I’d like to take this a step further by suggesting that each of us accept the challenge put forth by California… and turn our perhaps-inevitable lapses into a charitable fundraiser. Put a cuss jar in your home, another in your office. encourage people to release their blue-tinged demons — for a price, of course — and then, at the end of the week, donate the no-doubt sizeable collection (you might need more than one jar if your office is like mine…) to the charity of your choice.I call l it the “I Give A Damn” program.
"Well, since it's for charity... here we go!"
Imagine how much good we could do if every bad word uttered resulted in a quarter going toward a good cause. Together, we could prove that loose lips don’t just sink ships, they can, under the right circumstances, raise our collective consciousness.
Please help us in spreading the word and then go out and literally give a “damn” both about and to the charity of your choice!
My sister is a great mother except for the fact that she swears in front of my nephew all the time. Not just the occasional “hell” or “damn” but a constant litany of every profanity under the sun. She used to say that he’s too young to understand, and now that he’s getting older she tries telling me that he knows there are words mommy can use that he can’t. Yeah, because we all know kids don’t go to school and try to impress their friends by talking or acting like adults.
“Obscenity is the sign of a weak mind trying to express itself.” — Anonymous
What do you get when you combine the summer solstice and an entire nation simultaneously attempting to go 24 hours without swearing?
What we here at howrudeareyou.com are dubbing The Longest Darn Day of the Year.
“Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity… these are strictly confined to man; he invented them. Among the higher animals there is no trace of them.” — Mark Twain
On June 21st, we’re asking that everyone do their non-four-letter-best to go the entire day without swearing.
Obviously, that’s going to be a whole lot easier for some than others. (We know of at least two people who might want to consider scheduling some kind of medical procedure which would render them unconscious for extended periods on that day. But the chances of Mom and Dad agreeing to do so are pretty slim… )
“Grant me some wild expressions, Heavens, or I shall burst!” — George Farquhar
Others might find that the key to enduring The Longest Darn Day of the Year lies in their turning this private challenge into a public spectacle. You can make a sporting event out of the day — and maybe even raise a little money for a good cause — by starting a betting pool on how long you’ll be able to avoid dropping an F-bomb. (But beware: This is the equivalent of a rail-thin woman announcing to her overweight officemates that she’s starting a new diet, thus inspiring them to bring in every tasty treat known to man in an attempt to sabotage their nemesis. Your so-called friends and family will likely push every button you have — and install a few new ones — in an effort to summon forth an obscenity or two!)
The point of the exercise is two-fold: It will actually force us to think not only about what we say and how we say it but also about how commonplace profanity — once considered an indicator of one’s class or lack thereof — has become.
“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.” — George Washington
And who knows? In the end, perhaps The Longest Darn Day of the Year will inspire some of us to kick the obscenity habit the way Smokeout — the American Cancer Society’s annual attempt to help folks stop puffing — gives people an opportunity to take that first step toward quitting cigarettes for good.
After all, both are bad habits which involve individuals using their mouths to spew forth something nasty that many of those around them don’t appreciate having forced upon them… right?
So spread the word, and let’s see if we can’t make The Longest Darn Day of the Year just a little bit more pleasant for all of us.
Join howrudeareyou.com in spreading the word about The Longest (Darn) Day of the Year, and check back regularly for updates — including tips on how to survive the day and suggested alternatives for your favorite curse words — as June 21 gets closer!
