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Monday, December 27, 2010

In Merit of Rivka bat Rachel Leah

There are several medical conditions which cause a loss of censorship of speech. Tourette Syndrome is a brain condition that, among other symptoms, causes the patient to curse uncontrollably. Schizophrenia, a mental disorder that is characterized by misperceptions of reality, can cause people to act violently and curse. Bipolar disorder, a syndrome in which the patient cycles from being extremely manic to extremely depressed, can also cause uncontrollable cursing. People who have suffered from a stroke (which is like a heart attack in the brain) or other forms of bleeding in the brain can also lose control and curse. Other chemical imbalances and brain damage can cause uncontrollable cursing fits.

There are millions of people every year who suffer from these conditions and cannot control how they speak. A completely healthy person who has total control over everything they say and still curses is almost mocking the people who cannot.

I would like to dedicate this post for the merit of Bekkie, Rivka bat Rachel Leah. She is an eleven-year-old girl who is currently suffering from leukemia. She has been hanging in there for a while, and we desperately want her to get completely better! Her devoted friends made a CD called the Never Alone CD (http://www.neveralonecd.com) in Bekkie's merit. I beseech you all to pray for Bekkie's speedy recovery.

Update: Rivka bat Rachel Leah is now in remission! This is an amazing miracle. All of you who have read this post helped bring about her recovery - thank you so much! Please continue to pray for her well-being.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Cursing and Kabbalah

A rabbi I know told me that he heard a mekubal, or a person educated in Kabbalah, talking, and the mekubal was using a lot of serious bad words. He approached the mekubal and asked him, "As a person so connected to God, how can you curse like that?" The mekubal replied, "Do you want to hear a real curse?" The answer was obviously no, and he got away from the mekubal as fast as he could.

Honestly, I agree with this rabbi: I really don't understand how a mekubal could speak like that. A mekubal is a person who has seriously dedicated their life to studying Kabbalah (not like Madonna), and therefore to becoming closer to God. (A real curse from a mekubal would have seriously bad effects. If you ever hear one using bad words, I beg of you, do not approach them about it.) I have published extensively on how using bad words keeps a person grounded, and keeps them from reaching a spiritual plane. Whether a person is Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or a member of any other religion, I think they want to a reach a higher level: how can they curse and hold themselves back?

Friday, December 17, 2010

Insults Are Also Bad Words

While Bleep! is obviously anti-cursing, there are words out there that are just as bad as cursing that Bleep! combats: insults. One day when I was speaking at a school, I was sitting with the students as the principal made some announcements, and two girls were picking on a third. I happen to sort of know the two girls involved, and I know for a fact that neither one would ever say a serious curse word. However, they didn't flinch from calling another girl names.

What I'm trying to say by this is that insults can be just as bad as the "real" bad words, and they too should be avoided at all costs. Using insults hurt other people; using bad words can hurt both you and others. Is it worth it to use either?

As I gave my speech about Bleep! at the school I mentioned above, I mentioned this concept and stared straight at the two girls I heard. Did they understand what I was trying to tell them? I don't know. But I certainly hope they did.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

"That's So Retarded!"

I recently got an email from a Bleep! member, Gavriel S. He told me:

"I have a huge objection with the word retarded being placed in Category 2 [of the categorization of bad words on the Bleep! site] let alone any category. Retarded is a word putting down developmentally disabled people and it's more then a curse. If [you are] putting retarded in Category 2, then [you should] add [words like] the n word, the k word, etc...There is a deep, deep problem with putting retarded with words that people don't think much of. I participated in Yachad, I worked with developmentally disabled kids many times and I ask that you take that word off, maybe add a section on words such as retarded."

Because I completely agree with Gavriel and am so happy that he pointed out my error, I took retarded from Category 2 and created a new page, Ethnic Slurs, including the prohibition of the word retarded.

Retarded is truly a bad word and should not be used to put people down. I once used the word in casual conversation with one of my friends, and then I remembered that one of her brothers is special needs. After apologizing up and down about a million times (she readily forgave me), I decided never to experience such an awkward, uncomfortable moment and have eliminated the word from my vocabulary.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Adults Are Immature, Too

I recently contacted a few newspapers regarding writing for them about Bleep!. One reporter I contacted referred me to his publisher, and when I emailed him in thanks, he responded, "You're d**n welcome."

My stock response to kids and teens who curse at me is, "To start off, I just want to say that using the f word at a total stranger online is really a poor decision. If you've looked at my website, you've see that by cursing, there are so many negative effects, and because you just cursed I think so much less of not only you but your family and school, and the community you represent. I suggest you check out my site at http://sites.google.com/site/bleeporganization and read some suggestions on how to stop cursing." However, it seemed like the wrong thing to respond to this reporter.

So instead, I'm writing this blog post. Adults are immature, too. They also curse, but they also garner all the negative effects. So do I think less of this reporter? Yes. Do I think less of the paper he works at because of the word he decided to use? Yes. And do I think less of his general community, whatever that may be? Yes. I do.

While Bleep!'s mission is to stop kids and teens from cursing, the concepts still apply to adults. They can be thought of as immature, ignorant, unimaginative, obnoxious, whiny, disrespectful, offensive, unpleasant to be around, having a bad attitude, lack of control, little character, and no respect. And I DEFINITELY think that of this reporter.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

"Shut Up, Stupid!"

My aunt told me the other day that she was reading a book to her five-year-old grandchild, and she was a little disturbed to find that words like "shut up" and "stupid" were used copiously in the book. She changed the words to phrases like "be quiet" and "silly," but it still bothered her that such words be used in a book for little kids. While words like "shut up" and "stupid" pale in the face of the really bad words, they're still not nice words. Do I use them multiple times every day? Most definitely. But the other day, when I was in front of a lot of little kids and was on the brink of telling someone to shut up, I made sure to say "be quiet" instead.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Bleep! Member's Response to "You Can Curse in Your Head"

A Bleep! member, Aliza S., emailed me the following about my previous blog post "You Can Curse in Your Head."


I just have one comment to make. I was looking at your blog and I noticed that on August 10 you commented that cursing in your head is fine. You further said that the only reason not to curse (according to Bleep!) is because people will look at you and what you stand for poorly.


I DISAGREE.


Though I wholeheartedly believe what you're saying - and think that your reason is an amazing one, I also think that cursing affects YOU as well, and cursing in your head is nearly as bad as cursing aloud. In addition to other things, when you curse, even in your head, you're training yourself to respond to certain situations in that way. It's a tremendous level to be on to be able to keep the response in the head and not let it out into the world, but I still don't think that mental cursing is too great.

I definitely agree with Aliza's thesis. Bleep! stresses the negative effects that people will apply to you, your family, school, and community based on cursing, but it's far from the only reason not to curse. While I think it's just fine to curse in your head, it is obviously preferable not to, as if you're saying it in your head, it's easy to slip.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Jennifer Aniston and the Word "Retard"

Jennifer Aniston was on the talk show Regis and Kelly the other day, discussing a photo shoot she did emulating Barbra Streisand. When Regis asked her, "So you got to play dress up?" Aniston replied, "Yeah, I do it for a living, like a retard."


I think it was just in very poor taste for her to use the word "retard". I think it just really slipped out. I obviously don't condone her action, as the word "retard" is extremely offensive and as an actor she has a lot of influence over people, but at least she didn't say a Category 3 or 4 word.

This actually reminds me of when President Obama compared his poor score at bowling to something "out of the special Olympics," the Olympics for disabled/handicapped people.



To me, Obama's remark is worse than Aniston's, as he is the president. It was also just a silly thing to say; the people who participate in the special Olympics are probably more talented than most people in the regular Olympics. Sigh. When will society learn?

Monday, August 16, 2010

The Word "Bleep" Makes it Onto TV!

There is a new TV show called $h*! My Dad Says, pronounced "Bleep" My Dad Says. Sadly, it is not in any way related to my organization Bleep!. It is actually based on a Twitter feed (unfortunately using the actual bad word substituted by "bleep" here). Because it is airing during prime time, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), whose job it is to keep profanity and explicit material from being broadcast at certain times of day, is making sure the show doesn't use bad words. While the Parents Television Council, whose mission is to clean up the media, has protested this show for its title, I disagree. I understand their position, but I think they are overreacting. They don't use the actual word in the title, but an alternative. While it certainly isn't a nice title, I think it's perfectly acceptable.

I don't like William Shatner's attitude towards it, though. Shatner, who is playing the main character on the show, has said, "S**t isn't a terrible term." Oy vey! If he only knew the negative effects people all over the country are attributing to him right now...

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

You Can Curse in Your Head

I curse in my head.

A lot.

More than I'm proud of, to be honest. Obviously, it's most desired to avoid cursing in your thoughts, but as long as they don't come out of your mouth, there's nothing wrong with it. Bleep!'s reasoning behind not cursing is because people will judge you and everyone and everything that you represent poorly. If you think bad words, no one can hear them - they certainly can't judge you based on what they can't hear!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

I Guess What They Say About Truck Drivers Is True

I was walking on the street when I heard someone cursing someone else out at the top of their lungs. I assumed it was road rage and looked for the source when I saw it was a truck driver yelling at someone who cut him off. I suppose what they say is true and truck drivers do curse a lot...

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

What Mel Gibson Said Counts as Cursing

Recently, Mel Gibson made it in the news for verbally abusing his ex-girlfriend, making extremely sexist and racist comments. This isn't new behavior for him; a few years ago he went on an anti-Semitic rant against a Jewish police officer that pulled him over for drunk driving. Among the words he used this time around were f**k, b***h, wh**e, and a word I don't even like acknowledging because of how sexist and horrifically bad it is. He also used the word n****r.

"Is that really a bad word, though?" one of my friends asked me. "Since, I mean, it's certainly not a nice word, but is it something Bleep! objects to?"

The answer to that: OF COURSE!!! N****r is a highly offensive term for African-Americans. While I don't mention the word on the Bleep! site, that's simply because if I included one word that discriminates against a particular ethnic group, I'd have to include every word that discriminates, like f*g (for the gay community), k**e (for the Jewish community), and dozens of other terms. (Unfortunately, society's made a lot of ethnic slurs.)

So yes - when Mel Gibson, or anyone else, uses words like n****r, it counts as cursing.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Bleep! at MDS

On Friday, June 18, I spoke at Manhattan Day School about Bleep! and the Bleep! philosophy and encouraged membership. Check out the following pictures from the speech!


Sunday, June 13, 2010

Lady Gaga - Gesturing and Cursing, It's All the Same

After the recent incident where Lady Gaga gave the middle finger at a Mets game, people have been asking me if the middle finger "counts" as cursing.

Lady Gaga might not have actually said a bad word, but she gestured the same concept. If she had yelled out a bad word, it would have gotten the same message that the middle finger got across. Even though she didn't say a bad word, she gestured it, and it pretty much means the same thing.

So yes; Bleep! condemns Lady Gaga's action. Then again, it was a Mets game...

Friday, June 11, 2010

The Bleep! Dr. Nathan and Sara Hoffman Competition

I am happy to say that Bleep! has reached over 500 members. This is a huge, huge amount in a short time - while Bleep! has been around since August 2009, I only started getting members in November 2009. That means I've gotten over 500 members in 7 months! Wow!

I'm always looking to spread Bleep!'s message to as many people as possible. My next goal in terms of membership is 613. As many of you know, 613 is the number of commandments in the Torah, and considered an important number in rabbinic literature. I.e., it's a lucky number for me. Since I want to encourage all of you to get your friends to join Bleep!, I am happy to announce the first-ever Bleep! competition!

In order to participate, all you have to do is encourage your friends to join Bleep!! Seriously, that's it. Make sure to tell your friend that in order to join Bleep!, they must email their name and state to bleeporg@gmail.com, and mention that you referred them to join. The four people who refer the most new members and the 613th member will receive Chofetz Chaim: A Daily Companion. The Chofetz Chaim was a rabbi at the turn of the 20th century who formulated many laws of clean speech, and the daily companion book can help anyone who is looking to perfect their speech and language. Winners' first names will be mentioned in the newsletter after I receive 613 members!

This contest is sponsored in loving memory of Dr. Nathan and Sara Hoffman by Yair Hoffman and family.

Remember - encourage your friends to join Bleep!!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Condolences to Tipper Gore

Tipper Gore (wife of former Vice President Gore), Susan Baker, Pam Howar, and Sally Neivus created the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in 1985. The goal of the PMRC was to censor music and make people aware of the content of music before they bought it. Because of the PMRC's work, record labels are required to label CDs with explicit content, so parents buying albums will be aware of what they are buying for their children. The label has been nicknamed the "Tipper Sticker" after Gore.

Ms. Gore's work in the anti-cursing world has been applauded by Bleep!. I wish to extend my condolences to Gore on her recent divorce after 40 years of marriage.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Bleep! Has Reached 500 Members!

Wow. When I put up the first page of the Bleep! website on August 17, 2009, I had no idea that I would collect members, that I would publish in so many forums, or that Bleep! would become the widespread phenomenon it now is. I want to thank you all for making Bleep! the organization it has become.

I am thrilled to let you all know that Bleep! has now reached 500 members! I cannot thank you all enough for being members of Bleep!, and encouraging your friends to join, too. You guys really don't know how much it means to me. I was recently reading some old emails I had sent to a friend of mine, and I said in one, "I have 81 members - yay!" Wow, has Bleep! come a long way since then!

Bring Bleep! to 1000 members - encourage friends and family to join Bleep!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Robert Ford Rocks!

I just heard about state senator Robert Ford (SC-D) and how he proposed a bill to outlaw profanity in early 2009. While this law has not been passed, I just want to say - thank you, Robert Ford! He is a person who understands that cursing is an unacceptable practice. While I don't necessarily think it's something so bad that it should be fined or punished harshly by the law, I really commend Mr. Ford's efforts. Keep up the good work, Mr. Ford!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Quoting and Titles Are Fine To Curse

Today in class we were doing a performance of A Raisin in the Sun, and the author, Lorraine Hansberry, uses several curse words in it. (It doesn't take away from the quality of the book, though - I really liked it.) In the scene that we were performing, the h word and d word came up a few times, and the girls said them. I completely support this, as they're quoting the words, not saying them in a negative way. (I've blogged about this topic before.) Then the term son of a b***h came up, and the girl said it out loud.

I felt the entire room flinch, and I did, too. "It's okay," the teacher said. "You were so caught up in reading, you didn't mean to. It's fine." While I understand that it was an accident that she did say the word, I still support the fact that she said the word. It was a quote, and while the b word is a pretty strong word, she was quoting it, and it's not like none of us were unfamiliar with the word - it really was fine that she said it!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Classism and Cursing

Today in English, we were reviewing grammar homework. "But who cares if our speech is grammatically correct?" one frustrated girl asked.

"When you speak with precision and with proper grammar, it makes a good impression," our teacher responded. She went on to explain that people often judge others' class based on appearances and speech, explaining that while it's most definitely not fair, when you act and speak a certain way, people will think less or more of you. It all depends on which way you decide to go. This concept applies to cursing: what class do you think people will think you belong to when you curse?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Backpacks in the Library

I was standing on line at the library, waiting to take out some books, when I noticed there was a guy with a backpack on standing in front of me. The backpack had a picture of a monkey on it, and would have been cute, had the s word not been displayed on it in capital letters. I rolled my eyes and really wanted to make a comment to the owner of the backpack, but decided against it, as the guy was probably about six feet tall and taking out some horror movies. Had he been a little shorter and taking out some books, however...

Monday, April 12, 2010

Why I Indulge in Category 2 Words

Most people would think that as the creator of Bleep!, I've never said a bad word in my life.

Guess what?

I have. Everyone's slipped at some point in their life (as I have blogged about previously), and sometimes you just wanna say a word and you say it, throwing caution to the winds. I have admitted that I do indulge in words I call Category 2 words (but never worse on purpose), like crap, sucks, screw, etc., that are slightly objectionable, but have never been considered earth-shatteringly horrible.

Today I said the word crap, and immediately my friends were on me. "How can you say that? You're the creator of Bleep!!" they exclaimed, slightly horrified. The reason I do indulge in milder of the objectionable words out there is because I'm trying to show that Bleep!'s mission is not to make a blind blanket ban on all bad words. The First Amendment guarantees you the right to say whatever you want, and if you want to use a word that few people will be offended by, then go ahead. Might people think less of you? Yeah. They might. It's a chance that anyone, like me, has to take when they use Category 2-type words.

My bottom line: it's really okay if you say a mild word here and there. Just don't make it the only words you use.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Even Feminists Fall Prey to the Double Standard

I think many of you know that I describe myself as a radical feminist, having written two award-winning papers about feminism for National History Day and getting published on feminist blogs. I try my best (and sometimes annoy myself with how politically correct I can get) to remain gender neutral and as feminist as I can be. However, even the best of us can fall prey to the double standard.

My mom and I saw a play, MazelTov Cocktail, a number of weeks ago. (Its run is over, but I would suggest it otherwise.) It was a cute play and we really enjoyed it, but our biggest complaint was that the female actor in the one-person show cursed a lot. "It just wasn't warranted," my mom complained. I nodded; it had seemed kinda icky that she cursed so much. It was in character that she cursed, and I understood why she did, but I couldn't help but think less of her for it.

A couple of weeks ago we saw another play called Defending the Caveman (which was clutching-your-side hilarious - at some points it got inappropriate, so only for 13+ audiences, but it was totally hilarious), a one-person show with a male actor. He often cursed in the play, but my mom and I shrugged it off. "He's a guy," we rationalized. My mom even mentioned MazelTov Cocktail. "When she cursed, it was inappropriate, but when he cursed, it was okay," she said.

It only hit me after we excused him for cursing that it was totally unfair!! How could we allow the man from Defending the Caveman to curse, but not the woman from MazelTov Cocktail? That wasn't fair - if I'm gonna think less of her for cursing, I have to think less of him too! I'm just perpetuating the double standard! How could I do that?

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Yup - Biden Dropped the F-Bomb

Last night as I was watching the news about Pres. Obama signing the new health care bill, they featured another headline: Biden Drops the F-Bomb! If you watch the video, you'll see that after VP Biden introduced Obama, he whispered, "This is a big f***ing deal" to him.

While the health care reform bill may indeed be a big deal, I don't see why Biden had to use profanity to describe it. Biden's put his foot in his mouth a few times before, but I don't recall any time he used profanity. It truly was an extremely poor decision to curse in front of a room of people and lots of cameras where it can be heard, recorded, and shown to the public. This is why you should avoid cursing in writing: it's always there, so it can be used against you in the future. In this case, cameras and lots of witnesses took the stead of writing. Everyone in the room heard Biden curse, and all the cameras picked up on it, allowing the American people to hear Biden's beautifully mature words.

So to all you Obama and Biden fans: after hearing Biden curse, what do you think of him?

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

How Ironic...

For all of you who follow the Bleep! blog or on Google Buzz, you'll have noticed that I posted about how it's not illegal to slip every once in a while and curse accidentally. I just thought I'd say how ironic it is that last night, after I wrote the post, I almost slipped! I was talking to my mother about how some people just don't care about the negative effects of cursing, and I said, "They just don't give a sh...whoops!" I just thought I'd share this for all yawl to know that even those of us who feel really strongly about cursing (almost) curse every once in a while, too!

Monday, March 15, 2010

It's Not Illegal to Slip Every Once in a While

I was talking to a friend of mine who never, ever, ever curses, and while we were speaking, a Category 3 word slipped out. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" she said, face turning purple. Since I knew that this was not her typical vocabulary and could tell she was mortified that she had said it (to the creator of Bleep! no less), so I didn't judge her because of it. Of course I wouldn't! She slipped. It's legal.

Really - you're allowed to slip and say a bad word every once in a while, I promise! While it can be extremely embarrassing to slip, most people will not judge you based on one if they understand it's not the way you usually speak. (This is why it's important to make it very clear when you do slip that you're extremely sorry and humiliated.) So while you may have to deal with some of the negative effects of cursing, chances are people will be understanding. Really - it's not illegal to slip every once in a while!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Save Bad Words for When You Really Need Them

While it's never ideal to use bad words, I make it very clear that there are certain times and places where they're more acceptable than others. If you're in a private place with friends who are comfortable with cursing, there are no young children around, and no one who will think less of you/will dislike your word choice can hear you, it's acceptable to curse. However, while there are times that you can "acceptably" curse a blue streak, you may want to save those words for a time when you need them.

I know that sounds odd - like, when do you "need" to use bad words, let alone any type of word? I think everyone speaks in certain ways to certain people. (After all, would you feel comfortable saying "what up?" to your principal?) You "need" to use certain words with certain people. When you use language you don't usually use, people are more likely to listen to you. For example, if you normally liberally sprinkle like in your conversation (a crime I am guilty of) and make an effort to cut out the likes in a particular conversation, people will probably listen to you and take you more seriously. If you often curse, people will get desensitized to that type of language and will be less shocked when you use bad words. However, if you make an effort to keep your mouth clean, people will be extremely shocked that you cursed.

This can work both ways. People will be shocked in a bad way: if you, someone who always speaks with precision, cursed, how much more will they think less of you! (In the Old Testament, Miriam was severely punished for speaking petty gossip about Moses. One explanation for this was because she was on such a high spiritual level, she was punished more harshly than someone else would have been.) It can also work in the opposite way: people will also see that you really mean what you are saying. Once I was talking with one of my friends, and she said, "Please excuse my language, but she is such a b***h!" While there may be better words out there to use than the b word, by using such strong language that was totally uncharacteristic of my friend, I understood how annoyed she was.

Don't you want to have those bad words stored up if you really need them?

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Check Out this Article

I just stumbled on this article that discusses how derogatory the b word is. WARNING: This article contains some uncensored words and objectionable concepts. It is nonetheless an excellent read that proves why the b word is so totally inappropriate.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Once You've Said It, It's Always There

I was recently watching iCarly, a show I usually only watch while babysitting. The episode I was watching was iKiss, where Carly's friend Sam told everyone watching the iCarly web show that their other friend, Freddie, had never kissed anyone. Freddie gets extremely embarrassed and stops coming to school or talking to anyone. Carly gets angry at Sam for humiliating him like she did, telling her that no matter how she apologizes to him, nothing will work - she's already done the damage and spread the word. (Watch the episode to find out the resolution!)

This concept can also go for cursing. Once you've said a bad word, you've said it; there's no way to take it back. This isn't to say that if you say one bad word in you're life, you're doomed to being thought of as someone who curses. However, it is a reminder to always really guard your mouth. You don't want people thinking that you curse often, and if you let words slip more than a few times, people may start thinking so.

This is also something to be remembered when gossiping, too. While Bleep!'s message is primarily against cursing, anything relating to bad language is also in Bleep!'s general domain. If you say something against someone, spread a rumor that's true or false, anything bad about anyone else, there's no way to take it back. It will always be out there. Think about what you say before you say it: is it something you want to be floating in people's minds forever?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Certain Words in Certain Places

I think everyone knows that if you insist on cursing, you shouldn't yell out "f**k you!" in the middle of a preschool or "you b***h!" in a house of worship. As the creator of Bleep!, I hold that all alternatives to bad words (e.g. shoot, crud, etc.) are acceptable to use. They are. However, even alternatives have their time and place. A friend of mine pointed out that when I yelled out "what the heck?" in the middle of the school lunchroom, it might not have been the most appropriate place to use any word in that vein.

I'm not trying to say that it was inappropriate that I used that kind of word; I'm just saying that you (and I) have to remember where we are at all times. It's not so appropriate to say "what the heck" to a teacher or in school; it's not appropriate to say "oh, pooh," in the middle of religious services. If it's a choice between an alternative and a real word, then hands-down no question, use the alternative. However, bear in mind that while words like heck and crud are appropriate when you're among friends, they may not be in certain other situations.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

You Can't Be Punished for Your Thoughts

People who don't curse often tell me that they feel guilty when they say a bad word in their thoughts. Here's a secret: I curse a lot in my head. I just don't allow it to come out of my mouth. While it's advisable to avoid cursing in your thoughts and your speech (since you know you're cursing and may lose self-respect, in addition to the possibility of something slipping out), it's not the end of the world if you do. You can't be punished for your thoughts, only your actions. If you think about dumping a camera into the sink but don't do it, your parents aren't going to yell at you. If you do it, however, look out. It's the same with cursing; if you think a bad word, no one's going to punish you or think less of you, but if you say it out loud, you get the consequences.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Cursing in Writing is STILL Cursing

A friend of mine and I were emailing recently, and she cursed in one of her emails. I asked her to avoid that kind of language when talking to me in the future, and she said, "But it's just in writing! It doesn't count if you don't say it out loud!" My personal opinion is that yes, it does count when you use a bad word in writing. All the negative effects are still in place, and you're still using the word, if not saying it out loud.

Some members have told me that they and their friends would never say a bad word out loud, but when writing they're not so picky. Put it this way: if you would never bully a person in real life, would you cyber bully them?

A few days later, the same friend emailed me and used the acronym LMAO, which stands for "laughing my a** off." I told her that I would really prefer if she doesn't use that kind of language, and she said, "But I didn't even write out the word!" Even if she didn't use the word, I know what word she would have said had she written the phrase out, so to me, it counts as cursing. (When I want to use something to the effect of LMAO, I either do LOL, ROFL, or LMTO (laughing my tushy off!!).)

So, to sum up, using bad words in writing still counts as cursing, and using acronyms that have bad words in them also counts as cursing.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Living Well is the Best Revenge

George Herbert once said, "Living well is the best revenge." (R.E.M. also had a song by the title "Living Well is the Best Revenge.") This sentiment can be applied to small-scale situations of getting revenge against a person by showing them that you don't have to stoop to their level to get revenge, but that you're living well and way above them. It can also be applied to larger-scale situations, like the Jews vs. the Nazis. The Jews were able to come to America after they were liberated from the concentration camps and create new lives. My maternal grandparents are of these people; they came to America, built up new lives, and perpetuated the Jewish nation that Hitler sought to destroy. My grandmother always felt that having children was the biggest slap across the face she could give Hitler, as if to show him that his mission utterly failed: Jewish children are being born. The Jews live.

Living well is the best revenge. By living a proper life, you are avenging people that do not want you to have one. This doesn't only apply to the Jews and Nazis; it can apply to African-Americans and the KKK, Japanese-Americans and those who put them in internment camps, Native Americans and the government that sent them on the Trail of Tears, etc.

By living well, by speaking eloquently, you are showing the people who discriminate against you that they're wrong. You are an articulate person; you are not inferior to them. They are inferior to you.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

What Do You Think of the American Idol Rejects?

On today's American Idol, Ryan Seacrest said "Denver, Colorado...the air is always clean. That us, until Idol shows up." (Check out the first minute of the Denver auditions to see how many people they had to bleep out!!) People who were turned down by the judges were then shown, with bleeps covering up the words they were saying. What do you think of those people, "dirtying" the air with the words they were saying?

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Some Media Agrees with Bleep!

I was recently reading the book The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga, where the main character meets a person who is "foul-mouthed, annoying, and opinionated" (pg 65). He thinks less of the person he met because of all these reasons.

Ironically, the next book I read, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, also addresses the negativity of cursing; the main character states multiple times in the book that his friends curse and he doesn't because he feels it's unnecessary.

If you can think of any other anti-cursing references in books or other media, email me about it at bleep3@gmail.com and I'll include it on this page!

Monday, January 18, 2010

You Can Quote Bad Words

I remember when we were reading To Kill a Mockingbird in class a few months ago, and the teacher had a student read a passage out loud. The girl was reading it, and the word h**l came up. She substituted heck. While I understand her reluctance to say h**l and respect her for it, I really wanted to tell her that it's okay to say the word! When it's part of a quote or title and you're among peers, you can say the bad word. My reasoning is that since it's not actively cursing at someone, simply using a word, it's fine to use. If there were eight-year-olds in the room, I would totally back her decision to substitute an alternative, since it's totally inappropriate to use bad words in front of little kids.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Thanks for Visiting!

Thanks for visiting the Bleep! blog! You can see the website at http://sites.google.com/site/bleeporganization and email me at bleeporg@gmail.com. Feel free to contact me about anything!