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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1999)
A GGIELIFE ^ageS^Thursda^October^IQQ^ otty Mouth Igarity loses impact when it is a common occurrence BY JEFF WOLFSHOHL The Battalion ittle Mary went to the movies and saw an R-rated flick with fher mother. Her mother want ed to see the movie but was not able topnd a babysitter. She decided to go|nyway and brought Mary along. ^■Ttry, now an Aggie girl, has for gotten the movie but remembers the pnfanity, sometimes to a fault. Husa Foster, a sophomore Eng lish major, said there is a big dif- jfei|nce between hearing curse wqrds in movies and experiencing it in real life. ■‘It jumps out at you when people ybu know do it,” Foster said. “I ■k it’s unneccesary and someone Car express themselves in other wiys. I usually have to be pretty an- ■or have hurt myself in some way [tcj reach that point]. ” |Foster said pre-adolescents use Igarity more often than others. l“They do it because it is forbid- Ji and to be cool,” Foster said. “So t’J like it’s a freedom thing.” ■Being accepted is something ■>st people want, even if it means inilermining parents and mistreat ment of siblings. ■ “My brother doesn’t listen to me when 1 tell him to stop,” Foster said. “Cursing is something that you are tohl not to do by your parents.” ■ Zeke Henely, a junior computer ■ience major, said he finds himself ■rsing when he is alone. was upset at the recent [A&M] lotball game, and when I was by lyself, 1 said the [curse] words out bud,” he said. Henely said society is much less vare of the vulgarity than in ear lier decades. I “Inthe culture now, it is common Jo say a curse word,” Henely said. ?/// the theater, it is expected that pere will be cursing. ” Henely, a former member of the [Dtps of Cadets, said all universities alike in the use of vulgar lan- lage, and he has experienced the fIgarity first-hand. “A&M is not a special place, [and] rink there might be more cussing out here because of the Corps,” Henely said. “There is a lot of pres sure on the Corps and school. “Lower groups and incoming people that are going into [the Corps] will hear cursing. ” Henely said that even though society has changed, there are still some situations where pro fanity is inadvisable. “If everyone is an adult it’s fine, but when there are kids, they should avoid cursing,” Henely said. “Kids don’t need to be hearing that stuff.” Henely said his friends might spend much of a conversation cursing. “It doesn’t phase me when I’m with my friends and they cuss, even with the ones that do it all the time,” he said. Henely said he, like many typi cal college students, has become de sensitized to foul language because of his experiences. “I’ve spent four years in the Army and understand [the inten sity],” Henely said. “I’ve seen and heard it all.” Though it might seem to peo ple that society has become de sensitized, some do not agree with the trend. Tierney Bruce, a senior electri cal engineering major, said A&M is a reasonable campus when it- comes to profanity. “Educated people don’t tend to cuss as much,” she said. “It’s not a part of their everyday speech. They find other words to describe their feelings.” Bruce said she thinks resorting to profanity is only necessary in ex treme situations. “If you ran into something with your car or broke something valu able, then I can see someone curs ing,” Bruce said. Bruce said that while watching prime-time TV recently, she was unsettled by the vulgar program ming dialogue. “I was watching some show, and they said the word ‘b—d,’” Bruce said. “I thought it was inappropriate because a lot of families are watch ing television at that time.” rV\eisea <€a**v, == (fas a gxiii—i Post Oak Mall Featuring Reed Boyd Tuesday - Saturday • 9pm • No Cover For reservations call: 693-6429 Lunch • Dinner • Spirits • Daily! Approved by 4 out Of 5 college students. The fifth was a loser* www.greekcentral.com nothing captures greek. life more completely For a free CD, go to our website, or call 1-988-GREEK55. ‘that we asked in a totally unscientific study. 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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GUY ROGERS AND ROBERT HYNECEK Abi Glenn, a senior English ma jor, said swearing will never go away and any change toward less profanity will be the result of per sonal effort. “I think change is really made individually, and that’s the only way to avoid it [profanity],” Glenn said. Glenn said her constraint and self control not to curse are mainly tested the most in situations with her boyfriend. “I am tempted to curse at him when he is condescending or self ish, because I want to put him in his place,” Glenn said. “I try to take a deep breath and calm down in stead of griping.” Glenn said that being vulgar is a communication factor that can make a problem worse. “Expressing my rage would not help the situation with my boyfriend,” Glenn said. “I might slam the door instead.” Bruce said that though excessive profanity is a problem, profanity is sometimes inevitable. “For many people, it’s an in voluntary reaction to something bad,” Bruce said. “But with a con scious effort, you can work at avoiding it and stopping.” H- *■' :i: !}: * : ^ Toys for Tots Fund D rive for the children of Honduras/Nicoragua Saturday, October 8th fronn 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the MSC Donate $3 and become eligible -for a round trip ticket for anywhere in North America courtesy of Continental Airlines, or win dinner for 2 at any le Madeleine French Bakery k Cafe (within Texas') Sponsored by the Honduran/Nicaraguan Student Association and Continental Airlines and le Madeleine Free Food! 100 Lucky Students , Will Be Selected To Have Free BBQ At The President’s Home With Ray and Sally Bowen v.vw„,. 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