“Did you just swear? That’s 50 cents in the swear jar.”

If you know what a swear jar is, whether you’ve seen it in a TV show or have one at your house, the concept of foul language is familiar to you. Although some people say swearing jars have benefits, others don’t feel the same way.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I haven’t used any curse words. I would be lying. In fact, anyone who says they haven’t said something other than “Oh, crap!” when they stub a toe would be lying as well.

Bottom line, cursing isn’t good. You may hear a few of your buddies screaming oh $%!* at every single thing that passes by, and it may be amusing in the moment, but after awhile, you start to pick up their habits. Eventually, everyone is cursing at the sky just for being blue.

Cursing used to be this unknown area of language that children only heard adults use. Now it’s common, everyday language.

Back then, “hell” was spelled out h, e, double hockey stick to keep you from getting caught saying the real word. That’s another point: the amount of censorship in the world has been toned down. It allows for anyone of any age to hear all types of inappropriate language that would usually be bleeped out.

In recent years, cursing has become a popular concept. Singers and songwriters use it, actors and actresses can be heard swearing in the latest movie, and even books we read can contain some inappropriate language.

The idea that artists feel the need to swear in order to seem more appealing is absurd to me.  

If I want to learn about an artist’s life through their songs, how can I focus if  20+ expletives are being sung? It takes away from the message, and sounds stupid.

I can’t tell you the last time I’ve listened to an album without the black and white “explicit” signs. Seriously ask yourself, have I listened to any songs without curse words? No offense to any of the rappers out there whose whole careers thrive from controversial and curse-filled lyrics, but once in awhile, it would be nice to get through a song without having my ears violated.

According to Psychology Today, a blog where doctors give bits of advice to the public, swearing provides “many unexpected benefits.” Some of the benefits of cursing are: pain relief, a sense of power over a bad situation, and social bonding. I don’t remember using swearing as a way to bond with my friends, but I guess for some people it works.

However, Scientific American, says that “swearing is a sign of a weak vocabulary, a result of a lack of education, laziness or impulsiveness.” I don’t necessarily agree that swearing shows you have a weak vocabulary, because some words are just better understood in the form of a curse word. However, it’s not always appropriate to swear just because you think it might sound better.

All things in life should be done with moderation, which includes cursing.

It’s not the end of the world if you accidentally yell out a curse word, but at the same time, remember to use appropriate words. If you don’t know any non-curse words, look in the dictionary! There are about 171,476 words if you need any reminders.

Azanae Barrow is an Entertainment Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.