Weisel: Swearing uncreative, irresponsible

“I hate exams. My professor is so mean. I wish I could sleep all the time.”

We say things… “I hate exams. My professor is so mean. I wish I could sleep all the time.”

We say things like this every day. Usually, though, we like to sprinkle in a few choice words that more appropriately express our negativity.

College is the perfect time for students to turn into potty mouths. During any walk across campus, you’ll encounter a multitude of people complementing the gloomy weather by swearing up a storm. Although we’re certainly free to use whatever words we want, I think bad language is a bad habit.

There’s a reason we suppress our language when we’re around our parents and teachers: Their generation mostly frowns on swear words. While some of our parents still curse like sailors, others continue to discipline their children for cursing.

This generation gap is particularly pronounced in the workplace, where we’re supposed to wear our best face. Our superiors are generally much older than us and have the same values as our parents. It’s considered unprofessional in a formal setting to swear about your bad weekend or to curse about spilled coffee.

Even in classrooms, respect is a key principle for students and teachers. A classroom is a place for learning, not swearing.

There are numerous situations in which swearing is inappropriate, and I’ve noticed that college students are increasingly disregarding them. Some would construe this as progressive — our generation is merely going against antiquated social conventions — but I think our potty mouths need to stay at home or with our friends.

Has our generation lost a sense of professionalism and etiquette? If appropriate language is the first thing to go, we might as well start dressing down for work or showing up late, or maybe we could just allow our entire workplace to deteriorate. In an effort to maintain a sense of formality in the situations where it matters, our language must remain clean.

Naturally, problems arise when trying to rehabilitate a generation that’s already taken to swearing like a (something to a something).

Some colleges have instituted monetary fines for cursing. Hinds Community College in Mississippi, USA Today reported, fines students $25 for a first offense of “public profanity, cursing and vulgarity.” In a suburb of Dallas, North Mesquite High School fined a student $637 for a poorly chosen word, according to The Washington Post.

But I don’t believe fines are going to help our generation overcome their foul-mouthed tendencies. Fines can help us remember not to speed or jaywalk, but they cannot change an ingrained habit. Instead they just inspire anger, resentment — even rebellion.

Change has to come from us. We’re the ones who should recognize poor behavior and do something to alter it. Of course, as anyone who’s tried to quit biting his nails or picking her nose knows, eliminating a bad habit is extremely difficult. Nevertheless, there are many self-help techniques available — you’ll just need to find the one that works best for you.

Personally, I’ve found that self-imposed monetary donations are effective. In my younger days, my mom made my brother and I donate a quarter whenever we succumbed to a bad habit. When we finally eliminated it, she donated the money to a local charity. Apply this same solution in college — put a quarter in a jar every time you swear. It won’t be long before you realize you haven’t done laundry for weeks and you actually really needed those quarters.

The most tried-and-true strategy for breaking a habit, of course, is simply practicing. If you’re worried about using foul language at work, start by ensuring that you’re not speaking crudely at home. If you can handle your speech there, your newfound restraint will easily adapt to situations where sharp tongues are inappropriate.

My favorite way to break the habit is the simple “search and replace” theory. Every time you realize you’re beginning to utter a swear word, replace it with another, less crass word. There are many common substitutes, such as “fudge” or “goshdarnnit,” but it’s much more fun to create your own.

After all, I’ll take, “Holy starfish, Batman,” to any swear word you can think of.

Contact Elizabeth at eaw62@pitt.edu