As I stood on the corner waiting to cross the street, a young man in a Camero rolled to a stop. His windows were down and leeching into the beautiful spring air, was a torrent of filthy vulgarity and F-bombs raining down on everyone within 100 feet-collateral damage I guess.
The "song" was detailing a sex act. Next to the kid in the Camero, I noticed a young woman around the same age being exposed to this second hand vulgarity.
I wondered how she would react to a genre of music that sexually trashes women and de-humanizes them?
I was impressed to watch her turn towards the young man driving the "porn on wheels" and slowly roll up her window. A display of courage we need to see more of.
After all, we stigmatize "second hand smoke" to the point where, just the public presence of a cigarette brings ridicule. But throw an F Bomb in public and you get silence.
If second hand vulgarity is equally condemned publicly as second hand smoke is, just the power of stigmatization would at least have the young man in the Camero turn down his radio especially in the presence of a lady.
Second hand smoke irritates the lungs-second hand vulgarity corrodes the soul. I think we can take a lesson from that young lady and call out those who wish to blow second hand vulgarity in our face-we will not tolerate it.
