Foul Language

   Every so often I will watch a clip of Last Week Tonight on Youtube. Last Week Tonight  is a late night show on HBO hosted by British comedian John Oliver who also writes for and produces the show.  The clip that I watch is a 20 minutes or so where Mr. Oliver talks various topics of interest from that week. He's talked about televangelists, multi level marketing, various political figures, authoritarianism and why the state attorneys general election is important.
   I enjoy his humour and his point of view. He makes some very good serious points in what he says. The part I don't like is some of his language. He likes to use a certain four letter word for emphasis. I don't get it. Mr. Oliver is a smart man. He went to a good college. Why does he need to use profanity for emphasis?
  Why do comics in general feel the need to use profanity? I have never understood it. George Carlin is a good example. Many of his comedy routines are laced with profanity. However,one of his funniest routines, at least to me, is 'Football vs Baseball'. In this routine he talked about the differences between the two sports. It's very funny and very true. I have seen him perform it without a single profane word. He had another routine called 'Seven Words You can't Say on Television'. In this routine he talked about the meaning we give words. He used the example of seven words are considered "bad words". One thing I remember from that monolog (and this is not an exact quote) is that there are no bad words, there are bad thoughts and bad intentions, but no bad words. That monolog does have profane language, but it is there to make a point. It's not gratuitous. I firmly believe that if he would have removed the bad language from the rest of his routines, they would still be very funny.
   It is possible to be humorous and use clean language. Here is a list of a few funny and clean comedians.
   Bill Engvall, I really like him. He started out doing the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Jeff Foxworthy. My favourite Bill Engvall routine is his signature, "Here's Your Sign." This is a monolog about people who ask stupid questions in seemingly obvious situations. Here's an example. "The last time I had a flat tire, I pulled my truck into one of those side-of- the road gas stations. The attendant walks out, looks at my truck, looks at me, and I swear he said 'Tire Go Flat?' I couldn't resist. I said, 'Nope. I was just driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me. Here's your sign." Now that is at least worth a smile or a bit of a chuckle. Not a single bad word in the whole thing and still funny.
   Bob Newhart is also very funny.  he's best known for his two successful television shows, but at one time he was also a stand up comedian. Some of his best early routines involved him being on one end of a conversation. In the monolog 'The Driving Instructor' , he is a man attempting to teach an inept woman how to drive. In another monolog he describes the introduction of tobacco to America. In another routine he is a policeman who is trying to defuse a bomb.
   The last but certainly not least is Carol Burnette. Her comedy variety show was popular for many many years. She was able to be very funny without being profane. Many time her cast members would crack each other up. Her portrayal of Scarlett O'Hara wearing a dress made out of drapes that she "just saw in the window" is very amusing.
  It is possible to be funny without using bad words. It's also possible to  make a point without using profanity as well. More comedians, including John Oliver, should try it.