I have a confession to make: I say naughty words. I try not to, and I think there are more intelligent, eloquent ways to express myself, but sometimes I slip up and cuss. What can I say? I am a work in progress.
Here’s another news flash for you: teenagers swear too. A lot. I heard a blip from a study today (I have no idea who conducted the study or how they came up with the results, so take this with a grain of salt) where they determined the the average teenager uses cuss words 83 times a day. That’s a lot.
So, it is safe to say that if you are a teenager, you are no stranger to the f-bomb.
And if you are a parent of a teenager, you kid and the sh-word have been acquainted. I mean, it is a big world out there and, unless you have been keeping your kid locked safely in the house for his whole life (in which case I should probably call social services – just sayin’), he has heard a cuss word or two. And probably used one or two as well.
So why is it that when someone comes across a curse word in a YA novel, all hell H-E-double-hockey-sticks breaks loose? Reviewers give lower reviews; older readers lament that they can’t pass the book on to teenagers; parents storm the school administration building demanding books be pulled from library shelves.
Some claim the writers have more responsibility to the young adult readers. To which I say:
Dear Parents;
Our responsibility as YA authors is to write, to explore, to entertain. It is not our responsibility to raise your children. That, dear parents, is your responsibility.
Curse words, when used organically, add depth and realism to a book. That is not to say I advocate cussing (remember? I am trying to stop), but I do understand that is how people talk – young adults included. It is only fitting that we find the occasional f-bomb (or [insert curse word here]) in YA books.
Finally, I leave you with a great video from Jackson Pearce on the subject. Because, well, Jackson is made of awesome.
6 Comments
I politely submit that most young adults use cuss words because they feel that it requisite with being in, out, or wherever they think they want to be. It’s what they read, what they see. When asked why they swear, most young adults either don’t know, or, if they’re honest, express they are trying to emanate a certain persona as depicted by some part of the media, pop culture, pop society, what have you.
Now, I am not saying that all swearing should be….forsworn (I entertain myself immensely). Really some situations just require a good cursing (ooooo, that just gave me a story idea). That does NOT mean, however, that swearing has to be the status quo. Now that I pay more attention, that is pretty much what you’ve already said. So we are still friends, which is cause for great rejoicing. And yes, Jackson Pearce is made of awesome…but not awesome times five. That would be the bacon cheeseburger at Five Guys, and let’s be honest. No one wants to hear the opinion of a scrumptious bacon cheeseburger with pickles and sauteed mushrooms. They just want to eat it.
I totally agree with you. I think a lot of teenagers (or even younger kids) start cussing because they think it is cool, or rebellious, or whatever. After a certain point though, after a word has been used enough, I think it just becomes part of a person’s regular vocabulary. And then it is hard to quit using it. Really hard.
My son is only six and he’s heard “”words”, but knows he can’t say them, so now, when he doesn’t like someone, he’ll say, “Mom, that kid is a real A-word!” He doesn’t get that he’s still pretty much saying it! Ha, ha!
I think as far as YA writing, it’s a matter of choice as a writer. Sure, some might not like it, but just as many will applaud it, so in the end things hopefully even out. It’s a natural way for many to express themselves. It’s life these days! I will hope my son controls his vocabulary as he grows older, but I’m not going to flip if he reads a book with some bad words. He’s heard them all before!
Great post!
xoxo — Hilary
Thanks Hilary!
It’s funny–I really don’t put “words” in my own writing (I won’t say never, but as a general rule I don’t), but I still get upset when people freak out about others doing it.
You probably already read this, but I wrote a blog about this very topic:
http://thetabbycatt.blogspot.com/2009/12/characters-narrator-book-me.html
Believe it or not, I’ve never heard of Jackson Pearce, but I will certainly be checking her out now!
I did read that post, and I really enjoyed it!
Jackson is definitely one worth stalking.
She is talented and informative and really, really entertaining.