The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

Are curse words used too often?

by •

No cursing 1By KALEIGH MILLER
English 9 Honors; Lancaster High School
Teacher: C. Hulgan

Have curse words become so common they lost their shock value?

Curse words are supposed to be used when angry, but too many people use them in every sentence. Those words make them sound unintelligent and unprofessional. Using curse words isn’t cool; it’s actually really annoying and rude.

Too many people use foul language in their everyday conversations. Many of the students, and sometimes the teachers, use curse words at school. Those kinds of words are immature, especially when you are in a professional place.

If you use curse words in a professional setting such as a job interview, the person doing the interview will think that you are unintelligent by the way you speak.

Some people think curse words are just a normal part of our language, and they use them in their day-to-day lifestyles. What those people don’t know is that curse words have a true meaning, which isn’t just used in normal conversations.

The words shouldn’t be used at all, but if they are used, they ought to be used when in pain or angry.

To resolve this issue with cursing, schools and jobs should prohibit using foul language. This may reduce the amount of people cursing, because a lot of people are afraid to be in trouble.

If it is a personal issue you have with yourself, try using substitutes like “oh fudge” or “dang it.” You will eventually start getting used to those instead of the curse words.

If that technique doesn’t work, then every time you say a curse word, snap your wrist with a rubber band. The pain will cause negative reinforcement to help you stop cursing… or make you curse more.

Curse words today have become so frequently used that they have lost their meaning. People use them way too often. If you start cursing constantly, then remember this: It’s unprofessional, annoying, and rude.

–

This article is part of Youth Speak Out, a new section in The AV Times featuring editorials by participating Lancaster High School students. Read more about this initiative here.

Filed Under: YOUTH SPEAK OUT

25 comments for "Are curse words used too often?"

  1. To clarify what IS and what isn’t a cuss word, just for those that need it, take a trip to our local courthouse where they have a sign on the wall in the ticket paying area that says they can arrest you for using foul language. And then PLEASE Freedom of Speechers go up to an officer and “sprout an f bomb.” I agree w/the young lady, cussing used to mean “Watch out! I’m getting mad”. Now it just seems like we have a bunch of angry people out there feeling like they can disrespect anyone at anytime.Do you think we would have so much anger if we got rid of the foul language? I use an occasional bad word but usually when I am frustrated or upset. It’s disgusting to watch a grown man curse a little old lady out because she accidently turned in front of him . Have some respect people.

  2. Wow great job! Seems like your on the right path, make sure you do not get influenced by all the negativity.

  3. Let me pose a couple of questions? Who deemed what words are determined as either bad words, offensive word, or even curse words? What would make a difference with substituting a word with another word when you mean the same thing other then the way its being said or how it sounds. The funny thing about these words that are deemed bad words, a majority of them have another meaning in a different language but in America we decided that OMG it’s a bad word “ear muffs”. And if someone could give me a list of these considered foul language words with what they actually mean and what makes it so offensive I would love to see the reasoning. I only know what these bad words are because I was raised to think that these words are bad words. I’ve never seen a curse word physically hurt anyone. But hey people enjoy America the land of the free and where we are SUPPOSE to have freedom of speech. No knock on the writer at all completely has the right to freedom of speech.

    • @Just Words

      What is so absurd is that words are symbols of things and not the things themselves.

      When you go to Denny’s and see a photo of a burger along with the word ‘burger’ you don’t eat the menu. The word ‘burger’ isn’t a hamburger. The flag ISN’T the country it represents. When you burn a flag, you aren’t burning down the country.

      Some people just can’t get the difference.

      Even more ridiculous is when someone says something like the ‘F-bomb’ and other ways of indicating a word that can’t be spoken. So, in effect, they are actually saying a symbol of a symbol which is absurd. We all know what those words are that can only be indicated by their first letter, so we are practically saying the word anyway. The listener knows darn well what is being said.

      Our pets must think humans are crazy for the contortions they go through to not say what they want to communicate. What if your dog said “W” instead of “Woof” or your cat said “M” instead of “Meow”. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it? Because it is and the same goes for us.

      We all know pretty much what a word is that is bleeped on teevee from the context so what’s the point of bleeping it? There are a lot of hateful and obscene statments in the public sphere that don’t contain 1 single ‘curse’ word yet can be harmful and even incite violence.

      Oh, well. It’s taken humans thousands of years to learn that those aren’t gods in the sky that are riding chariots or whatever. They got real clever and invented an invisible one to sidestep the issue.

      • You think our pets think we’re crazy, really? You’re really out there Willy. Make sure you drop an f-bomb at your next job interview, after all it doesn’t really mean anything.

        • You proved my point, Joe.

          Why didn’t your write out the ‘f bomb’ since we all know what it means anyway?

          Instead of telling your dog to sit, say to him “s-word” and see how far you get.

    • Okay,which would you rather be called,a M….. F….. or a clueless fool. Same impact!

  4. I love you twin I am so proud of you. You are an amazing writer. Don’t listen to the other people say. Only if it is good.

  5. Well said, Kaleigh.
    I have known many people who recognized the bad habit of not thinking about what they were saying and stop themselves from using curse words and foul language.

    I don’t think that censorship is a bad thing, necessarily. I do think that it is a mark of maturity and compassion to think of the people around you. I’m not shocked when I hear profanity in public, but I do feel threatened by bad language and what I perceive as an angry person.

    • See,that is the real problem,people who use curse words like others use normal conversation,don’t THINK at all.

  6. It depends on the environment you are in. I work in an office nowadays, it’s generally frowned upon to use profanity.

    Before that I spent 12 years in the USMC. It’s frowned upon if you aren’t using profanity excessively.

  9. There are certian times when you can use curse words. Yes, teens now a days use curse words more often. But what can you do about it? They do have freedom of speech. Therefore, they are using that in that way.

    • Manners, you need to teach your kids this subject along with self respect, and an awareness of what’s right and what’s wrong. Starting from birth and not starting this practice from an older age. By then you have lost control of your kids. Good Job, Kaleigh

      • Who determined what’s a bad word???????? So you’re saying if you use curse words you have no self respect? Really, that’s funny. Can I ask you the last time you were physically hurt by a word? Have some respect for yourself and don’t allow for breathless words to offend you or bother you.

  10. What the fudge? How the H-E-double hockey sticks will I get a part in the next Hollywood blockbuster if I can say the poop I want to loudly and proudly. Life is a beach trying to find filler words for every utterance of profanity.