Swearing is so common that we don’t even need to tell you what four letter word this is. Graphic courtesy of junior Jorden Valle Gearhart.
Whether it’s in the hallways, lunch lines, and even classrooms of San Luis Obispo High School, a variety of colorful language from SLOHS students always seems to be audible. It’s not limited to just our school either, experts say that teens are using swear words more commonly than other generations.
Why is this?
Dr. Timothy Jay, a world-renowned expert in cursing according to the Massachusetts College Of Liberal Arts, says that it’s because of societies’ constantly shifting language values.
“It’s just become casual to them, but to some people who don’t swear, it can be shocking,” said Jay.
Expressions asked SLOHS students for their thoughts on why this is so common. Swearing can be seen as an emotional reaction.
“We do it because we get angry,” said sophomore Myra Salazar.
As for whether swearing should be allowed on campus, some argue that we should have a few restrictions.
“[You shouldn’t swear] at teachers, but if you’re around peers and it isn’t negative, then sure,” said junior Esteban Garcia Granados.
However, others think restrictions aren’t all too necessary.
“It’s just our modern day way of speaking,” said Salazar.
According to the National Library of Medicine, swearing is related to an increase in symptoms of depression and anger. Some think this may be due to social issues that can come from swearing.
“It can make you less approachable and take away from the social part of your life, which is important for mental health,” said Granados.
According to some studies, swearing isn’t always a bad thing, and can actually be beneficial. An article from PsychCentral lists a number of benefits from swearing, such as being a non-violent outlet for expressing feelings of anger. It also has psychological benefits, such as increased levels of endorphin and serotonin.
There are a wide variety of viewpoints on swearing, some are in favor of it, while others aren’t. But if one thing’s for sure, the fact that “damn” is seen as a swear word is complete bulls**t.
Sources: deseret.com, ncbi.nlm.nih.go, psychcentral.com
