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Why Curse?

August 31, 2010
By writergirl248 GOLD, Southfield, Michigan
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writergirl248 GOLD, Southfield, Michigan
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Cursing is one of those things that our society has allowed to become normal in the past few years. Many of us do not think twice as we spit out a curse word in middle of a sentence or story that we are saying. It has come to the point where most people are okay with hearing these words constantly, and they do not even think about it anymore.

Think about one of the world’s most highly respected people. A person whom you truly admire and look up to. Do you think that they walk around cursing for no good reason? The correct answer is no. There is a reason for that. Cursing is not something that people find admirable. Deep down everybody knows that cursing is bad. There are so many other words that you could use instead of curse words. The real question is can you be strong enough to stand up to peer pressure? The correct answer is yes. Anybody can take action and stand up for what they believe in. Anybody could spread the word and make the world a better place.

So why do people curse? The answer is easy. It is because everybody else is doing it. Your friends at school are cursing. The team captain of your schools sports team is cursing. The popular kids are cursing. Even your parents and teachers might be cursing. But what about you? Will you be the one to break the chain? Will you try your hardest to alter your speech? Just start with yourself. If everyone tries to work on themselves then slowly we can change the world.

© Lauren O., Weymouth, MA

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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 17 comments.

peyton_banks BRONZE said...
on Jan. 17 2014 at 3:46 pm
peyton_banks BRONZE, Cedar Creek, Nebraska
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god doesnt like people who have improper grammar.
LadyKraken BRONZE said...
on Dec. 18 2013 at 2:45 pm
LadyKraken BRONZE, Montpelier, Ohio
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Right. People curse because everyone else is doing. Because, oh, I don't know, they're words that are intrinsic to every language on earth? You're not gonna "change the world" by making people say "doody" or "fudge". Get over yourself.
nickjr96 said...
on Apr. 11 2013 at 8:03 pm
God also doesnt like people who doesnt know how to spell.
SJUYannick BRONZE said...
on Mar. 5 2013 at 8:17 pm
SJUYannick BRONZE, Silver Spring, Maryland
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Cuss words = life
ellen4748 said...
on Dec. 10 2012 at 9:04 pm
you are write God dose note like peaple who curse
WritingReality BRONZE said...
on Aug. 11 2012 at 7:54 pm
WritingReality BRONZE, Detroit, Michigan
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I totally agree with this article! Cursing is pointless and i'm constantly reminding my friends and classmates of this. It's cool that someone from the same area as me shares the same opinion. I favorited this also. I will be printing and sharing this with my friends. Keep voicing your opinions! :)
wefoughtforliberty said...
on Aug. 11 2012 at 7:01 pm
wefoughtforliberty, Sutton, Other
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I don't personally agree with this article to be honest. I think that although cursing can be over-used and that there are definitely situations when more sophisticated language should be used, cursing in itself is not bad. Swear words are literally a different combination of the 26 letters of the alphabet just like every other word in the English language. Therefore they should be treated the same. I do not swear due to peer pressure - I swear because sometimes there are no better words to describe how you are feeling in that present moment. If I dropped something on my foot and it REALLY hurt then I would not search through my internal thesarus to find a more suitable word than the swear word that immediately flew into my head. And that is okay. I am allowed to curse and no one else should feel pressured into swearing by me or feel insulted/annoyed by my choice in words (that were not directed at them).  I don't see why we should try to change the world by stopping cursing when swear words exist in every language and have been used since language first began. They are a part of our language just like every other word and they shouldn't be stigmatised. However I do feel that they should not be directed towards people in a hostile way. (I also appreciate that I am really late to comment on this... sorry about that, I have only just started using this site.)
kima said...
on Mar. 17 2012 at 12:14 pm
I think cursing is poetry, if used correctly. It can be used to convey in stories emotions more effectively - use a curse word in a characters dialogue and you know instantly that he feels more passionate about said emotion. Cursing can be used to show a characters background - if characters from the TV show 'The Wire' didn't curse, it wouldn't make any sense. Cursing is something that when used correctly is poetic and useful.
KatsK DIAMOND said...
on Mar. 10 2012 at 10:09 pm
KatsK DIAMOND, Saint Paul, Minnesota
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I don't swear. At all. Not for any particular reason, I suppose. I simply have my own code of moral conduct that I choose to live by. Swearing does detract from whatever you're saying and does sound rather uneducated. Although my parents and friends swear, I haven't felt "peer-pressured" into it.
KatsK DIAMOND said...
on Mar. 10 2012 at 10:09 pm
KatsK DIAMOND, Saint Paul, Minnesota
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I don't swear. At all. Not for any particular reason, I suppose. I simply have my own code of moral conduct that I choose to live by. Swearing does detract from whatever you're saying and does sound rather uneducated. Although my parents and friends swear, I haven't felt "peer-pressured" into it.
EAR_SAP GOLD said...
on Feb. 17 2012 at 7:54 pm
EAR_SAP GOLD, Thomasville, North Carolina
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Well, cursing helps me express the way I feel. Though, I see where your coming from
dmimima BRONZE said...
on Jan. 26 2012 at 11:45 pm
dmimima BRONZE, Charlotte, North Carolina
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I do believe cursing is contagious. I'm someone who NEVER curses. Rarely but if I'm hanging out with someone who is constantly cursing then I find myself slipping a curse one here and there. Not on purpose. I personally don't do it because I find it to be a nasty little habit. And maybe this is wrong of me, but I personally find cursing to be a very mascline thing. When my boyfriend curses I don't mind but when I hear girls curse it sounds trashy. I also don't mind a few curse ones in a song either to emphasis what the singer is saying (as long as it's not a curse word every sentence). I really don't like when people curse to much. Every now and then is fine I guess but when every sentence involves a curse word it makes you look uneducated. And like you can't express yourself properly.
easyOcean BRONZE said...
on Nov. 30 2010 at 5:43 pm
easyOcean BRONZE, Hollis, New Hampshire
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Deep down, I do not think it's bad. I'm not sure why anyone would. They're just words, same as any others. What is there to think about when swearing? There are obviously better words to use, but I don't understand where you got "because everybody else is doing it." ? How is that peer pressure? To say a swear? If someone is honestly that impressionable, I guess so. But I can't believe that it's contagious..
malaika said...
on Oct. 5 2010 at 11:56 pm
yeah, i don't use profanity and it annoys me when people do. I often hear arguements about "freedom of speech." yes there is freedom of speech, but it must be used responsibly
EmoToboe BRONZE said...
on Sep. 10 2010 at 11:35 pm
EmoToboe BRONZE, Kemp, Texas
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I can't really say that I agree with this article, at all....  I didn't start swearing until I was around 17, and I had an abusive stepfather who would, on a good day, refer to me with the harshest words, on a bad day, I would rather not say.....

If I cursed because my peers did, I would've a long time ago, the reason I started swearing is that, I have so many emotions swimming in my head, sometimes no other word could express the emotion/physical pain I experience........ But that's just me......

Kimmy93 said...
on Sep. 3 2010 at 11:40 pm
Kimmy93, Phila, Pennsylvania
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I agree!

and you're right, it all starts with us. I wish people would stop cursing just to do it or just because "i can". It's really because everyone is doing it.

Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Sep. 3 2010 at 7:57 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
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I agree... to some extent. For I doubt there is real harm with cursing when no harm is carried with the word. But, I still agree with you. People just do it because others do it. And they are destroying the English language!