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*PROFANITY WARNING*
I would be surprised if you have never sworn before. Looking at the situation now, there is apparently no severe penalty for using foul language at school, no matter if you’re a student or a teacher. My friends and I use profanity quite frequently in our daily conversations, although I never dare to swear in front of my parents. I have heard teachers swear in school and occasionally in classes as well. Profanity has become more common than ever, and it has naturally integrated itself into our speech. I decided to investigate this topic and ask for the opinions of teachers and students about the use of profane language.
Ms. Barga: “Be mindful”
Ms. Barga of the English department expresses that she is perfectly aware of the use of vulgar language among students, and she admits that in her personal life, profanity is a common thing. To sum her comments up, she thinks profanity should only be used in appropriate occasions. For example, she definitely would not drop the f-bomb in front of her boss, but she could if she’s talking to her husband. When asked how she would react to students swearing, she addressed that she would not be judgmental or angry when she hears students swear to express emotions, but when students insult others (regarding language use), she would interfere. Of course, she’ll remind whoever swears to watch their language and know who they are. Freshman Robbie He quoted Trump’s “shithole” comment in class out loud. To Robbie’s surprise, Ms. Barga commented that since the president does not watch his language, there’s nothing wrong with quoting him, therefore it is unnecessary to censor his words. Another point Ms. Barga made was that profanity appears to be gradually more acceptable as the years pass. In 2003’s Golden Globe Awards, U2’s Bono used the phrase “fucking brilliant” to describe his feelings when he accepted the award on live TV. He received a lot of criticism for that comment, but in 2018, our favourite celebrities normally include sensitive words in their work.
Ms. Dean: “That kind of language is extremely powerful”
Ms. Dean, another English teacher, is actually pro-swearing because she loves how these powerful words accurately express emotions and release stress to an extent. She affirms Ms. Barga’s perspective that people should be very free to use whatever words they want, and that’s a part of free speech; there is definitely a place for profanity in language, but there are also consequences for using them carelessly. In professional environments like class, since teachers will face punishment if they repeatedly swear, students shouldn’t swear either. Ms. Dean describes herself as “conflicted” when asked if we should reduce profanity use in pop culture. She said that people should use whatever they want, but if people overuse a word, then it loses its power, and profane words are only considered profanity because they don’t appear very frequently. That theory explains why profanity is losing power, and words such as “ass”, “damn”, and “bitch” are not considered as taboo anymore because they are used so often. However, strong and iconic words such as “fuck” and “shit” are still generally avoided in mainstream media because people often find substitutes such as “frick” and “crap” which basically carry the same meaning. She also pointed out since President Trump is using such words frequently, usage of these words will increase in America. Ms. Dean also shared that profanity occasionally appears in the literature upperclassmen study at our school. She actually enjoys and supports strategic uses of profanity in songs or literature because it brings another layer of meaning.
Paoping: “Nope”
Freshman Paoping Yen is famous for her elite linguistic abilities and her avoidance of profanity. She has never sworn before, and she doesn’t think that profanity is necessary for a language; those words form in her brain, but she never spits them out. Instead, she finds more elegant substitutes or ignores the strong emotion. Due to her exposure to literary works and her interactions with students, she accepts that profanity is a part of a normal and casual conversation, so she reacts neutrally if someone swears. Paoping also said that one’s swearing habits doesn’t define that person, so she is always willing to hold up an interesting conversation even if swear words continuously pop up. She personally thinks that using profanity is more unacceptable than attacking one’s emotions. I think she demonstrates exceptional self-control in that regard, and that fact has probably affected her social status, as most of her friends watch their language a bit more in front of her.
Sean: “99% of my playlist contains profanity”
Sean, another freshman, has a contrasting opinion to Paoping’s. Sean says he curses everywhere, even in class and home, but he does not do it in front of teachers or his parents. He is sure that his parents hear him, but they generally ignore him because he is a mature teen. During his first day of school at AISG, Sean said “shit” in front of a teacher. As a result, that teacher gave Sean an unpleasant stare, and that reminded Sean to watch his language in front of authoritative figures. Coming from a Korean background, Sean feels more comfortable swearing in his native language with his friends because most people would not understand what he’s saying, so he wouldn’t be stressed about potential consequences. Sean’s final thoughts are that the world should be more open to profanity because it can be used in lots of unharmful ways, so it shouldn’t be restricted.
Me: “Impossible to eradicate profanity”
I ultimately think that profanity is necessary for a language and is impossible to eliminate. There will always be words that express powerful emotions, taboo actions, and serve as a shortcut for more polite phrases. Instead of saying “insert reproductive organ into”, most people would say “fuck”. Imagine if today’s top-tier profanity (fuck, shit, bitch, etc.) never existed, then second-tier strong language like “damn” would immediately replace “fuck”. As time progresses, the usage of some words, including profanity, will naturally decrease, but some will increase, and new words/versions will also be born. The word “fuck” came from medieval times, but “motherfucker” originated during the era of American slavery. I believe that even if some words are never used again, new ones will emerge. If we were to really remove some words from our dictionary, then discriminating words such as “bitch”, “motherfucker”, and the n-word are the first off the list. Another funny thing I noticed about profanity is that we use so many words differently than what they actually mean. It would be fun to know how “ass” went from describing a donkey to a butt, and how “cock” went from a male chicken to a man’s genitals.
Conclusion: Overused?
Surely the majority of our student and faculty members frequently use profanity, but are we using these words too much? Personally, I think there’s a bit of excessive swearing, but my opinion shouldn’t represent the entire school’s. In addition, I am aware that I only interviewed students in my grade, but I assume upperclassmen will use profanity more, so please don’t hesitate to share a comment below!
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