Wednesday, January 23, 2002
THE BATTALION
WOULD
YOU SAY?
Students mouth off on cursing in public
By Gabe Patterson
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M has long held the distinction of
one of the friendliest college campuses in the
nation. A big part of this often is referred to on
campus as “Aggie pride.”
With this reputation, A&M attracts thousands
of hopeful applicants each year. However, it
seems some students have forgotten about the
wholesome image of A&M. In an era when it is
no longer surprising to hear profanity in public.
Aggies are no exception.
Shea Stout, a freshman computer science
major, still takes offense to bad language. “I try
to make it a habit not to use swear words in any
situation ” Stout said. “I really don't like it when
other people do it either, especially in public
places and around children.”
As young adults, some Aggies believe it is
their responsibility to set a good example for
others. “You never know what kind of effect
your words might have on someone else,”
Stout said.
Some students consider restraining foul lan
guage a sign of respect.
“I’ve had friends use curse words around my
parents, and I’m like, ‘Hello?’” said Shawn
Ursell, a senior environmental design major.
Jesse Haines, a freshman general studies
major, said movies, television and music have
all contributed to the use of public profanity.
“Profanity is more or less unavoidable
nowadays,” Haines said. “You can’t always
predict what kind of language is going to be
used when you first sit down to watch some
thing or listen to a CD.”
Scott Blackwell, a senior electrical engi
neering major, said his parents have grown
accustomed to entertainment with vulgar lan
guage and situations.
“My mom and dad eventually realized that
there was no way to stop it,” Blackwell said.
However, Stout said this is not a valid excuse
and most parents do not monitor what their chil
dren see and hear on television.
“Parents and children can monitor what
they watch and try to choose more wholesome
programs,” Stout said. “The problem most
people have with that is it takes a lot more
effort on their part.”
Some may even forget that profanity is ille
gal. According to Title 9 of the Texas State
Penal Code, in some situations, swear words
constitute a form of disorderly conduct.
Section 42.01 reads, “A person commits an
offense if he intentionally or knowingly uses
abusive, indecent, profane or vulgar language
in a public place, and the language by its very
utterance tends to incite an immediate breach
of the peace.”
Lt. Rodney Sigler of the College Station
Police Department said this rule is enforced in
College Station.'
“If a person’s foul language upsets some
one, technically they are breaking the law,”
Sigler said. Such a breach of peace requires
that police take action, which can include
removing the person from the situation or pos
sible arrest. Someone who curses with no
intention of causing a disturbance may still be
arrested based on another’s reaction.
Eddie Sorrell, a senior sports management
major, said the main reason he curses is habit.
“On the rare occasion that I do use swear
words, I don’t mean for people to take them
literally,” Sorrell said. “They’re just expres
sions that slip out when I’m overly angry.”
In fact, few people who curse think about
what the words mean when they use them.
This is consistent with the ideas expressed
by Illinois-based Cuss Control Academy. Its
position is illustrated in author Jim
O’Connor’s book. Cuss Control: The
Complete Book On How To Curb Your
Cursing.
The Academy insists that cursing has little
practical use. Its Website, www.CussControl.com,
states: “Sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it
helps you vent anger, but swearing never earns
you respect or admiration, enhances your repu
tation, makes you more pleasant to be with,
exhibits your intelligence or vocabulary or
reflects strong character. It doesn’t demonstrate
respect for others, help you win arguments, set
a positive example, get you romantically con
nected or help you get hired or promoted.”
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