OPINIONS. Need to vent? Contact the editor at opinions @theotherpress.ca Curse those cussing kids Fudge it_ just let children swear already Elliot Chan Opinions Editor bs opinions@ theotherpress.ca rofanity is a rite of passage. No matter how innocently we begin, at one point or another we all end up saying those socially frowned upon words. Sure, I believe in a more sophisticated form of language— the kind I dress up in for my grandma or bring into a job interview—but those words lack substance. They feel fake, forced, and pretentious. Like educated grunts from the time of cavemen, swearing brings human interaction back to the ground level. When used properly, it can express honest emotions without any blurred lines. The pent-up rage we feel can often lead to physical violence, if not for the ability to curse. The freedom to swear allows us to be verbally confident—and that shouldn’t be limited to adults. In 2010, a Sociolinguistics Symposium study showed that children are swearing earlier than ever, escalating at around ages three to four. The fingers were quick to point at television, music, and vulgar parents, but perhaps the problem isn’t the parents or the children; perhaps the problem is culture. Children are intelligent and they are quick to understand irrational rules, such as the “Do as I say, not as I do” rule. Swearing doesn’t hurt anybody after all, and once they realize it they'll abuse it, especially out of parental earshot. We often associate swearing with anger and hostility, but most of the time we swear when we are excited. “This food is goddamn delicious,” or “This is the best fucking song ever.” Perhaps we could do without the “eoddamn” and the “fuck,” but then it would be a completely different reaction. Inhibiting the ability to express emotion is more crippling than a few innocuous words. Once censorship is removed, swearing becomes the norm and not an urge to be defiant. Without risk, there is no adrenaline, and children will begin to use swear words selectively the way intelligent adults do. For parents, omitting the taboo will also cancel out the hypocrisy of telling a child not to swear. Communicating Miley Cyrus circus Id rather watch a dancing bear Aidan =’ | Mouellic 1 Staff Writer nless you've been living in the Northwest Territories, you've likely heard about what Miley Cyrus has been up to lately. Instead of going in- depth, I’ll quickly summarize the past few years of her life: teen pop star and Disney Channel actress, Cyrus, has become an adult and is doing everything she can to show everyone how adult she is by wearing as little clothing as possible and singing about mature topics like drugs and SX. While Ms. Cyrus is transforming into her new role as a sex symbol, the media and mothers across America are crying foul at the singer’s raunchy antics. 16 y \ oP ( with children like they’re adults is not a hindering act; it’s one of respect, showing that the child is just as smart or has the capacity to be as smart as we are. In an article published by the Association of Psychological Science, a study showed that swearing takes up an insignificant 0.3 per cent to 0.7 per cent of our daily speech. Profanity is universal and can be found in virtually every language. Although North American culture still uses it to separate high-class from the low-class, there is no proof that people with greater wealth are swearing any less than those in poverty. Of course we can give our children those swearing training wheels—words like “fudge,” “darn,” and “shoot’”—but no matter how you sugarcoat their potty talk, you are not saving them from the inevitable. I’m sorry to say it, Mom and Dad, but your sweet, innocent child is going to cuss and they’Il use those words to talk back to you one day, the same way I did with my parents. The earlier we let our children swear, the less of a problem it becomes. After all, there really is only one bad word, and that’s “hate.” Sinead O'Connor and Miley Cyrus | Photo illustration by Joel McCarthy I can understand why they might find it distressing, but I have no problem with how she dresses, how her music sounds, or how she poses in photographs. But I draw the line at insulting the mentally ill, and that’s exactly what Cyrus did this past week. In a highly publicized back and forth Internet battle, Cyrus and Irish singer Sinead O’Connor exchanged words on Twitter and through open letters published on media sites. Neither party displayed much class during the exchanges, but Cyrus crossed the line when she stated in a tweet that “Before Amanda Bynes... There was...,” attaching a screenshot of a series of tweets made by O’Connor two years earlier, seeking assistance for her own mental health troubles. Cyrus blatantly used O’Connor and Bynes’ mental illnesses as a means to attack both of them; an act that’s awful and hurtful to everyone who has suffered with a mental illness. I thought Cyrus was better than that. I thought that an artist who has supported other disenfranchised groups would know better than to belittle and make fun of a serious issue. Before this incident I was not a huge Cyrus fan, but I acknowledged her musical talent and defended her when I heard people unjustifiably dissing her. She’s doing her own thing and not letting the industry boss her around too much, which is admirable— but I can no longer support her or defend her actions. She’s gone too far. The media was quick to cover the story of her spat with O’Connor and it got wide coverage, but the coverage of Cyrus’ extremely inappropriate tweet in regards to O’Connor’s mental illness hasn't gotten as much notice. Cyrus’ tweet and the media’s lack of a reaction is a sign that the stigma towards mental disorders is still alive and well. If Cyrus tweeted that O’Connor’s hairstyle makes her look like a dying cancer patient or if Cyrus made fun of AIDS patients, I doubt the public or the media would ever let her forget that. But when she makes fun of O'Connor and Bynes for seeking psychiatric treatment, that’s apparently no biggie. I really hope Cyrus makes a formal apology and realizes how wrong her comments towards O’Connor and all psychiatric patients were. Cyrus is a talented, beautiful, and daring artist with international stardom. I just hope that she becomes more aware of how damaging comments from someone of her stature can be.