I HATE the s-word, and I try not to use it unless I am very very angry, and even then I try to refrain from using it. I just feel like there are many more descriptive words in our language that we could use instead of that dreaded s-word. By the way, let's get our heads out of the gutter, I am talking about the word "stupid", not that other s-word.
Growing up I was definitely taught that "stupid" was a bad word, and honestly I do not agree with that teaching. Teaching kids and students that stupid is a bad word, teaches them that it is equivalent to a cuss word, which it is not. Now, as much as I believe that stupid is a word that should barely ever be used, I also believe that we should teach kids the difference between offensive words and "bad," or cuss, words.
By definition a cuss word is a swear word, which the Association of Psychological Science's article on "Perspectives on Psychological Science" states that the purpose of swearing is to show emotion. Where the basic purpose behind an offensive word, whether directly meant or not by the user, is to offend someone/something. I know I can speak from experience about this, and when someone says something offending it hurts, whether or not the hurt shows. And there is just so much hurt someone can take before it gets to be too much. While there is no way that we can eliminate both swear words and offensive words from our vocabulary, we can teach, both ourselves and the upcoming generations, to limit the use of those types of words.
In Jason Thibeault's article"On anger over the word "stupid", he talks about the whole background of the word "stupid", and how it is used in many different ways, all of which are offensive. His article may be on the insult of the word "stupid", but he urges everyone to be more mindful with language, and how to use it to not insult others.
Can you just begin to imagine a society that our goal is to build everyone up instead of tearing them down? Using words to help better society, even just one person at a time. Looking back in life and when I was offended by someone, or I offended someone, I think to myself, "What if it the word stupid was replaced with something encouraging?" Just think about how you can change the way someone views themselves with one word. Do you want to have that view changed for good or for bad? And how does the word "stupid" fit in with that?
Now while "stupid" may not fit into the same category as bad, or cuss, words, it still does sting when it is said to or about someone. Just remember that next time you go to use it as a descriptive word.
