

 

Now, this was a bit of a head-scratcher for me. Admittedly, Red Tails doesn't include the volume of nasty language that many (if not most) R-rated films, quite a few PG-13 efforts and plenty of M-rated video games often do. That said, I would still describe 70 or so profanities as quite a few. And I suspect many parents of the teens Lucas says he was aiming the film at would find their emulation of such language less than heroic.

 

So what's going on here? I can't say for sure, but I suspect it might be something like this. I wonder if we've gotten to the point culturally where words that used to be treated as genuine, full-on profanities, words like "h‑‑‑" and "d‑‑n," barely even register as such anymore for Hollywood. I wonder if our entertainment has become so saturated with problematic language that people like George Lucas can say with a straight face, "There's not really going to be a lot of swearing in it" despite the fact that there is a lot of swearing—at least, words we used to consider swearing.

 

I don't think George Lucas is lying here. I think he's representative of the reality that language in entertainment (and perhaps our culture at large) has become so base that we're almost completely deadened to—and thus not really aware of—all but the harshest vulgarities.

 

I'll bet George would still consider the f-word swearing. But based on his comments and the film he helped make, I'm not sure he thinks all those other formerly naughty words really qualify anymore.

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Comments (8)
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Jan 25, 2012 10:20 AM Guest Andrew  says:

I think that the definitions of bad curse words as opposed to really bad curse words are just made up.  Who decided that it was worse to say a-- then to say butt or bottom?  What makes saying the s-word worse than saying cr-p or poop?  Someone decided that it was.  That's how!

 

For me, I think that saying damn and hell is less offensive then a lot of other swearing for the following reasons.  One, whose name is being abused?  Hell is not sacred.  It is a place where those who choose to reject God's free gift of salvation will spend the rest of eternity, but it is not a deity nor does it assault God's deity to say "What the h---?"

 

Two, the people who use hell and damn as curse words use them totally incorrectly for the most part.  With the exception of saying d--- you, or go to hell, the way these words are used oftentimes doesn't mean anything at all.  They are just interjected into conversations for no reason whatsoever.

 

I still will not use these words and would be disappointed in a Christian who did, but that is more because our society sees them as cursing (Even if only mild cursing then because the words themselves offend me).  Using h--- and d--- as curse words is in poor taste, somewhat like someone yelling, "What the holocaust?"  or "Go get murdered by a serial killer!" but is not in the same category as using other harsher curse words.

 

Would you really argue that saying what the h--- is just as bad as using Jesus Christ's name in vain?  Or that it is as foul as using the grandaddy of all swear words?  I don't think so.  I still do not like to hear the d-word and h-word used, but they do not offend me so much as other curse words.

 

Truthfully, the most shocking thing I've found is the flippant use of God's name.  Watch The Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and a plethora of other reality television shows and you will hear people scream OMG!  countless times.  Yet, many of these shows are aimed at family audiences and have other harsher curses bleeped out.  So, in essence, the people who make tv shows are saying that using God's name in vain is acceptable for family audiences to witness.  So acceptable, that it can occur frequently, but will not be edited.  At the recent people's choice awards ceremony, I was shocked to hear this profanity used nearly 20 times in one speech made by Chloe Grace Moretz, a fourteen year old, no less!

 

Nickolodean tv show Victorious which is TV G infrequently features the same profanity.  Thankfully, Disney shows such as Good Luck Charlie use Oh my Gosh instead of actually using God's name in vain, but I find this sad as well.  As though it is kid friendly to imitate or come as close to swearing as possible without actually swearing.

 

I definitely agree with Adam Holz that mild profanity is not nearly as mild at it might sound.  Is shows a lot about our culture that people can flippantly use God's name in vain and it be considered appropriate for all audiences to hear!
Jan 25, 2012 12:52 PM C-Movie_Addict C-Movie_Addict    says:

I saw the movie and at the end if you asked me, I probably couldn't tell you that there were 70 profanites in it.

 

This is probably because the only words that I would have noticed were s--t and g-d--n. Now I'm not saying that I don't consider h--- and d--n profanities, quite the contrary, but it is probably because I hear them often enough (in movies, at school, at the mall, even at youth events etc.) that my brain doesn't react to them as much as it used to.

 

Although I would not consider this a whole family film, I would defintely recomend it to families with teens. The historical aspect alone, I think, is probably the only thing that redeems it. A little.
Jan 25, 2012 5:41 PM Guest girlofgondor  says:
This reminds me of a scene in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, where Miss Pettigrew shocks herself by spitting out both h--- and d--n; Delysia laughs at her shock, saying 'those words passed out of swearing ages ago!' It's true. They haven't, really, and yet they have.
Jan 25, 2012 7:38 PM Guest David  says:
Words can mean whatever we want them to mean. They are only "bad" when we as a society collectively decide to treat them as such. There are plenty of words that were once considered off limits that even the strictest parent wouldn't bat an eye over now, like dang and even darn, while there are others that were once completely acceptable that are now considered rude or offensive, like f*g or p*ss (check out the King James version of 2 Kings 18:27). English is always evolving and we're just in the midst of another change. Words that were offensive are now merely rude and soon will be simply commonplace, while other words will rise up to be the new offensive.
Jan 25, 2012 9:01 PM Guest YetAnotherTeen  says in response to David:

I've yet to get why people bother declaring words "offensive". It's not even Biblical, as the Bible only says not to take God's name in vain, which has become common enough today. It's as if, in the pursuit of getting people to stop using words someone else declared less than appropriate, people forgot the actual purpose behind the third commandment.

 

Of course, profanity can make for amusing times (under the proper circumstances) when someone uses a piece of profanity in a less than appropriate way, and you counter with the literal meaning of the word. I've yet to get anyone to quit it by explaining it to them in such a way, but it's only been a few months...
Jan 27, 2012 3:16 PM Guest William  says in response to YetAnotherTeen:
Teen it says in Col 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. What would you think that mean?
Jan 28, 2012 8:51 AM Guest Chelsea  says in response to William:
But who determines what obscene talk is?  When Colossians was written, some of the words that are now described as the harshest swear words were not even invented.  Also, Ephesians 4:29 says Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Therefore, saying ouch when you stub your toe is bad because it is not helpful for building anyone up.
Feb 2, 2012 7:52 PM Crossdive Crossdive    says:

I really don't think of 'hell' as a profanity (largely because, as Andrew has pointed out, hell is not sacred, but rather where the unsaved dead go until either crossing the bridged divide (thanks to Jesus), or if not, will spend all eternity in the Lake of Fire. It's not an abuse of God's Name in one sense or context or another.) I tend to think of uses of 'hell' more as 'coarse language' or 'slang' or something. Something you wouldn't probably want your 3-year-old picking up but not anything like a real, harsh profanity.

Plus, when you think about the word 'profanity', the root word is obviously 'profane', which is defined by my dashboard dictionary as "(of language) blasphemous or obscene". Sounds like abuses of the Lord's Name would fit into this category, but maybe not uses of 'hell'.

 

Thinking about the literal definitions and origins of many swear words, the majority seem strangely disproportionate to their censorship (not that I am advocating loose language standards, quite the contrary). The f-word, as I understand it, came about in merry old England and stood for "Fornication Under Consent of the King". The d-word obviously has a synonym in "condemn". The a-word refers to a person's rear, and the s-word to solid waste.

 

We could stay on this page chatting and theorizing about whether these, or any non-blasphemous word or words, are actually fit to be called foul language until the cows come home and tell us to keep the racket down so they can sleep, but in the end I think it's one of those submit-to-every-manmade-law-to-the-glory-of-God things. Sorry, I can't find the verse I am thinking of (I tried word searches on Biblegateway.com but didn't find it), but its that idea of if it doesn't dishonor or disobey God and His laws, than we are told to adhere to it. In this case, we are told these words are bad, and as this is the society and world we live in and are told to be a witness to, we should try to avoid using these words, as they would be deemed inappropriate and could easily be treated as a reflection on our Father and Savior.

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