By Talia Weisberg
NEW YORK — You’re walking on the street and pass a person. Let’s call him Joe. He’s dressed from head to toe in Prada and is talking on his cell phone, the newest BlackBerry. What do you think of him? You’re probably impressed by Joe’s style and obvious wealth. (After all, who doesn’t want the newest BlackBerry?) “What the f**k are you talking about?” he exclaims. What do you think of Joe now?
There are so many negative effects of using bad words. People often judge others based on their appearances and how they present themselves. If you meet someone who speaks with precision and uses an advanced vocabulary, you’re probably going to think more highly of him or her. If you’re in a conversation with people who sprinkle bad words in their speech, chances are that you’re going to think less of them; people will think the same of you when you curse. People who curse are often thought of as ignorant, unimaginative, immature, disrespectful, whiny, offensive, unpleasant to be with, and having no other words to express themselves, in addition to having a bad attitude, lack of control, and little character.
Our speech reflects our thought process. When we speak Torah thoughts, we show others that we’re on a higher plane and we’re closer to God. When we use bad words, we show others the opposite: we are on a more basic plane and have little respect for the power God gave us. Additionally, the Torah teaches that the way you act physically affects the person you are on the inside. If you curse often, your personality and belief in God will be negatively affected, and you will begin to think less of yourself.
Another reason Jews aren’t supposed to use bad words is because we are Jewish, and every day we daven, make brachot, learn Torah, and say God’s name. It degrades all the holy things we do when we curse. One of the rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud said that he would have wanted a person to have two mouths, one for holy things and one for all other purposes, so that his mouth would remain holy for prayer and Torah study. He decided that if that were so, people would be less likely to refrain from speaking evil language, believing it would not harm their prayers or Torah study. Because we have one mouth, we must realize that after we curse or otherwise use our mouths for bad purposes, we are bringing down the holiness of the rest of the things we say with our mouths.
When you curse, you not only give off a bad impression about yourself, but also give off a bad impression about your family, school, and community. When you curse, people will think less of your parents, since they will assume you learned to speak that way from them. People will also think less of the school you attend and those you have attended in the past for not teaching you a proper way to speak. Your community will also be negatively impacted if you curse. Your community can be any group you call yourself part of, whether it’s your sports team, group of friends, neighborhood, race, nationality, or religion. If you’re a Jew and you curse, people will think less of the Jewish community. Imagine if our aforementioned Joe was wearing a yarmulke and tzitzit. How would non-Jews judge the Jewish community at large after hearing him curse?
Because of my strong feelings against the usage of bad language (and being painfully bored over the summer), I created an organization called Bleep!, whose mission is to eradicate the usage of cursing among kids and teens today. Bleep!’s mission is not to tell people that they’re not allowed to curse; the First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of speech, and no one can infringe that right. Instead of telling teens not to curse, Bleep! tries to convince them that cursing has many negative effects and should be used sparingly, if at all. In order to spread Bleep!’s message, I speak at schools about the Bleep! philosophy and the negative effects of cursing.
If you agree with Bleep!, you can show your solidarity by becoming a member! Membership is completely obligation-free; all you have to do as a member is receive an optional monthly newsletter about Bleep! news, anecdotes about cursing, and other Bleep!-related items. By becoming a member of Bleep!, you’re also stating that you understand the negative effects of cursing (even if you personally use bad words). So far, Bleep! has over 700 members in 27 states and ten countries. To sign up, email bleep3@gmail.com with your name, state/province, and email address.
Joe is not necessarily a bad person because he curses. He’s just a person who happens to use bad words; he could be either good or bad. However, after hearing him curse, what would you think?
You can visit Bleep! at http://sites.google.com/site/bleeporganization
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Weisberg is a sophomore at Manhattan High School for Girls
Kol ha’kavod, Talia Weisberg!!