Sunday, January 13, 2008

The Scuttlebutt

My 4th-grade daughter asked yesterday why the word “butt” is bad, if buttock isn’t. I know…butt is not technically a bad word, but I consider it disrespectful and crude.

I don’t like words like stupid, bad, dumb, idiot, butt, etc., because people use them to be hurtful. I think words should address problems, thereby creating solutions. It seems logical that talking respectfully leads to treating respectfully.

I decided to list a few common phrases with synonyms of butt and let my daughter decide why the word stinks. Here are a few examples:

  • I’m going to kick your tooshie
  • Tail-end head
  • Beavis and Fanny head
  • You’re such a keister

By the end of the list, we were laughing hysterically, and she totally got the point. Isn’t it amazing how words with the same meaning affect people differently?

Respect is an important part of the human psyche—we all want it…we’re all hurt when we don’t receive it. Why then is it hard to give in our daily words?

Why do adults call children names with the sole purpose of crushing feelings, not solving issues? Saying “good job” is simple, yet the positive effects are amazing…

There’s a TV commercial that says it all. One person treats another rudely causing a domino effect of rudeness. I think the commercial actually has something to do with Comcast, but the other message jumps out at me. They might want to work on their advertising.

Everything we do has a reaction—good or bad. We can choose to illicit the good and possibly change life for the better...or we can watch the dominoes fall…

1 comment:

One-time runner said...

Subtle, complex, humorous, soft and wise; you have it all.