I have seen a letter or comment attributed

to Bill Wilson regarding abusive and vulgar

lanquage not being appropriate at meetings.



Clues where to look?

Message #430 of this group submitted by its

founder, Nancy Olson, July 20, 2002



http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AAHistoryLovers/message/430



gives Bill Wilson's Guidelines for stories in

the 2d edition of the Big Book:



"Since the audience for the book [Big Book]

is likely to be newcomers, anything from the

point of view of content or style that might

offend or alienate those who are not familiar

with the program should be carefully elim-

inated . . . Profanity, even when mild,

rarely contributes as much as it detracts.

It should be avoided."



Tommy H in Baton Rouge



- - - -



Message 5450 from <hjfree@...>

(hjfree at fuse.net) asked:



>I have seen a letter or comment attributed

>to Bill Wilson regarding abusive and vulgar

>lanquage not being appropriate at meetings.

>

>Clues where to look?

This statement by Bill Wilson can be found on

page 3 of "Experience, Strength & Hope," the

collection of stories from the first three

editions of the Big Book:



> "Since the audience for the book [Big Book]

> is likely to be newcomers, anything from the

> point of view of content or style that might

> offend or alienate those who are not familiar

> with the program should be carefully elim-

> inated . . . Profanity, even when mild,

> rarely contributes as much as it detracts.

> It should be avoided."



- - - -



> Message 5450 from <hjfree@...>

> (hjfree at fuse.net) asked:

>

> >I have seen a letter or comment attributed

> >to Bill Wilson regarding abusive and vulgar

> >lanquage not being appropriate at meetings.

> >

> >Clues where to look?

Let us remember though that Bill also wrote

somewhere else that visitors to an AA meeting

might be surprised by the salty language that

sometimes occurred.



Unfortunately, I can't find the reference,

having keyed in words like swearing, salty

language, curses, bad language, strong language,

etc., in the Grapevine digital archive. Can

anyone point me in the right direction?



- - - -



To: AAHistoryLovers@...: agengler@...: Wed, 7 Jan 2009

22:45:07 +0000Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Re: Bill Wilson against the use of

vulgar lanquage



This statement by Bill Wilson can be found on page 3 of "Experience, Strength &

Hope," the collection of stories from the first threeeditions of the Big Book:



> "Since the audience for the book [Big Book]

> is likely to be newcomers, anything from the

> point of view of content or style that might

> offend or alienate those who are not familiar

> with the program should be carefully elim-

> inated . . . Profanity, even when mild,

> rarely contributes as much as it detracts.

> It should be avoided."



- - - -



> Message 5450 from <hjfree@...> > (hjfree at fuse.net) asked:

>

> >I have seen a letter or comment attributed

> >to Bill Wilson regarding abusive and vulgar

> >lanquage not being appropriate at meetings.

> >

> >Clues where to look?

The comment on bad language is found in a

standard form letter sent to Groups by GSO

since the 1950s or 1960s. I think the letter

is still being used. It basically says that

"Groups that encourage the practice of the

12 Steps find that their members grow in all

areas. That is our experience. Thank you very

much."

   

Groups have been trying for decades to get

New York GSO to act as a super-referee for

Group disputes. GSO won't be lured into that

duty, mindful that the Groups are autonomous.



The latest form of the form letter doesn't

mention Bill W., but the original might have

been signed by Bill. Some of the Intergroups

with extensive archives would have the original

version of the letter, and its inception date.



john lee

pittsburgh

We had a question about Bill W. commenting on

the use of foul language at meetings.



Dr. Bob had a comment on that issue, see the

last paragraph on page 224 of "Dr. Bob and

the good Oldtimers":



"While Dr. Bob's remarks were usually kind,

Dan K. (who had been one of Doc's many patients

at St. Thomas Hospital) noted that if a man

was a phony, he would tell the man so. "And

if he was sitting at a meeting and a man

used bad language, Dr. Bob would say, "You

have a very good lead young man, but it

would be more effective if you cleaned it

up a bit."



Also, page 298 refers to "the language of

the gutter."

    

   Pete Tippett