“Ya Wanna Hang With Us? Don’t Cuss!” That’s the heading at the top of the No Cussing Club website. The No Cussing Club was founded in 2007 by then-14-year-old McKay Hatch from South Pasadena, California. According to the NCC website, Hatch was bothered by all of the cussing he was hearing from his friends and others, and started challenging them to stop. The club formed shortly after as a support system, and as a way to keep the No Cussing Challenge alive. The No Cussing Challenge encourages people to avoid using bad language or telling dirty jokes and promotes the idea that using clean language can help improve your life as well as some else’s.
A few years after its founding, the club started gaining media attention; there were members in all 50 states. Currently the No Cussing Club has over 20,000 members and supporters all over the world. McKay Hatch has been on several news programs, talk shows, and other forms of media promoting the No Cussing Club. He has also released a book and a DVD about the history of the NCC, how to deal with peer pressure, and staying true to what you believe in.
Inspired by Hatch and the No Cussing Club, California recently passed a resolution declaring the first week of March as “Cuss Free Week”. The resolution is meant as more of recognition to use better language.
In response to “Cuss Free Week”, student Ange Pearce said, “People will swear just for the sake swearing… I think it’s a rather futile effort. I also think it is waving peoples’ rights to freedom of speech. It’s ridiculous because it’s a very common cultural vernacular and they have no right to try to get rid of it when it is not physically damaging to anyone.”
Even the Vice President of the United States has been in the sights of the No Cussing Club. Vice President Biden has been told to watch his language after letting a certain four-letter word slip earlier this month. According to a California news station, Hatch wants the vice president to take the No Cussing Challenge and to publicly apologize for using bad language. He thinks that Vice President Biden should be more responsible, and has also reportedly sent the Vice President a No Cussing Club t-shirt and “cuss jar” to help him manage his language by putting money in the jar whenever a bad word is used.
The No Cussing Club may not be changing everyone’s minds about offensive language, but they are trying to make a difference. Their motto “Leave People Better than You Found Them” has inspired people all over the world to clean up their vocabulary. Will you take the Challenge?
For more information go to www.nocussing.com.