Salt in Mouth

Rush Limbaugh has been in hot water lately for his comments about Sandra Fluke.  Now, I'm not a Rush fan, but I am a fan of free speech, which can include, at times, criticizing others.  That's freedom of the press.   However, it wasn't so much an opinion or a criticism that is the issue here, but rather a simple case of "name calling".  Thankfully, Rush is being held accountable for this... however, how often do we do similar and think nothing of it?  

One of my favourite TV characters is Oscar Leroy of Corner Gas fame.  Oscar had a habit of calling, well, pretty much everyone, a jackass.  While that particular phrase would be characterized as a "mild" curse word... it still is a curse word and, is so, because it demeans the other person.  Pretty much all the words/phrases that society considers taboo are words that either degrade a beautiful thing and/or degrade the person the word is directed at.  And a word doesn't have to be an official "swear" to be damaging.  Limbaugh used the word "prostitute", which isn't an offensive word by itself; but he was using it in such a way as to demean and belittle a person. 

So, here's the rub.   The Bible instructs us to watch our mouths and let our speech be seasoned with salt. We need more respectful speech with everyone, including our enemies!  Explosive and abusive language has no valid reason to exist in our world today...however, it seems that the media thinks just the opposite!  TV shows, movies, and music are all pulling us to the potty mouth instead of the salt mouth.  Invectives are now common place on prime time TV, somehow making a show "edgy" or "hip" but, in reality, they are making it like a Jr. High locker room.  My mom always said that a mature person can control his/her tongue.

By the way, many people attempt to enforce the "taking the Lord's name in vain" commandment with this stuff... but any biblical scholar will tell you that it doesn't actually apply here.  The third commandment is more about swearing an oath than curse words.

Would it be too much to ask to have this whole Limbaugh/Fluke issue result in people respecting others with their words?
Is it too much to ask our Parliament to not hurl insults while others are talking?
Is it too much to ask TV/Movies/Music to tone it down? 
Is it too much?  

I actually don't think it is!

Joell