The purpose of profanity

In one segment of his 1981 film History of the World, Part I, Mel Brooks plays the role of a "stand-up philosopher" who entertains the Roman emperor Nero. While the movie is not among Brooks' best efforts, the concept of comedian as "stand-up philosopher" was an apt metaphor for understanding how the best comedians approach their work.

I kept thinking back to this description after hearing of the death of comedian George Carlin. Carlin will always be associated with profanity-laced social commentary that was critical of conventional views of politics and society. Although profanity has now become stock-in-trade for most comedians, this wasn't the case when Carlin initially presented himself as a counterculture figure in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Carlin's use of profanity often seemed to serve a greater purpose. Certainly there was some shock value, but the main direction of his profanity was to get his audience to think about language — how it is used, defined and manipulated.

In that regard, it is worth contrasting Carlin's comparatively economic use of profanity in the 1970s, with the ubiquity of filthy speech emanating from today's young comedians. Most contemporary comedy seems to deal with relationships, and the profanity is a crutch used to shock audiences into nervous laughter. The "dirty words" give the appearance of edginess to an entertainer who lacks the cleverness to say anything profoundly humorous. Were most of today's young comics better writers, they wouldn't need profanity at all.