Profanity and swearing is the use of offensive language and gestures in public places. The most commonly used words of this nature include fuck, damn, hell, Jesus Christ, bitch, shit, oh my God and sucks. The intensity of profanity is highly dependent on the person who has been offended.
At Hinds community college the offenders are punished by suspension and paying a fine of not less than $25 for the initial offense. If the same offense is committed for the second time by the same person the fine is raised to $50 and again if the same offense recurs for the third time the student is suspended from college.
Hinds community college has managed to control public speech which is very crucial because it fosters students-instructor relationship. Before this policy was implemented, lecturers and instructors were experiencing a lot of humility from students.
Lewis, W.Scott has been conducting seminars that sensitize educators on how to interact with their students in a decent way. Lewis blames the current increase in profanity to the increase in the society moral decay and also the decline in economy which has left many people depressed. With this in mind the lecturers feel these students problems can only be solved by medical experts such as psychiatrists (Jaschik, 1).
Controlling public profanity is not that easy according to Almon, because for the case of a college, the instructors and lecturers don’t have the capacity and time to monitor their students’ language inside and outside college premises (3).
Some professors promote profanity without their knowledge by creating a communication barrier between them and their students. To break these barrier lecturers are encouraged to make sure they are well oriented with their students such as knowing each others names. Lewis also cautions lecturers to watch the way they dress because people are addressed by what they wear.
There are times when freedom of speech can cross the line. This occurs when the speech is not limited to its intended target audience hence becomes noise to other people who are in close vicinity. Profanity, as research shows, is rising among children (Jaschik, 1). This so because learning begins at home and since many adults swear right in the presence of kids, the kids assume its ok to swear and use vulgar language therefore at college level they are already seasoned and profanity becomes part of their lifestyle.
Men swear more when they are in the company of other men. They argue that swearing is induced by failures and negative results and thereby swearing helps to relieve the pain. Teenagers exhibit the highest rate of profanity and swearing but this rate declines with age. Most students don’t reckon how their rudeness affects their fellow students and their educators.
This is because those that are offended by their language are not brave enough to express their feelings. In some cases profanity may lead to fights. For instance if a student insults another student in the presence of fellow students, the offended student may decide to through a few punches just to warn the offender.
Most students are motivated to adopt vulgar language by the celebrities they see in the movies. They then see it as the only way to acquiring fame and dominate their peers. What they don’t know is that by using rude language they are branding themselves as rebels even when their performance does not imply the same.
Most profanity by students is based on sex and violence by making statements in reference to certain organs of the body. Others sing violent songs with the aim of attracting the attention of other students. Therefore, it is appropriate to teach students values and norms from their homes. Parents have a greater responsibility in shaping their children to avoid profanity.
Works Cited
Almond, I. Derrida and the Secret of the Non-Secret: On Respiritualising the Profane. Literature and Theology. 2003. 17(4):457-471.
Jaschik, S. When Students Drop the F-Bomb. Inside Higher Ed. 2010. Web.