How often do you hear curse words in the hallways at school? Hear them on TV and in movies? Read them in books or articles? Encounter them in music or on social media?
In your opinion, is there too much swearing today? Or is it simply part of the way we speak now?
In “Curses! A Swearing Expert Mulls the State of Profanity.” the Times reporter Matt Richtel invites Timothy Jay, a scholar in the science of swearing, to weigh in on those questions and more:
Cursing is coursing through society. Words once too blue to publicly utter have become increasingly commonplace. “Language is just part of the whole shift to a more casual lifestyle,” said Timothy Jay, a professor emeritus of psychology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass.
Dr. Jay has spent a career studying the use of profanity, from what motivates it to the ways in which it satisfies, signals meaning and offends. Although officially retired, he has continued to edit studies on profanity and he recently offered an expert opinion in an ongoing legal dispute in Michigan over whether the phrase “Let’s go Brandon” (a euphemism used to denigrate former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.) should be reasonably interpreted as “profane.” (It should not, Dr. Jay opined.)
Dr. Jay posits that the increasingly casual nature of the spoken word derives in part from the way people communicate on social media. One study, published in 2014 by other researchers in the field, found that curse words on Twitter, now known as X, appeared in 7.7 percent of posts, with profanity representing about 1 in every 10 words on the platform. That compared to a swearing rate of 0.5 to 0.7 percent in spoken language, the study found.
If that data troubles you, Dr. Jay has some thoughts on how to dial back the profanity.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
Are you noticing more — and perhaps stronger — foul language in places you didn’t used to see or hear it, as the article suggests? What is your reaction to this surge in obscenities?
Do you curse? If so, when and for what reasons do you do it? If not, why do you avoid it?
What is something you learned about swearing from Dr. Jay? Was there anything about its history, the reasons we use it or how we can change our habits around it that surprised you?
Can cursing become an issue? When do you believe it crosses a line, from being a harmless way to express oneself or blow off steam to being obnoxious, offensive or even dangerous?
Dr. Jay gives his theories for why he thinks cursing is increasing. What do you think might be driving our society’s more casual use of profanity? Is this a problem in your opinion? Why or why not?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
