Tenet #13 from 101 Tenets for Ladies and Gentlemen: A Southern Guide to Good Behavior

Tenet #13: Ladies and Gentlemen should not engage in rude or foul discourse.

My specific intention behind this tenet is not what one might expect. One may suppose that I object to rude or foul discourse because of the vulgarity of the vocabulary used in such exchanges. Or perhaps my objection might be to the sounds of the words themselves, the way the hard constants and tambour of the voice play a chord offensive to the ears.

However, my real objection is that profanity, quite simply put, is lazy. As a lover of the English language, of which the reader must certainly be aware, I consider profanity to be a short cut, an easy and effortless way to get to the point. In metaphor, profanity is tromping haphazardly through the stream rather than taking the path alongside and crossing gracefully by bridge.

If one has cause to make such utterance of emotion and opinion, one should earn the right to such exclamation by tailoring the statement with purposeful grace, using wit and poetry to shape the speech. If one holds one's own opinion in such regard, it should be expressed with such respect. And if one finds themselves taken with emotion strong enough to illicit profane statements, restraint and self control speak highly of one's character.

On this topic, I feel strongly. Thus, I have chosen my words carefully and formulated my thoughts so as not to be rash or offensive with my words. I choose to lead by example.

Yours,

Miss Magnolia Beatrice Devareux Beaumont, Debutante