Several weeks ago, a Texas mayor proposed an ordinance that would outlaw using the ‘n word’ and anyone who used it would be fined. At a hearing regarding the ordinance, initially 70 percent of the people supported it but reversed their support so that eventually it was opposed by 90 percent of the people. The discussions touched on First Amendment rights and additionally, the black community found the idea discomforting.

If passed, when violated, the ordinance would have been considered a class C misdemeanor, accompanied by a fine of up to $500 and the fine would only be imposed if someone filed a complaint. If it had passed, the mayor was considering a similar ban on all racial slurs.

What a sorry state we have come to if it is necessary to legislate civility, decency and at the very least, good manners. There was a time when all of these things were considered a part of our education by those who were responsible for our development, persons such as parents or teachers or religious counselors and advisers. And what has all this got to do with fishing? Well there’s an old saying that if you give someone a fish you will feed him for a day, if you teach someone to fish you will feed him for a lifetime. So it would seem to follow that instead of banning words, one at a time, if someone integrates the above qualities into their being, it would not be necessary to punish them for words that express their biases. True, such biases may still exist but having learned civility, we may continue to harbor our feelings but we harness the hurtful words that are used to express them.

At the risk of sounding like an old naysayer, we have allowed technology to ease our lives, but we have lost our softer side in the process. Not surprisingly, the need for good manners has diminished, because talking to robots and numbers don’t require them but for talking to one another, good manners are essential. For example, in our new, less formal society, no one uses surnames anymore. “What’s your phone number, Evelyn?” says the young girl who’s ringing up my purchase and I cringe because use of a given name at one time was a privilege and not a given.

So what’s the big deal? The deal is that before we use the N word for a black person or the K word for a Jew or the W word for an Italian, maybe we won’t even consider the use of such words because our ingrained decency, civility and or good manners preclude their use. To those of us who understand the meaning of ‘polite society’ we don’t use words such as f - - k or s- - t in front of those people who may find them offensive. Because of our upbringing we have learned what is appropriate, and that is key.

The last thing we want is for our government to legislate and control what we should be allowed to say. Hey folks, without the first Amendment we’re up s – t’s creek without a paddle and we can’t let that happen to our democracy in light of what’s going on today.