What is with today's generation and their language?

[TLO]

I'm 18 so I am a part of it I guess, but what is with kids in the 8-14 range cursing up a storm? When I was being brought up that was adult talk and those were bad words, but I've done a year in college and some of these words are new to me lol.

I just don't get why they think it's cool? Maybe the parents at home aren't enforcing it or what but I just don't get it....

What do you think?

[Rocky]

haha I can't single it out to anything, but I blame a fair part of it on the accessiblity of how easy it is to get stuff like that from anywhere. And by saying anywhere, I mostly mean the internet.

Back when I was a 13 year old, the internet was this mysterious thing that not everyone had access to. I couldn't even imagine being able to grow up and use a portable computer to download all kinds of games, videos, or in certain cases interspecies erotica (I'm looking at all the non-muggles in here). But yeah lol, like nowadays stuff like that is easily findable on the internet and it takes no time at all to educate ourselves using the world wide web as a vessel of knowledge. This can be a good thing or a very bad one, and having kids using foul language at much earlier ages than normal is one of the side effects to such a change in creating a new homeostasis for our culture.

[TLO]

Wow I just realized you joined this site 8 years ago lol.

Anyway yeah I guess the accessibility has made it so much easier that they can just google search curse words and they will have a list in every language possible.

[Xithor]

You hit it right on the head, it's the ease of access that is making all the kids develop what were meant to be adult tendencies and behaviors at such a young age. Another thing is all the media and advertisements that are getting thrown in their face, how many times in even PG13 movies are curse words being thrown around? It's becoming more acceptable and I disagree with it all. It still shocks me to hear 12 and 13 year old kids use those words that I would get whooped in my house if they ever escaped from my mouth. It might be the way they were brought up too, there are just so many factors playing into it it's hard to single out just one you know?

[TLO]

Yeah, plus TV allows for it as well. There are only a few words they can't say, but back in the day butt was the word to use, now it's replacement is used regularly. They all are and it is sad because kids think this is acceptable, and I mean yeah I guess it is, but that's because ratings are better.

[GypsyElder]

Me being honest, I started cursing because I picked it up from other people my babysitter. So after a while whoopsies came out of my mouth lol

I still do and I try to use word placeholders like : shiz, shiznite, fack, "son of a ho" biznitch..ect..

[ZantetsukeN]

In some cases, it's parents I guess. I mean, I rarely swear and always been like that, but I see alot of cases, especially recently, where some parents don't care.

For instance, the other day I was outside our game shop in town, which happens to be next to a toy shop, obviously meaning there are a lot of kids around going in and out of the shop. Out of nowhere, a woman, drinking a beer I might add (this was about 10 in the moring too), telling her about 2-3 year old son to "Shut the **** up". Not only did she say it to her son, she said it loud enough for all the other kids about to hear. It's stuff like this which I blame.

[Lily]

I'm sure it's not just your lot. Kids from all generations thought it was 'cool' because we were all told it was naughty. I've got a right foul mouth on me, have done since a young age. It's not my mothers fault, I wasn't dragged up haha, she would of throttled me if she had any idea what a foul gob I had on me. I have this vivid memory of never ever swearing, and a friend had been on holiday somewhere and said all the kids swore, and this was like, omg super cool at the time, and she said shit. I dunno why I remember this so clearly, and it's hilarious looking back, but we all thought it was AMAZIN' that she just said shit at school

And I've pretty much just swore like a trooper since then. I don't even realise I'm doing it sometimes :|

Being older now, I know there's a time and a place, I'm not gunna eff and blind when I know there's kids about, but if I'm just randomly chatting away to a pal, summat will slip out.... I'm horrendous for it.

[Halie]

I agree with Lily... you'd have to be an Amish home-schoolee to have never thought swearing was cool as a kid. Sure, it's not, and eventually you grow up to realise that you were being a noob when you did think it was cool. Kids thrive on things that they can rebel against... that's why I like to dye my hair crazy colours because it pisses my teachers off, and it's against the rules. It's the same with younger children. They get a thrill out of using bad words just like me and my hair-dyeing.

HOWEVER... I don't think that justifies the amount of swearing I hear today... when I walk to my bus top, I usually see a group of 5-6 year olds fighting with each other and swearing. Like, a lot. Thry look like their about to pull out guns and knives from their pockets and kill each other. Not even I was that bad as a kid! It's awful >_<.

[TLO]

It is the younger generation that scares me, like you were saying they are cursing and swearing and going at it so bad you don't know what they might do next.

I'm also short and these kids that are like half my age aren't, they get intimidating I'm not gonna lie hahaha

[che]

You guys are acting like cursing is such a terrible thing. Cursing is fine, but parents need to teach their children where and when they can use it.

It's not like cursing is the gateway into murdering people.

[TLO]

True, you are right about that, there really isn't anything "wrong" with it, but when people start using on each other and think that is okay, that's where the line gets drawn right?

[SuperSabin]

I don't like cursing, I hear it all the time and I'm used to it, but I still find it a horrible habit. Its sad to see that even the young kids of today are using it as common as sliced bread. Its not like we can do much about it but hopefully the kids will learn to stop using that language and be more polite when they start maturing.

[Jin]

It's not exclusive to this generation. I cursed like a sailor when I was between 8-14 (give or take). You know, because it was the cool thing to do.

Kids of every generation are idiots.

[TLO]

Hahaha then we all grow up to be idiots of our generation at a much older age =]

[RagnaToad]

In general, I think every generation is somewhat afraid of, offended by or surprised by the one that comes next. Language can be an example of this. I mean, back in the day it was weird or offending to say certain words or even talk about certain things that are perfectly normal right now.

Society is also becoming more and more free, and while taboos and social traditions are fading away, people are getting less and less offended by language in general, generation by generation.

Of course, easily accessible mass media play a role in this too. Especially in terms of learning new words. (Cf. Rocky's post about the world wide web)

[winterborn86]

I curse an awful lot, I think I just picked it up when I was at High School.
I think alot kids these days are very brutal with their language tho, they way I've heard kids swear at there parents, teachers etc is disgraceful, it's very aggressive and I don;t agree with that. When I curse it's through normal conversation a f*ck or sh*t will squeeze it's way into my sentences, but I would never spoke to my parents or teachers in the way kids do now, I knew my parents would give me a smack around the head if I did.

[Alpha]

I think Rags is on to it, but I would change one sentence of his post:

From:

Society is also becoming more and more free, and while taboos and social traditions are fading away, people are getting less and less offended by language in general, generation by generation.

To:

Society is also becoming more and more free, and while taboos and social traditions are changing, people are getting less and less offended by language in general, generation by generation.

But I'd also like to point out that so far all the evidence there is that has been presented is just hearing it from a couple of children, and one drunk mother. That's evidence of nothing. People have always sworn. The words themselves have become worse, perhaps, and we are less sensitive to stronger words, which compels people to use 'stronger' words. The way these are perceived is what changes. My grandmother would find the f-word absolutely reprehensible. My mother would find it disgusting, and I try not to use it, but don't care. So we go from where, perhaps, ass was a disgusting word that no one used less their mouth be washed out with soap, to the situation tonight, where my news presenter said piss like it was a normal word to hear during dinner.

There's nothing 'wrong' with it. It's always happened and will always continue to happen. There are still words people find disgusting. I only know one or two people who would use the word that begins with C and rhymes with 'munt'. But that's probably going to change. And in a few years time this thread will play itself out again in another corner of the Internet, or in conversation.

[Merlin]

I am known to throw in a few curse words here and there, but only among friends. I'm not going to walk up to a complete stranger and drop the f-bomb. I can just imagine my mother walking up behind me and slapping some sense into me.

What I find particularly disgusting is some of the TV shows coming out nowadays. I was watching some show on Spike called "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" or something like that and I found the announcer to be extremely rude, obnoxious, and sexist. I had to turn the channel after a few minutes because the guy was dropping so many foul words it was getting on my nerves. I can see it in a movie, but regular TV the FCC is supposed to be blocking crap like that. I don't find it "funny" to listen to an announcer go "Oh yeah baby, bend over more so I can see those titties." I had to do a double-take on that and trust me, that's the censored version of what he said. I won't post the other stuff, as most of it is too foul for me to repeat. Feel free to watch the show yourself and make your mind up.

That brings up another interesting point... is the FCC not blocking stuff like they used to? Some channels are getting censored out the wazoo, like Comedy Central, but other channels like Spike seem to be able to say whatever they want and nothing is blocked.

[Sinister]

Don't we all sound like a bunch of old ninnies today? Since when did everyone become so judgmental? Rags, Lily, Halie and Alpha are excluded. Oh...and Halie...I am a homeschoolee. Just not an AMISH homeschoolee. lol

Anyway, it's not something that's really new, is it? Languages change, people. The older generation might not catch on, but who cares? What we are witnessing is simply a shift in values, taboos and slang, as Alpha and Rags pointed out.

-Sin

[Copperfire]

I didn't know it was such a problem.

Then again, I don't have a whole lot of contact with the younger generations.

Lack of interest.

Personally, I try to keep the foul language down to a minimum.

Still... it's probably learned behaviour.

[Furore]

I deal with a lot of the ones who hang out at night around 2-3am. In their case I think it's often a lack of proper discipline coupled with some of the popular TV shows glorifying anti-social behaviour and demonising those in authoriative roles.

Depending on the group of kids it could be any number of reasons though.

[Dynamo]

Personally i rarely use words for that nature and i never really have, when i am frustrated with something, then i might, or when i am annoyed. I tend to use these types of words much more when i have been drinking.

I beleive the kids of today swear (alot more then alot of us would have done), because that seems to be the way the english language is involving. (shortening words where ever possible, tendancy to use similar/shorter words), but alot of words especially the "F-word" are used more as a descriptive then it used to, but the biggest reason (or at least i think), when they say these words, nothing happens so they assume it's ok to say these words and eventually the don't even reliease (unless they are insulting someone) they are saying them.

Unfortunately, in 10-20 years this will be how nearly everyone speaks.

I don't mind it all that much (depending on situation and frequency), but it isn't nice to hear it especailly from young kids and i don't like it when people use them all the time

[El Gatopod]

Text speak is in, so is word.

Word.

[GeLeHa]

Little kids curse because it makes them feel more adult, and "hood" for those who listen to rap. Older teens and young adults curse because they cursed all the time when they were kids, and because of alcohol.

That's my theory, anyway.

[Maridia]

It's a no-no so of course kids will do it. That's what they've done forever and will always do. Some kids swear more yes and some parents are more lax about it. I used to swear alot more than I do now but so long as you're not in a store saying "Yo ma where's da fucking peas!" and know there's a time and place for everything then it's fine.