More and More, Kids say the Foulest Things (swearing)

The Washington Post ^ | 04/12/04 | Valerie Strauss

[crv16]

Dan Horwich's English class is a bastion of clean language, where students read the classics and have weighty discussions free of invective and profanity. But when the bell rings and they walk out his door, the hallway vibrates with talk of a different sort.

"The kids swear almost incessantly," said Horwich, who teaches at Guildford High School in Rockford, Ill. "They are so used to swearing and hearing it at home, and in the movies, and on TV, and in the music they listen to that they have become desensitized to it."

[Modernman]

(NOT girls or women).

Depends on the woman and depends on the context. I've known some female investment bankers who were "one of the boys."

[politicket]

YAY!! We agree.

;-)

[durasell]

OOo, ooo, I know! I know! Call on me. It comes from the Greek. Moros!

[sweetliberty]

They are doing it much younger than high school. Watch Nanny 911 sometime. Some of these preschoolers are calling mom "b*tch" and telling adults and each other, to "F*** Off."

I see it in everyday settings amongst elementary school-aged kids too. It is shameful and disgusting. These brats need to be reined in, or they are going to be the next generation of criminals. It isn't like language is the only thing they're desensitized to.

[Born Conservative]

[Gabz]

You can't be suggesting using fear tactics on children. Are you?

And what is wrong with a good old fashioned fear of discipline or punishment for doing wrong, in this case using inapropriate language?

I do, however, like your mentoring idea.

[politicket]

OOo, ooo, I know! I know! Call on me. It comes from the Greek. Moros!

ROFLOL!! Somebody has actually been studying their Greek and Latin roots. Good for you, but I bet you didn't learn them in public school.... ;-)

[Asphalt]

"The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it." -- George Washington

My new tagline

[Asphalt]

Or not. Doesn't fit.

[durasell]

I went to the worst public school you can imagine. Violent with few, if any standards.

odi profanum vulgus et arceo!

[orionblamblam]

> Why are adults so afraid of demanding respect?

Those who demand respect do not deserve it.

[orionblamblam]

> You never answered my question.

Yes, I did.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Nice try, though. I'd like to petition for longer taglines.

[politicket]

odi profanum vulgus et arceo!

Hey, I thought that Latin was a DEAD language! ;-)

[Dan from Michigan]

The strange thing is that I swear more when I type than when I speak(unless I'm home alone or with the guys at the bar).

When I'm around ladies or in a business or professional setting, I usually do not slip.

[durasell]

No way! Didn't you ever hear of Latin America! When I go there one day, I'll wow'em!

[orionblamblam]

> the etymology of the word 'moron'?

Irrelevant. It's the *current* usage of words that is under debate. As previously mentioned, "dirt."

[politicket]

Those who demand respect do not deserve it.

Ooooohhhh....that was DEEP!

I do hope that you're not a parent (especially of a teenager).

[Choose Ye This Day]

Those who demand respect do not deserve it.

So, God does not deserve respect?

[sweetliberty]

"I think the use of "dirty words" indicates a poor vocabulary and inability to communicate."

I think it also reveals them to be emotionally and developmentally stalled out in the maturing process around the pre-adolescent period where potty language is funny. It's like they reach that point and stop growing.