How often should people curse? Is it okay to even curse at all? As kids, we’re all told not to use bad words. Eventually, we began to use a few more these type of words. Nowadays, especially in high school, cursing seems to be of the norm. People curse when they are mad, when they are sad, and even when they are happy. But at some point, cursing can be taken to an extreme level in which people aren’t even making sense. 

It’s well known that high school students are emotional. So, they tend to try and change a lot, even when simple events occur. This leads them to incorporate more swear words into their daily language. But what will happen once everyone is using these words in their day to day conversations. Not only does this show a difference between the current teen generation and older generations, it may also impact how future generations change the English language.

According to Ameerah Hirji (10), “cursing dumbs down language and it sounds harsh to the ear. Just listening to curse words make people look at life in an angry way. Future generations will be affected because if everyone looks at the world harshly, they will create a negative response to the world.”

Swear words can also be found in music, movies, shows, and social media. As our generation grew up surrounded by the internet, we were influenced by artists, youtubers, and other celebrities. While we looked up to them as our idols, we mimicked them perhaps by acting like them. For example, the N-word has been used in multiple rap songs. Even if fans know it’s not an appropriate word, they still use it when singing along to their favorite songs. Even worse, people start to forget its meaning and history. 

Other curse words are usually used in ways that don’t completely fit the real definition of the actual word. Many people simply use them because they give a different meaning that other words don’t have the notion of. 

Using profanity is also seen as “cool” due to social media’s influence on teens. Ameerah Hirji (10) adds “by hiding behind a screen, anyone can say anything, including curse words, which will be incorporated in their daily lives. Since there is no filter to what people say, it makes others think that they can sound cool by cursing in every sentence.”

With the increased use of  profanity, “bad words” may no longer be considered bad. Future generations might even evolve the English language to consist of these words in a common way. However, teaching future generations to use curse words can lead them to bring back immoral concepts from the past.

Usually, swear words are used in a way to show emotion that regular words don’t. As emotional high school teens, people tend to be dramatic and use these words often. Possibly, this may all just be a phase that everyone goes through. Maybe after high school people will grow out of their poignant habits and decrease their use of profanity.