Sufferin' Succotash! Let's NOT Mince Words: Critical Thinking, Refined Language

Casualties of COVID, Plague of Politics: In addition to the horrific numbers of people known to us who have succumbed to the COVID-19 virus (and now, its variant), embedded in the ongoing, literally 24/7 coverage of political rancor in our nation, are two casualties that need our individual and collective attention. Namely, the decline in critical thinking and the refined language that frequently accompanies it (or at least used to).

Timely, Overdue, Urgent: If the mainline news coverage and random sampling of quotes from any presidential debates (whether primary or final) are a reflection of our society, we have become both 'deaf' and 'mute'. That is, our demand for reasoned debate and refined articulation of ideas, instrumental elements of our lifeblood as a civilized society, are on life support, badly in need of being revived, in order for us to once again believe we have the capacity to both think and talk intelligently, as groups and individuals. It's not too late, but both of these 'patients' require an immediate infusion, to which we can all contribute without even leaving home.

Sylvester Vs. The Wolf: "Sufferin' Succotash!", associated by us boomers with Sylvester The Cat, is only one among a plethora of 'minced oaths' we all rely on occasionally, to express a strong emotion, substituted for more coarse curse words, when in more polite, 'delicate' company, like our grandmother. Well, at least we used to. On a more general, genteel level, 'mincing words' refers to speaking more vaguely and indirectly, or otherwise moderating language for the sake of decorum and courtesy (when was the last time you heard these reflected in our national debates on any subject du jour?). Finally, mincing refers to walking with affected delicacy or fastidiousness (or grinding up meat into small pieces, as another application probably more apropos to what we have been witness to lately). Contrast this with "The Wolf of Wall Street", depicting the true life of a wall street investor whose appetites in any realm could not be sated. Gratuitous ("uncalled for, lacking good reason, unwarranted") consumption, gratuitous language, violence, nudity, etc., etc. A reflection of our larger society over the last several decades? Well, if you sample the trends in music, social media, movies, Netflix series, and even cartoons, you'll be tempted to think that our youths (as well as oldsters) are consuming an unhealthy amount of gratuitousness. We become what we consume, right? When exactly this erosion of values and good taste began is a matter of (primarily polite) debate among social psychologists; when it ends is up to all of us. Fortunately, there are other choices on the larger menu, readily available for our consumption as well. We also have a remote. 

Reasoned Debate, Referees: Refereed journals include articles written by experts and are refereed, debated by other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in order to ensure the article's quality (for the public consumption, for example). This includes debate at several levels and at several points in the process. I have referred here to my personal experience in presenting both my proposal and finally the defense of my doctoral dissertation in front of a panel of seasoned professors (as well as an advocate to ensure my 'rights' were upheld) and the public, who are invited to attend (boring!). It's all very organized and institutionalized. If only the debates followed such decorum, we might actually learn something, other than unsophisticated ways to insult and tell each other to "Shut up, man!" (can't imagine what would have happened if I uttered such words during my doctoral oral exams or my dissertation defense, while tempted more than once). As I mentioned in a prior post, the 'sport' of debate at a high school or college level also requires you to be prepared to argue what you might originally think is a preposterous position...what a cool idea for the next presidential debate. The 'referees' that have facilitated the debates have also been subpar (in my considered opinion, refined word). 

"Back to School": In the comedy with the same title, one of my all time favorite comedians, Rodney Dangerfield (whose brand of comedy included self effacement as much as poking fun of others), casted as Thornton Melon, became the most unexpected commencement speaker at his son's college. Unexpected because, among other reasons, he was a simply a freshman: "As you go out into the world, you gotta' look out for number one,  don't step in number two..." Such subtlety, unfortunately, is no longer expected or demanded. In addition to other forms of 'retro', perhaps we need a return of "Finishing Schools" -- those that were traditionally designed for young women (whose parents had the means), focusing on teaching social and graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation into society. Or, maybe we could just incorporate such elements as critical thinking and refined language into our core curriculums, upon which our public schools and 'liberal arts' colleges are ostensibly based. If my time at one of the highest rated universities in the mid-west is any indication, these claims are dubious. On the other hand, perhaps it would be quicker to resolve those matters of a more strident nature, instead of trading insult after insult, we could simply bring back dueling (so much for subtlety). 

Cross Words, Crosswords: Refined people are known for their elegance, subtlety (Mr. Thornton Melon, among others), and social tact. It's not so much about striving to hang out with aristocracy, but more about maintaining respect and dignity, projecting confidence, poise and grace in both words and deeds, even in the presence of strong disagreement. It's about sustaining decorum without having to resort to dueling or the gavel. So, the next time you are tempted to excoriate, if you really want to bamboozle your adversary, to hear them utter a minced oath worthy of Sylvester, try instead to prevaricate. Word power!

Bonus Word: For you Crossword and Scrabble players, Succotash, primarily owing to its readily available and inexpensive ingredients, became popular during the Great Depression. Readily available, inexpensive, kinda like critical thinking and refined language, two essential ingredients for this depression in which we find ourselves.