“Cuss Free Week” Resolution Passes Assembly, Senate Stalls Adoption
By Terry Miller
Published: Thursday, February 25th, 2010
McKay Hatch of South Pasadena High School visits with talk show host Jay Leno to discuss his "No Cussing Club"
A resolution authored by Assemblymember Anthony J. Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), was adopted by the California State Assembly on Thursday. Assembly Concurrent Resolution 112 designates the first week of March as “Cuss Free Week” and invites all Californians to take the “No Cussing Challenge” to “improve our relationships, set a tone of harmony and connectedness in our communities, and inspire ourselves to higher endeavors,” according to the language of the resolution.
Following its passage in the assembly, ACR 112 was transmitted to the Senate where, if it would have been immediately passed into law, it would have taken effect this week. When the Senate approves it, California will be the first state to annually recognize the first week of March as “Cuss Free Week”. However Senate lawmakers failed to assign the resolution for vote, citing the need to focus on the state’s widening $20 billion budget deficit.
After noticing many of his peers were using foul language to bully other students and in their general discourse, McKay Hatch, then 14 years old, established the first No Cussing Club at his South Pasadena middle school in 2007. He encountered resistance from some students at first, but pushed on using the internet, media, and people skills to gain membership.
Today, his club boasts of 35,000 online members in all 50 states and 20 countries; his website receives thousands of hits per day with hundreds of parents, teens, and children taking the No Cussing Challenge online.
Here is how the Challenge works: The No Cussing Club’s website offers custom labels to place on a jar at a home, office or work site. When participants slip with foul language, they can place money in the jar for donation to charity or to financially-strapped non-profit organizations.
Assemblymember Portantino delivered labeled jars to each member of the Assembly and Senate Friday morning. Portantino, Smyth, and Hatch also planned to deliver a jar to the Governor’s Office after the press conference.
“I remember as a kid, my mother had a ‘cussing jar’ in our house. As an adult, I can still use a little reminder from time to time about my word choices. Often times we get into the habit of using certain words in certain situations and rarely stop to think about their impact. I already put in a few bucks in my office jar as a down payment on any potential mishaps I may have during the week,” said Portantino. “Our goal with this resolution is to get people to realize that words do matter.”
“I am extremely proud of McKay for issuing this challenge and, more importantly, for having the courage to stand up to peer-pressure,” added Portantino.
Assemblymember Cameron Smyth agrees. “This is a great opportunity for the Legislature to recognize a young person in our community for his dedication and leadership. McKay identified a problem among his peers and went about organizing a response that has grown into a worldwide movement. It’s a remarkable testament to what our young people are capable of.”
For those of you who might be interested in the actual bill (i.e. the whereas and so forth) The Independent has spared no expense to get you the full text:
“Leave people better than you found them.” – No Cussing Club Motto
WHEREAS, On June 1, 2007, then 14-year old McKay Hatch
founded the No Cussing Club at his South Pasadena junior high
school after noticing many of his peers were using cusswords and
foul language that created an environment of rudeness and
disharmony towards others on his campus. McKay reasoned that
if pupils could say no to cussing, it would be easier to stay away
from drugs, violence, and pornography and turn their focus to
positive aspirations and goals. “Leave people better than you found
them” became the No Cussing Club’s active motto; and
WHEREAS, Upon founding the No Cussing Club, 50 pupils
immediately joined and membership rapidly spread to other
schools, communities, states, and countries. By 2009, the No
Cussing Challenge had grown to 100 clubs in schools and churches
worldwide, with 35,000 online members in 50 states and the
countries of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New
Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South
Korea, and the United Kingdom. Its Internet Web site receives
thousands of hits per day with hundreds of parents, teens, and
children taking the No Cussing Challenge online; and
WHEREAS, While South Pasadena is not the first community
to confront a tradition of rude language, for example, in 2009 Saint
Charles, a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri proposed a ban on
swearing in bars, and in 2008, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons
called for an industrywide ban on racially and sexually charged
epithets, the No Cussing Club created a process to help convert
foul language to charitable actions that would raise our spirits in
times of economic uncertainty and frustration; and
WHEREAS, Cusswords and aggressive language are used by
bullies to intimidate their victims. To counter this, the No Cussing
Club offers a curriculum for schools that can be downloaded from
their Internet Web site and used to assist teachers and pupils to
combat bullying and cyber bullying; and
WHEREAS, The No Cussing Challenge encourages members
of offices, homes, and schools to place money in a jar with a
custom-made label available from their Internet Web site,
www.nocussing.com, when foul language is used and donate
collected funds to charity. This practice not only helps raise
awareness of our wide use of negative language and how it affects
our spirits, but inspires redeemable actions that benefit charities
and nonprofit social programs; and
WHEREAS, The No Cussing Club has been endorsed by
government officials at all levels with some creating cuss-free
zones in their jurisdictions. Promoting the notion that words are
powerful tools that express how we feel about ourselves and the
world we live in, the No Cussing Challenge is a reminder that our
ability to uplift, encourage, and motivate others and improve our
community starts with the words we use and actions we take; and
WHEREAS, The California Legislature invites the people of
this state to take the No Cussing Challenge each year during the
first week of March to improve our relationships, to set a tone of
harmony and connectedness in our communities, and to inspire
ourselves to higher endeavors; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature designate the first week
of March of each year as Cuss Free Week; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare copies
of this resolution for appropriate distribution.
Let us know what you think below in the comments section or by sending a letter to editor@pasadenaindependent.com. But please, keep it clean.
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