Swear Jar for Social Media?

A few articles ago, I wrote (more like lamented) about when it went out of style to be a lady  ( http://melissa-randomthoughtsfrommelissa.blogspot.com/2012/01/wisdom-of-margaret-thatcher.html ).  In that vein, I would like to propose a swear jar for social media.

 

Now, for the record, I would like to state I have been known to swear.  I do try to keep it to a minimum.  We all have moments when life gets the best of us.  I get it.  However, these are moments when the filter in our brain is so freaked out by what just happened it takes a temporary leave of absence.  It happens to the best of us.  I, however, do not understand, why some among us have the need to use swear words in social media.  When you type something, you have to think about it.  Really think about it.  And proof it.  And there is this thing called the backspace key (hint hint).

I get it.  Life can be frustrating and you need to vent.  You want people in your social circle or your followers to know you are hacked off.  Being frustrated or angry about something is fine.  However, I do not think this is the venue to curse like a sailor.  Everyone knows four letter words.  By using them in your posts, all you prove is that you have a limited vocabulary…  Or that you were raised by a pack of wolves… or you do not value your image enough not to come off as trashy.

In a world of reality TV (which I do believe is aiding and abetting  our societal de-evolution), contrary to popular belief, it is not cool to be trash.  It’s not something to aspire to.  Anyone can be trashy.  It’s the lowest common denominator.  I have an idea:  Rise above it!  Value yourself and your image.  Have a smidgeon of class (that’s all I ask).  

There is this really great thing called the internet.  On it, you can learn a number of great things and there are lots of resources out there.  I’d like to share one with you now.  It’s called http://thesaurus.com/ .  A thesaurus is a really great tool.  It can help you expand you vocabulary.  If you want to tell the world you are ANGRY, but want to do it with a little more panache, you can look up other words that also mean ANGRY  (aka synonyms).  Synonyms for ANGRY are: affronted, annoyed, antagonized, bitter, chafed, choleric, convulsed, cross, displeased, enraged, exacerbated, exasperated, ferocious, fierce, fiery, fuming, furious, galled, hateful, heated, hot, huffy, ill-tempered, impassioned, incensed, indignant, inflamed, infuriated, irascible, irate, ireful, irritable, irritated, maddened, nettled, offended, outraged, piqued, provoked, raging, resentful, riled, sore, splenetic, storming, sulky, sullen, tumultous/tumultuous, turbulent, uptight, vexed, wrathful .

See?  There are many, MANY words in the English language.  Here’s the best part: you don’t have to be an English PhD to use them.  That’s the great thing about these United States, we have freedom of speech!  You have the choice to use proper speech.  Use speech to show you have an iota of class.  Show us you have the proper upbringing to use speech in a socially acceptable manner.  It’s not hard.

For those of you who insist on proving to all your lack of elegance, I propose a social media swear jar.  We can agree to a fine rate and the proceeds can benefit a charity.  Maybe…just maybe…it will help you learn how to type classier posts.  If only I had the power to do so (*sigh*).

I will now get off my soapbox.  If you need some soap to wash your mouth out, I know a great little shop on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunbasilgardenSoap ).

Until Tomorrow - Melissa